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Foundation for Agriculture Empowers Teachers to Develop Ag-Centric Digital Skills Curriculum with Fellowship Program

Foundation for Agriculture Empowers Teachers to Develop Ag-Centric Digital Skills Curriculum with Fellowship Program

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has partnered with Grow with Google to train 2,000 teachers on digital skills, to reach 200,000 students in rural communities by the end of the 2023 school year. As part of that effort, the Foundation is bolstering agricultural education curriculum through the Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows Program, a unique fellowship that will allow educators in rural or agricultural regions to teach students where their food comes from.

Over the course of the 8-month program, fellows will develop place-based curriculum that incorporates agriculture, technology and key digital skills into a Applied Digital Skills lessons. The lessons will be available, for free, to all educators interested in teaching students about food, fuel and fiber while giving students a strong foundation in digital skills.

Fellows will receive a stipend, Chromebooks for their classrooms and 1:1 instruction from experts at Google.

“Digital skills are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for jobs in today’s economy, yet students in rural areas in particular often don’t have access to the resources that will set them up for success, such as broadband access and program instruction,” said Daniel Meloy, executive director of the Foundation. “We hope this program empowers teachers to introduce their students to the exciting world of agriculture, while also teaching them an array of technical skills.”

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Sclerotinia and Lygus in Seed Canola: Field Update with George Lubberts, CCA | Enchant, Alberta

Video: Sclerotinia and Lygus in Seed Canola: Field Update with George Lubberts, CCA | Enchant, Alberta

Join Certified Crop Advisor George Lubberts for this Prairie Certified Crop Advisor (Prairie CCA) field update from Enchant, Alberta. In this 12th video of the series, George takes us into a seed canola field where the male rows have been removed and the female plants are filling pods. This video was taken in the third week of August 2025.

George discusses the early signs of sclerotinia stem rot, explaining how infection begins in the stem, impacts pod development, and leads to premature ripening. He also shares insights on lygus bug management, including timing of spray applications to minimize feeding damage and maintain seed size and quality.

With cool, damp summer conditions, George notes that while disease pressure is present, overall field health remains good. The crop is just beginning to show early seed colour change, signaling progress toward maturity.

Topics Covered:

•Sclerotinia stem rot identification and impact

•Managing lygus bugs in seed canola

•Crop stage and seed colour change observations

•Timing insecticide sprays for optimal protection

•Insights from a CCA field perspective in southern Alberta