McLean County Hires New AITC Coordinator

McLean County Fair has named Carrie Vogel to serve as Agriculture Literacy Coordinator for the McLean County Ag in the Classroom program.

“Carrie brings a great deal of experience and knowledge in communicating about agriculture to diverse audiences. We look forward to working with her and continuing the success of our local Ag in the Classroom program,” says Carly Rickard, McLean County Fair board member and co-chair of the McLean County Ag Education committee.

Vogel holds an Agricultural Communications degree from the University of Illinois and has worked as a farm radio broadcaster and as a preschool teacher.

“I look forward to connecting teachers with resources that will help them to teach their students about the importance and impact of agriculture in our county,” Vogel says. “I’m excited to bring hands-on learning about food and farming to classrooms in Bloomington-Normal and surrounding communities.

McLean County Ag in the Classroom reaches more than 9,000 K-12 students annually at public, private and home school programs in McLean County.

Vogel will take the reins from Bridget Caldwell, who plans to retire from the position as of Dec. 31, 2021. Caldwell has served as Ag Literacy Coordinator since 2013.

“We congratulate Bridget on her retirement and are excited to continue offering free lessons and activities to local schools with our new coordinator,” says Austin O’Neall, local farmer and co-chair of the McLean County Ag Education Committee.