Education News — Summer 2026
Spring Field Trip Impact: Hands-On Learning in Action
Spring is traditionally a high-energy season at Food + Farm Exploration Center here in Plover, Wisconsin, and this year is no exception! Our field trip program is absolutely booming. We are currently hosting 2 to 3 field trips daily through the end of May, facilitating critical agricultural literacy and STEM learning for over 715 students.
If you are planning to bring your class or student group to the Center, we highly recommend reserving your date early—or better yet, get a head start on your curriculum planning and secure a spot for our highly requested Fall sessions!
New for 2026: Themed Summer Field Trips
For those who teach regional summer school courses or manage local childcare and camp organizations, the learning doesn't stop when the school year ends. This year, we are trying something completely new: specialized, themed summer field trips!
Educators can customize their visit by choosing from five age-appropriate, interactive lessons detailed in our 2026 Summer Field Trip Guide PDF:
Pollinator Power: From Flower to Food
Crop Quest: Exploring Wisconsin’s Central Sands
Forecast to Fork: How Weather Influences WI Crops
The Future of Farming: Gadgets, Gears, and Growing Food
Cooking with Commodities: Wisconsin Focus Crops
Each summer field trip includes a targeted, educator-led lesson, dedicated time exploring our outdoor agricultural spaces (weather permitting), and full-day access to our 60+ interactive on-site exhibits.
Thank You, Stevens Point Area School District!
Food + Farm Exploration Center was proud to host approximately 560 second-grade students from across the Stevens Point Area School District (SPASD) for the second consecutive year!
These bright young minds were introduced to Wisconsin-grown crops—including carrots, peas, green beans, and potatoes—via a customized greenhouse tour and an interactive "seeds and growing" lesson designed specifically to align with the district’s curriculum. Students also engaged with over 60 hands-on exhibits investigating soil health, water conservation, beneficial insects, and the marvelous machines that plant, harvest, and process our food system.
The visits provided a play-based opportunity for young learners to tie classroom lessons directly to Central Wisconsin agriculture. As a Madison Elementary teacher shared in an evaluation: “The students were so engaged with the activities, they did not realize how much they were learning.”
That is exactly what our education team strives for! A heartfelt thank you to SPASD and their incredible educators for trusting us to help inspire the next generation of agricultural enthusiasts.
Free Summer School Classroom Outreach
Want to bring the agricultural innovation directly to your school? Our dedicated Education Outreach team is hitting the road for classroom visits again this summer. Best of all, these interactive sessions are completely FREE for teachers operating within a 45-mile radius of our Plover facility.
This year, we are offering two distinct outreach tracks:
The Amazing Agstravaganza Science Show (Grades 2-5): Highlighting core science and STEM concepts through high-energy demonstrations and their direct applications in modern production agriculture.
Sweet on Cherries Focus Session: Celebrating one of our primary focus crops of the summer!
For K-2 Audiences: A deep dive into cherry production, a custom-themed craft, and a hands-on cherry smoothie blending session.
For 3-5 Audiences: An engaging agricultural "break-out box" puzzle challenge where students decode clues to unlock a hidden cherry smoothie recipe to conclude the lesson.
Slots fill up quickly as local summer school schedules lock in. Make your outreach reservation today!
Looking Ahead
Summer Teacher Professional Development
Mark your calendars! Our highly anticipated summer Teacher Professional Development event is officially scheduled for August 14th, 2026.
This comprehensive event is built for Wisconsin educators of all grade levels. Attendees will network with prominent Central Wisconsin agricultural businesses and participate in immersive, hands-on activities that can easily be mapped directly back to your classroom standards. While our complete agenda is being finalized, registration is open right now to secure your seat
Coming this Fall: The Ag Innovation Challenge
Attention high school teachers! If you are searching for an engaging, real-word project for your students this upcoming autumn, look no further. Food + Farm Exploration Center is bringing back our popular Ag Innovation Challenge.
This multi-week, completely virtual experience allows teams of high school students to collaborate to solve a complex, real-world business dilemma posed by an active agricultural industry partner. It is a fantastic, turnkey way to build critical thinking, real-world problem solving, and applied agribusiness skills, fitting seamlessly into any high school agriculture, business, or tech-ed course.
Keep an eye on your inbox later this summer for full registration details and the official 2026 challenge prompt!