title: supporting environmental education in Victorian schools
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The cropping industry - student activities
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Where does our food come from? …..much of it comes from grains, oilseeds and pulses crops

Use this Find-a-Word to learn more about these important Victorian crops. Complete the list of words to find in the puzzle using the clues provided. Each dash represents one letter in the answers.

Need some help?
Find this site www.dpi.vic.gov.au
Type 'Growing Cereals in Victoria' into the search box in the upper right hand corner. Select 'Growing Cereals in Victoria'. Click on the acrobat icon.

image; find-a-word puzzle

1. a cereal grain_ _ _ _ _ _
2. growing pulse crops helps replace this in soils _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. the major oilseed crop in Victoria _ _ _ _ _ _
4. an information network for cropping farmers _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. Victoria's largest grain crop _ _ _ _ _
6. chick peas and faba beans _ _ _ _ _ _
7. a cropping region in Victoria _ _ _ _ _ _
8. For long-term production, farming systems need to be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
9. a pulse and oilseed growing region of Victoria _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10. almost half of Victoria's pulse crop is sold overseas _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
11. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ crops include safflowers and sunflowers
12. Canola originated in _ _ _ _ _ _
13. part of the processing of oilseeds _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
14. Crops are grown in a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ system to help control disease
15. a major port in Western Victoria _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
16. a pulse crop used for stockfeed _ _ _ _ _ _
17. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ regional city in a cropping region
18. the industry sector linking producers and markets _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
19. an important export market for pulses _ _ _ _ _
20. harvest season _ _ _ _ _ _
21. another name for pulses _ _ _ _ _ _ _
22. pests in grain producing areas _ _ _ _
23. main land transport for bulk grains _ _ _ _
24. some pulse crops are used for this _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
25. Pulses are a major source of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in people's diets in many countries
26. a product made from oilseeds _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
27. an oilseed which is the by-product of a fibre crop _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
28. one of Victoria's pulse crops _ _ _ _ _
29. storage for grain _ _ _ _
30. Growing canola in rotation with wheat helps improve _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
31. In Victoria _ _ _ _ _ _ is the growing season for cereal crops

Class or home activity - sprout some seeds

1. Collect a selection of pulses and grain seeds. Try Health Food stores, seed merchants, farmers, or supermarket. (Check that the seeds have not been treated with fungicide and the sprouts will be safe for eating).
2. Line plastic trays or plates with 3 layers of paper towel), then sow your crop. (Sprinkle with seeds, labelling each different lot of seeds with a waterproof label.)
3. Spray with water so that the paper towel is moist but not saturated.
4. Place trays where the seeds will have plenty of natural light and keep moist.
5. Watch the changes which occur over a few days. Note which seeds sprouted first, which needed more water, the changes to the different seeds, the shapes of the first leaves. What differences are there between grain seeds and pulses?
6. When the sprouts have grown to between 5 and 10cm (this varies between different seeds) harvest the crop.
7. Taste the sprouts of the different seeds. They are delicious in salads, in sandwiches with other fillings such as egg or cheese.
8. Work in small groups. Blindfold one or two members who then taste some sprouts and try to identify them.
     
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Image: an old water mill and bags of grain

image: bread

 image: bags of grain and some bread
 
For more information please contact the LandLearn Team: landlearn.program@dpi.vic.gov.au - Ph. (03) 5482 0453
This document was reviewed 4 May, 2005