Since its inception in 1985, Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) has existed as a unique public/private partnership. The program staff is based at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, while the philanthropic work to fund program initiatives is led by the MAITC Foundation Executive Director and volunteer Board of Directors.

The MAITC program boasts broad-based support from Minnesota’s agriculture and education communities. The mission of MAITC is “to promote understanding and awareness of the importance of agriculture”. We have been delivering agricultural literacy to students and educators since 1986, most notably with our flagship publication, the popular student Minnesota AgMag Series and our Food for Thought geography curriculum.

Our educational materials and programs provide a wealth of opportunities for integrating agriculture, food and natural resources education into the K-12 classroom. MAITC, and the entire network of state Ag in the Classroom programs, seeks to improve student achievement by applying authentic agricultural examples to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies and nutrition. These programs cultivate an understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on every day.

Al Withers has been Program Director since the program’s inception in 1985. The 2011 State Legislature funded a new Education Specialist, largely due to the strong support from Dave Frederickson, Commissioner of Agriculture, and the two Agriculture Committee Chairs, Representative Rod Hamilton and Senator Doug Magnus. Sue Knott will focus on teacher professional development and increasing the portfolio of educational materials for classroom use.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture program staff:

Al Withers, MAITC Program Director
Alan.withers@state.mn.us
651-201-6688

Sue Knott, MAITC Education Specialist
sue.knott@state.mn.us
651-201-6486