Volunteer for CALM

Jan 24, 2022

Volunteer for Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month in March 2022

Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM)
Mois de la littératie agricole Canadienne (MLAC)

CALM is a hands-on program that brings agriculture into classrooms and encourages students to learn about and celebrate Canadian agriculture. Many students don’t fully understand what agriculture is. By telling students why you love Canadian agriculture and giving them a glimpse of what you do, you will open their eyes to new knowledge, help them build a stronger appreciation for the food they eat, and for the role agriculture plays in their lives.

All teachers will be provided with a hands-on agriculture activity and an agriculture themed book in addition to a personalized virtual visit from you – our volunteers!

Every year, we need a team of over 150 volunteers to meet the demand for CALM. We anticipate that with a fully virtual offering, this demand from teachers will grow even more - so we are calling on you! If you feel comfortable with giving a virtual presentation, we will take as many as you are willing to offer. French AND English-speaking volunteers needed!

Who: Grade 1 to 6 students
Date: March 2022
Time: 30-60 min
How: Pick a virtual platform (Zoom, Teams, Skype, FaceTime…) and date/time with the teacher
Registration: Jan. 7 - Feb. 4, 2022

Virtual Presentation Details/Things to think about:

The CALM 2022 classroom activity will focus on seeds with a new MB Seed Kit (15 crops from MB) and a planting kit for younger students. So, whether your job in agriculture involves crops, livestock, nutrition, processing, or finance, there will be a way for you to tie your story to this activity being provided to classrooms.
We will provide a PowerPoint with general ag information and photos that you can use and/or modify for what you need. You can also start from scratch and make your own!
Think about what you want to share about what you do in agriculture. How can you tell your story in a fun and engaging way to students? Think pictures, props, interesting stories…you could even show them around your workplace on video!

We will provide training to help you put together an engaging virtual presentation that can be delivered right from your home office or workplace. As a CALM volunteer, you will still share YOUR story.

New for 2022

When you register to volunteer for CALM, you will first need to create your new volunteer profile. Then you will log in to your new profile to register as a CALM volunteer.

Sign Up Today!

Source : aitc.mb.ca

Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.