The 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference "Agriculture Elevated" is the premier professional development event for Pre-K through 12th grade teachers, volunteers, and professionals in agricultural literacy. Taking place in beautiful Salt Lake City, UT, this event will inspire attendees to teach through a lens of agriculture!
Event Details
Event Information
Discover what the 2024 NAITC Conference entails, registration costs, frequently asked questions, and more!
Agenda
Here is a look at the details of the where and when of our time together.
Hotel & Travel
All the information you need to make your travel plans!
Our Speakers
Craig W. Buttars | Commissioner
Craig W. Buttars was appointed Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in December 2020. He has served as the Utah Farm Bureau’s State Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee Chairman, the Cache County Farm Bureau President, and was awarded the Farm Bureau’s Legislative Distinguished Service Award. He served in the Utah State Legislature for 10 years followed by election to the Cache County Council representing the North District of Cache County, and then served as Cache County Executive. Commissioner Buttars is a lifelong resident of Cache County and spent the majority of his career as a dairy farmer. He lives in Smithfield with his wife Shara; they have three children and nine grandchildren.
Dr. F. Ross Peterson | Professor Emeritus
Dr. F. Ross Peterson is a native of Montpelier, Idaho. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from Utah State University (where he is now professor emeritus) and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Washington State University. For decades, he has taught courses in African American history and the history of the civil rights movement. Dr. Peterson served for three years as the president of Deep Springs College which is located on a cattle ranch and alfalfa farm in the high desert of eastern California. Dr. Peterson’s book, Christmas in Montpelier, includes stories about his education and life dry farming as a youth. He is currently finishing a second volume of Christmas stories and an autobiographical book, In Search of Henry Aaron, an explanation of how—thanks to baseball and agriculture—he was catapulted from an Idaho farm to teaching civil rights.
We Cannot Leave the Farm
By using personal examples and history, Dr. F. Ross Peterson makes the case that the values Utahns aspire to come from an agricultural heritage. Even though Utah has evolved into an urban strip along the Wasatch Front, the leaders still dress, walk, and act like they understand agriculture; it is not always the case.
Reagan Wytsalucy | Extension Assistant Professor
Reagan Wytsalucy is the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and 4-H Extension Assistant Professor for San Juan County, Utah State University Extension. A Diné member raised in Gallup, NM, Wytsalucy’s research encompasses various agricultural and ethnographic approaches to understanding the significance of the restoration of the Southwest peach and Navajo spinach to the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Nations. Her Extension programs include local sustainability educational opportunities in 4-H youth development; horticulture education through community gardens; and land restoration from drought, overgrazing, and long-term conventional farming practices.
Innovative Youth Agriculture Educational Programs in Native American Communities
Drawing on her personal experiences, professor Wytsalucy will share foundational Native American upbringing teachings, innovative solutions to farming in drought conditions, and leading solutions to teaching youth about agriculture with interference of modern technologies.
