Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program will celebrate Agricultural Literacy Week from March 16-20.

Agricultural Literacy Week is dedicated to connecting youth to agriculture and celebrating the people in the industry that produce healthy food.

The program, offered statewide through New York Agriculture in the Classroom, is coordinated locally in Chautauqua County by Sofia Russo, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s agriculture program coordinator. Schools and libraries can register to have a volunteer read the selected agriculture-themed book and guide students through a hands-on, interactive activity connected to the story. After the session, the book is donated to the school or library.

The book selected for the 2026 Agricultural Literacy Week program is Seasons on the Farm by Chelsea Tornetto. When selecting this book, the NYAITC Advisory Committee kept in mind the depth of industries and diversity that New York agriculture encompasses. This year they chose to highlight both food production and its journey to the plate. The book is an inside look at what spring, summer, fall, and winter look like on a family farm.

Books and activity materials are supported by New York Agriculture in the Classroom and local donors. Donors are recognized with a bookplate in every book donated. Cornell Cooperative Extension-Chautauqua is still in need of donations.

CCE Chautauqua is also looking for volunteers to read at schools. Coordinators will collaborate with volunteers to find a time and school that fits their schedule best and will provide all the materials needed for the reading. Those interested can email Russo at ssr236@cornell.edu, call 716–664-9502, ext.203, or visit the CCE Chautauqua Ag Literacy webpage at https://chautauqua.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/new-york-agriculture-literacy-week.