Page 2 Ask your student to list other animals that might be hay customers . These would be any animal that eat grasses or forbs . For example , antelope , bison or goats . Ask your students to draw additional food chains .
Page 3 Make sure your students realize that hay is usually made up of a combination of different types of plants . Legumes are introduced on this page . You might want to jump to page 7 with your students to learn more about legumes .
Page 4 What is a perennial plant ? A plant that lives for more than two years or one that grows back year after year .
Page 5 Do the Math 50 lb bales x 300 = 15,000 lbs 15,000 lbs / 2000 = 7.5 tons of hay
Page 7 What two organisms are involved in the relationship ?
• the legume plant and
• the nitrogen fixing bacteria Is this relationship benefiting both organisms ? yes The bacteria is getting carbohydrates from the plant . The legume is getting nitrogen from the bacteria .
NOTE : Nitrogen is vital to plants because it is a major component of chlorophyll , the compound by which plants use sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide ( i . e ., photosynthesis ). It is also a major component of amino acids , the building blocks of proteins . Without proteins , plants wither and die . Page 8 How would you define spontaneous combustion ? A chemical process that starts a fire .
What is the best buy in hay ? A large square bale that weighs 800 pounds and sells for $ 80 a bale or 800 pounds of small square bales that weigh 50 pounds each and sell for $ 7 per bale ? 800 / 50 = 16 bales x $ 7 = $ 112 for small bales . The better buy would be the large square bale .
You have a cow you want to feed 30 pounds of hay to each day . You have a 900 pound round bale of hay . How many days should this bale provide food for your cow ? 900 divided by 30 pounds per day = hay for 30 days
If you have two cows you want to feed 30 pounds of hay to each day and you want to feed them for 90 days , how many 900 pound round bales of hay will you need ? 2 cows x 30 pounds hay = 60 pounds per day x 90 days = 5,400 pounds 5,400 divided by 900 = 6 bales
It ’ s time to sign up for the Colorado Literacy Project and Have a farmer or rancher come to your classroom to read a book about agriculture to your students . Go to growingyourfuture . com to sign up .
National Ag Literacy Outcomes : Agriculture & the Environment Outcomes b . Explain how the interaction of the sun , soil , water , and weather in plant and animal growth impacts agricultural production . d . Identify the major ecosystems and agroecosystems in their community or region ( e . g ., hardwood forests , conifers , grasslands , deserts ) with agro-ecosystems ( e . g ., grazing areas and crop growing regions ). e . Recognize the natural resources used in agricultural practices to produce food , feed , clothing , landscaping plants , and fuel ( e . g ., soil , water , air , plants , animals , and minerals ).
Plants & Animals for Food , fiber & Energy c . Explain how the availability of soil nutrients affects plant growth and development . d . Provide examples of specific ways farmers / ranchers meet the needs of animals .
Science , Technology , Engineering & Mathematics Outcomes b . Describe how technology helps farmers / ranchers increase their outputs ( crop and livestock yields ) with fewer inputs ( less water , fertilizer , and land ) while using the same amount of space .
Colorado Science Standards Life Science 3 . There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and nonliving components of systems .
Colorado Academic Standards CCSS ELA-Literacy CCSS . ELA-Literacy . CCRA . L . 4 : Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues , analyzing meaningful word parts , and consulting general and specialized reference materials , as appropriate . CCSS . ELA-Literacy . CCRA . R . 1 : Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it ; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text . CCSS . ELA-Literacy . CCRI . R . 1 : Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text . CCSS . ELA-Literacy . CCRF . R3a : 3 . Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words . a . Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences , syllabication patterns , and morphology ( e . g ., roots and affixes ) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context .