The annual five-day Summer Agricultural Institute (SAI) to be held this year from June 18-22 will educate 30 kindergarten through 12^th grade teachers about Arizona’s agriculture industry. The SAI will also provide the educators with the knowledge and tools to implement their newfound understanding of agriculture into the classroom.

By traveling via bus to Arizona farms and ranches, the SAI will combine hands-on learning about agriculture with practical curriculum development. Teachers will spend the night on a farm or ranch to learn hands-on about agriculture straight from agricultural producers. Farm Bureau members in Yuma county are being sought to host one or two teachers on June 19.

The tuition is only $85, plus teachers receive 48 hours of continuing education credit at the completion of the five-days of activities. A certificate of completion will be issued, at no additional charge. Teachers are encouraged to apply.

Farm Bureau members are encouraged to submit the names of teachers who might be interested. Each teacher pays an $85 tuition fee upon acceptance to the institute. Applications are due on May 1. The Institute begins and ends in Phoenix.

Members can also financially donate to the effort. While the Institute costs each educator $85, the actual cost is $450. Donations can be sent to the Arizona Foundation for Agricultural Literacy (AFAL), P.O. Box 61682, Phoenix, Ariz. 85082. AFAL pays for the chartered bus, lodging, meals and educational supplies.

The event is coordinated by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and funded by the Arizona Foundation for Agricultural Literacy.

For applications or more information, contact Monica Pastor, at (602) 470-8086 or mpastor@ag.arizona.edu.