Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Cluster
CIMC supports instructors and programs in the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources career cluster by providing a variety of instructional materials, ranging from career exploration to occupational preparation. Some of our related resources are featured below. Many others are available. See the Career Clusters Resource Matrix for a more comprehensive list of products available in your cluster. To learn more, or to order any of these materials, contact our customer service department at 800.654.4502 or by e-mail, or use our online catalog.
Career Clusters Resource Matrix
Free Download
The Career Clusters Resource Matrix identifies the skill standards, curriculum, and assessments produced by our divisions (CIMC, MAVCC, and Testing) that can assist you, whether you are looking for occupational duty and task statements, in-depth curriculum content for students and teachers, competency assessments of occupational competencies—or a combination of these. Simply identify the specific pathways within the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources cluster to locate the resources that meet your needs. Matrices for different Career Clusters can be found on our Instructional Choices page. For more information about Career Clusters, visit CareerTech's Career Clusters website.
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources matrix (PDF file)
Agricultural Safety
Free Downloads
Agricultural Safety is a handy reference guide for secondary and post-secondary students. The student manual consists of fact sheets that address OSHA's list of top causes of agricultural workplace accidents and injuries. The instructor's guide includes multiple-choice quizzes and puzzles, as well as an extensive list of resources to download.
Topics include confined spaces, machinery and vehicles, tools and equipment, livestock and other animals, weather and exposure, electricity, fire, and first aid.
Agricultural Safety covers the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Food Products and Processing Systems
- Plant Systems
- Animal Science
- Power, Structural, and Technical Systems
- Natural Resources Systems
- Environmental Service Systems
- Agribusiness Systems
We are offering the section on Confined Spaces as a free sample to download.
Confined Spaces, Instructor's Guide (PDF file, 947 KB)
Confined Spaces, Student Workbook (PDF file, 1.34 MB)
Animal Science
Free Downloads
Animal Science 2nd Edition includes an updated format with review questions and multiple choice tests. The government agencies unit reflects the current structure of the USDA, and teacher resources have been updated and include new CIMC videos and DVDs.
Animal Science covers the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Animal Science
We are offering Unit 7, "Fertility and Pregnancy Testing," as a free sample to download.
Fertility and Pregnancy Testing, Instructor's Guide (PDF file, 1.02 MB)
Fertility and Pregnancy Testing, Student Workbook (PDF file, 932 KB)
Agriculture Career Development Series
Free downloads
The Agriculture Career Development series provides students with opportunities for hands-on learning as they compete in the National FFA Organization's Career Development Events. Each title in the series will align with competition guidelines for each area. Students will learn teamwork as well as the skills they will use in a career in agriculture. Titles include Animal Science, Communications/Business/Marketing, Livestock Evaluation, and Plant Science and Agronomy.
Titles in the Agriculture Career Development series cover the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Plant Systems
- Animal Science
- Agribusiness Systems
We are offering Plant Science and Agronomy Unit 3, "Environment and Natural Resources," and Animal Science Unit 1, "Beef Cattle," as free samples to download.
Environment and Natural Resources, Instructor's Guide (PDF file, 5 MB)
Environment and Natural Resources, Student Workbook (PDF file, 14 MB)
Beef Cattle, Instructor's Guide (PDF file, 3.7 MB)
Beef Cattle, Student Workbook (PDF file, 3 MB)
Agricultural Education I
Free Downloads
The 3rd edition of our popular Agricultural Education I is written in a new narrative format, with career-related feature stories and interesting "Fun Facts." New topics include dairy and meat goat production, poultry production, agricultural economics, and agribusiness financial management. Multiple-choice unit tests are included in both print and electronic forms so that they can be easily customized. The curriculum includes a CD with additional resources (supplemental PDF resources, PowerPoint presentations, web links, and video). Optional PowerPoint files are also available (AG 8301). Teacher and student books are also available in PDB format ("e-books") for easy reading on a handheld computer.
Agricultural Education I covers the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Food Products and Processing Systems
- Plant Systems
- Animal Science
- Power, Structural, and Technical Systems
- Natural Resources Systems
- Environmental Service Systems
- Agribusiness Systems
We have the following samples available to download:
The Sheep Industry (PowerPoint file, 2.26 MB)
The Livestock Industry (PDF file, 4 MB)
Agricultural Communications Series
Free Downloads
Our Agricultural Communications Series covers a spectrum of careers in the field of ag communications. Oral and Written covers communication strategies, professional relationships, thinking and writing skills, photojournalism, public speaking, and career investigation. Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations covers advertising media, consumer behavior, selling techniques, and other skills related to careers in the fields of agricultural advertising, marketing, and public relations. Electronic Media covers web page development, desktop publishing, radio production, print communication, and multimedia.
Books in the Agricultural Communication series cover the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Agribusiness Systems
For specific objectives, please download the Profile of Training Mastery - a form to document student performance that lists the specific competencies/objectives covered in the book.
Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations: Profile of Training Mastery (PDF file, 69 KB)
Electronic Media: Profile of Training Mastery (PDF file, 29 KB)
Oral and Written: Profile of Training Mastery (PDF file, 85 KB)
Equine Management and Production
Free Downloads
Equine Management and Production is divided into three levels. Level I topics include fundamental topics such as identifying horses, horse behavior, and basic care and handling including grooming, foot care, and first aid. Level II topics range from anatomy and physiology, nutritional needs, diseases and parasites, to equipment, riding, conditioning, caring for young and aging horses, marketing, and judging. Level III covers planning an equine facility and breeding issues including genetics, the reproductive system, and caring for the postpartum mare and newborn foal. The teacher book also includes a CD of resources including horse breed photos, AQHA color identification information, extension fact sheets, and more.
Equine Management covers the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Animal Science
We are offering Unit 5, "Learning the Fundamentals of Foot Care," as a free sample to download. You can also download the Profile of Training Mastery - a form to document student performance that lists the specific competencies/objectives covered in the book.
Learning the Fundamentals of Foot Care, Teacher Book (PDF file, 453 KB)
Learning the Fundamentals of Foot Care, Student Book (PDF file, 1.17 MB)
Equine Management and Production: Profile of Training Mastery (PDF file, 77 KB)
Greenhouse Management and Operations
Free Downloads
We've added multiple choice tests to our Greenhouse Management and Operations curriculum. The teacher book is now presented in an easy-to-use "wraparound" format. Topics include designing and constructing greenhouses, plant production, pest and disease control, marketing and public relations, and office work.
Greenhouse Management and Operations covers the following Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources pathways:
- Plant Systems
We are offering unit 4, "Propagating Plants," as a free sample to download. You can also download the Profile of Training Mastery - a form to document student performance that lists the specific competencies/objectives covered in the book.
Propagating Plants, Teacher Book (PDF file, 3.28 MB)
Greenhouse Management and Operations: Profile of Training Mastery (PDF file, 297 KB)
Online Competency Testing
Our Testing division offers online competency tests for several different careers in the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources cluster.
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Updated 06.02.08