GAINESVILLE – The ninth annual Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc. invites Florida agriculture industry volunteers to read its newest storybook to elementary school children in honor of the event.

The fourth in a series of rhyming children’s books, Healthy Florida Farms educates students on the nutritional value of Florida fruits, vegetables, dairy, beef, poultry and seafood products. Copies of the books and lesson plans for teachers, and bookmarks and other items for students will be distributed to volunteer readers beginning in March.

Registration for Florida Agriculture Literacy Day will begin in February at Florida Agriculture in the Classroom’s website at www.agtag.org. The deadline to register, if you’re reading on Florida Agriculture Literacy Day, is Friday, April 16, 2012. If you are reading after that, we ask that you complete the reading before the end of the school year and schedule it at least two weeks in advance.

Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services employees, University of Florida IFAS Extension agents, 4-H agents and master gardeners, Florida Farm Bureau members, Florida Cattlemen and Cattlewomen, FFA teachers, students and other agriculture industry representatives are invited to read for the event and are expected to schedule the readings themselves.

In addition to Florida Agriculture Literacy Day, Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit organization based in Gainesville, is charged with educating Florida students and teachers about the importance of agriculture by providing curricula, materials, workshops, grant money and other programs to teachers and agriculture industry volunteers.

Florida Agriculture in the Classroom is able to offer the books and materials for Agriculture Literacy Day free of because of the funding it receives from sales of the agriculture specialty license plate also known as the ‘Ag Tag.’