Education News — Fall 2026
Fall Field Trips Now Available
As we launch into a new school year, Food + Farm Exploration Center is excited to welcome learners and educators back for another season of hands-on agricultural exploration. Just like modern agriculture, we are always innovating—which is why we’re thrilled to introduce our updated Field Trip Guide and visit request process! While most components remain familiar, several enhancements have been made to improve the field trip experience.
To help educators tailor their visit, we now offer structured field trip packages designed for groups of varying sizes. Each package includes an educational introduction, open exhibit exploration, and a seasonal agricultural experience—such as a guided tour of our active farm fields, an investigation in our educational greenhouse, or an immersive indoor activity.
Customizing Your Visit
Elementary & Middle School: Teachers can enhance their package by adding a hands-on Dig-In lesson or Pop-In activity suited to their group size.
Grades 7–12: We now offer a facilitated exhibit breakout box session created specifically to deepen student engagement and strengthen critical connections to specific exhibit concepts.
Ag Innovation & Careers: Middle and high school groups can opt for a specialized presentation exploring cutting-edge farming technologies, robotics, and high-demand agricultural career pathways.
Early booking is strongly encouraged to secure your preferred dates and times for the fall semester!
Farming for the Future Transportation Grant
We are proud to bring back the Farming for the Future Field Trip Transportation Grant for the 2026–2027 school year! This grant helps remove barrier costs by covering field trip transportation to Food + Farm up to $1,000 per school. Applications are accepted year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis, making it easier than ever to bring your students to Plover. Find application information here.
Summer Recap: Moments of Connection
Summer Field Trips
Following the launch of our new summer field trip packages, we welcomed 31 field trips from regional summer school programs and youth organizations. Learners stepped into the shoes of agricultural scientists through our new Little Farmer Journal experience—monitoring weather conditions, tracking plant growth, identifying beneficial insects, and discovering careers in meteorology, entomology, technology, and food production.
Summer Camp Fun
Our four specialized summer camps welcomed 70 young learners for deep-dive agricultural discovery:
Culinary Road Trip: Explored regional cuisine and food traditions across the United States.
Little Pollinators, Big Jobs: Investigated native insects and their critical role in our food supply.
Simple Machines + Smart Design: Built hands-on engineering projects exploring the six simple machines used in modern farm equipment.
Science on a Plate: Combined morning kitchen creations with afternoon lab investigations to connect food preparation directly to scientific principles.
All camps were full of enthusiastic learners all ready to take their memorable lessons and put them into practice out in the real world!
Summer Teacher Professional Development
On August 11, local educators joined us for an immersive professional development session focused on integrating agricultural literacy into K-12 classrooms. Farm Manager Larry Isensee led an in-depth tour of our demonstration fields, followed by hands-on resource sharing, a presentation from American Drone, and an off-site visit to Agricair Flying Services in Bancroft, WI, to explore the science and safety regulations behind aerial crop protection.
Information regarding our August 2027 Professional Development Day will be released in the coming months!
New Resources & Community Events
Homeschool Workshops & Girl Scout Badge Clinics
We are continuing to expand our learning opportunities for community groups:
Homeschool Workshops (Ages 6–12): Monthly, thematic STEM workshops featuring hands-on lab investigations and exhibit admission. Our next session on October 7th focuses on Pumpkins! ($15 per learner).
Girl Scout Badge & Patch Clinics: Custom troop experiences combining culinary projects, introductory robotics, and greenhouse science to support badge completion. Additional details and visit requests can be submitted online.
Partner Spotlight: Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA)
We extend our sincere thanks to the WPVGA for sponsoring our educational programs and providing incredible, free resources for K-12 classrooms:
Kids Dig: A potato growing activity designed for elementary school learners.
Potatoes in the Classroom: Provides funding to secure Wisconsin potatoes for use in high school family consumer science and agriculture classes.
Free seed potatoes are given to classrooms along with instructions and activities to complete. At the end of the growing season, the WPVGA Auxiliary program can help plan a harvest party to celebrate all you and your students have learned! There is also a yearly drawing for a free trip to Food + Farm for classes that participate!
Have you heard of the Spudmobile®? This immersive, mobile exhibit offers a unique perspective on the potato industry and can come straight to your classroom! WPVGA sponsors this 37.5 foot educational bus to create a memorable, hands-on experience that connects people to the farmers, practices, and passion behind every potato grown in Wisconsin. Learn more about the Spudmobile® and request a visit to your school today!
Upcoming Farm-to-Table Events
We are always up to something fun here at Food + Farm. From celebrating the Year of the Woman Farm at our inaugural Rooted in Gratitude fundraise to enjoying a bowl of loaded mashed potatoes after a run around the World’s Largest Potato Masher, there are so many ways you can engage with agricultural education. Join us for these upcoming autumn events:
Rooted in Gratitude: Our annual fundraiser, this year celebrating seven Wisconsin Women in Ag — September 17
Pour + Explore: Wunderlust German Wine Dinner — September 25
Farm-to-Table Floral Workshop — October 3
Scouting America Soil and Water Conservation Clinic— October 3
Spud of the Month: Pumpkin Potato Curry Soup — October 9
The Masher 5K Fun Run — October 17
National Mashed Potato Day— October 17
Enjoy a sneak preview into some of our yet-to-be-released events:
Homeschool Workshop: Cranberries — November 4
Girl Scouts Junior Mechanical Engineering Badge Workshop — November 14
Girl Scouts Daisy and Brownie Create and Innovate Badge Workshop — February 13