Resources for Secondary, Post-Secondary and Farm Business Management Educators.
Resources
Career Exploration Resources
Discover Minnesota’s Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (AFNR) career landscape with this updated booklet—featuring eight industry pathways (from biotechnology to environmental systems), regional wage data, skill requirements, and a full list of Minnesota State college and university programs. Learn about workforce development scholarships and how each pathway aligns with in-demand roles and salaries to plan your education-to-career journey.
Explore AgCentric’s Career Pathways portal, showcasing eight Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (AFNR) career tracks—from agribusiness and biotechnology to plant, animal, and environmental systems—with clear pathway descriptions and direct links to Minnesota State college programs. Ideal for students and career-changers, this user-friendly hub helps you discover your agricultural interests and connect to relevant educational opportunities.
Explore in-demand conservation careers across Minnesota with this quick guide to pathways, job titles, salaries, and educational programs—plus info on scholarships to help you get started. Perfect for students, job seekers, and anyone interested in protecting our natural resources.
On The Farm STEM’s Genetics & Heredity unit offers a high-school-level, storyline-based curriculum where students explore cattle breed diversity—dubbed “SuperCows”—through hands-on investigations into DNA, inheritance, and protein function. Designed to bring agricultural science to life, this free program includes engaging activities, educator resources, and professional development opportunities.
Careers Beyond The Farm features career paths in agriculture that defy stereotypical routes students and young people may normally consider. Watch interviews with real agricultural workers whose careers embrace the modern and thrive in the ever-changing fields.
AgExplorer, created by the National FFA Organization, is an interactive career exploration platform that helps students discover over 250 careers in agriculture. It features a career finder quiz, virtual field trips, and detailed career profiles to connect students with their interests and potential ag pathways.
Discover AgCareers.com, the leading global job portal tailored to agriculture, food, natural resources, and biotechnology—providing thousands of career opportunities, employer resources, salary data, and training for building a strong talent pipeline in the ag industry.
General Resources for Educators
Explore UMASH’s comprehensive safety and health toolkit for the agricultural community—the “Resources Home” page offers a searchable collection of free, farm-focused materials including fact sheets, posters, videos, curricula, and checklists in English and Spanish. Topics cover everything from zoonotic diseases and mental health to equipment safety and agritourism.
Progressive Agriculture Safety Days hosts a “Daily Learning Drop” video series on their Facebook page, offering engaging, bite-sized farm and equipment safety lessons designed to teach kids key rural safety practices in a fun, hands-on way.
The University of Minnesota Extension’s “Coping with Rural Stress” page offers practical tools and support for individuals, families, and communities in rural Minnesota facing economic, environmental, and social challenges, including crisis hotlines and farm-lender mediation services. It also provides access to mental health resources—like the COMET training—plus toolkits and interactive materials to build resilience at both personal and community levels.
The University of Minnesota Extension’s “Adjusting to Income Loss” page offers practical, step-by-step guidance for individuals and families facing reduced income—whether due to layoffs, reduced hours, or health issues. It includes tools for budgeting, prioritizing bill payments, communicating with creditors, and even creative strategies like bartering to maintain financial stability.
The University of Minnesota Extension’s “Stress Series” (also known as the “Two for You” Stress Series) offers a collection of short, research-based videos and tips rooted in positive psychology to support rural leaders and community members in managing stress, building resilience, improving focus, and fostering connection through empathetic interaction.
Resources for Secondary Educators
Explore AgCentric’s Career Pathways portal, showcasing eight Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (AFNR) career tracks—from agribusiness and biotechnology to plant, animal, and environmental systems—with clear pathway descriptions and direct links to Minnesota State college programs. Ideal for students and career-changers, this user-friendly hub helps you discover your agricultural interests and connect to relevant educational opportunities.
On The Farm STEM’s Genetics & Heredity unit offers a high-school-level, storyline-based curriculum where students explore cattle breed diversity—dubbed “SuperCows”—through hands-on investigations into DNA, inheritance, and protein function. Designed to bring agricultural science to life, this free program includes engaging activities, educator resources, and professional development opportunities.
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom offers free, standards-based resources to help secondary educators integrate agriculture into subjects like science, social studies, and career exploration. The site features lesson plans, interactive activities, and professional development to connect students with real-world ag concepts and careers.
On The Farm STEM’s Genetics & Heredity unit offers a high-school-level, storyline-based curriculum where students explore cattle breed diversity—dubbed “SuperCows”—through hands-on investigations into DNA, inheritance, and protein function. Designed to bring agricultural science to life, this free program includes engaging activities, educator resources, and professional development opportunities.
Access a dedicated Google Drive folder curated by MAAE, offering a rich collection of virtual classroom support materials—such as lesson plans, activities, and teaching tools—designed to empower agricultural educators in delivering dynamic, standards-aligned AFNR instruction.
AgExplorer, created by the National FFA Organization, is an interactive career exploration platform that helps students discover over 250 careers in agriculture. It features a career finder quiz, virtual field trips, and detailed career profiles to connect students with their interests and potential ag pathways.
Explore Nourish the Future’s Virtual Classroom hub—a curated collection of online-ready lessons in biotechnology, soil science, population studies, and more STEM topics tied to modern agriculture. Designed for grades 6–12, these ready-made, inquiry-based modules include student activities, teacher support materials, and data-driven investigations—perfect for engaging learners in virtual or blended environments.
Discover the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence’s robust K–12 outreach portal—featuring hundreds of free, educator-ready resources. You’ll find hands-on curricula, engineering design challenges (including STEM + agriculture), educational games, posters, and machine-design contest materials, plus workshops and professional development to empower STEM teachers and rural communities.
Explore AgEdNet.com, a subscription-based online agriculture curriculum featuring nearly 1,300 standards-aligned lesson plans across 20 topic libraries—from crop science and biotechnology to agribusiness, leadership, and food safety—with robust extras like PowerPoints, vocabulary puzzles, and worksheets to support CTE and Ag educators.
Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence educator resources connect transportation, logistics, and supply chain concepts to real-world agriculture—helping students understand how food, fuel, and fiber move from farms to consumers through engaging lessons, videos, and hands-on activities.
Midwest Dairy offers free, curriculum-aligned resources to help educators teach students about dairy farming, nutrition, sustainability, and careers in the dairy industry—perfect for bringing real-world ag into your classroom.
The Energy Careers Minnesota Educator Hub offers interactive resources, lesson plans, and career exploration tools that highlight the vital role of energy in agriculture—from powering equipment to supporting sustainable farm practices—ideal for integrating STEM and ag career pathways.
Discover a wide range of free, standards-aligned classroom resources from the American Farm Bureau Foundation—perfect for educators looking to bring agriculture to life through lessons, games, activities, and virtual experiences for grades K–12.
Discover AgDaily’s curated list of top online learning resources for farm and agriculture topics, featuring free at-home tools like virtual farm tours, STEM activities, and curriculum tailored to commodities like beef, corn, soybeans, and dairy—perfect for students, parents, and educators looking to explore agriculture from anywhere.
This instructor’s guide offers discussion questions, classroom activities, and background information to accompany The Man Who Fed the World, a biography of Dr. Norman Borlaug—ideal for exploring topics like global hunger, plant science, and agricultural innovation with high school students.
Resources for Post-Secondary Educators
Discover AgDaily’s curated list of top online learning resources for farm and agriculture topics, featuring free at-home tools like virtual farm tours, STEM activities, and curriculum tailored to commodities like beef, corn, soybeans, and dairy—perfect for students, parents, and educators looking to explore agriculture from anywhere.
Explore “Growing America,” a middle school STEM curriculum from Nourish the Future where students dive into corn and soybean growth, anatomy, temperature effects (like GDDs), and sustainable farming through hands-on labs and data-driven lessons. The unit aligns with NGSS standards and includes complete teacher and student guides for classroom use.
Explore the Mike Rowe Works Foundation’s Work Ethic Certification curriculum, a post-secondary program built around the 12 principles of the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge. Comprised of video-led lessons and educational materials, it’s currently in pilot at select vocational and technical colleges to help students develop key soft skills like responsibility, perseverance, and a strong work ethic.
Access a dedicated Google Drive folder curated by MAAE, offering a rich collection of virtual classroom support materials—such as lesson plans, activities, and teaching tools—designed to empower agricultural educators in delivering dynamic, standards-aligned AFNR instruction.
Discover AgCareers.com, the leading global job portal tailored to agriculture, food, natural resources, and biotechnology—providing thousands of career opportunities, employer resources, salary data, and training for building a strong talent pipeline in the ag industry.
Online Learning Pedagogy and Technologies for Educators
Discover the Minnesota State Online Learning Resource Center (OLRC) for Career and Technical Education (CTE)—a curated, educator-focused hub offering free, high-quality instructional materials, tech tools, and design resources for remote or blended learning in secondary and post-secondary CTE programs. Perfect for Minnesota educators seeking peer-reviewed strategies and materials across disciplines, with content regularly updated to stay relevant and useful.
