Levi Cahan, a teacher at Schuylerville High School, has authored a lab manual to accompany the ninth edition of the agricultural textbook, “Modern Livestock and Poultry Production.” The textbook was co-authored by Frank B. Flanders and James R. Gillespie. Cahan was asked to write the lab manual last year, after the publishing company, Cengage, visited Schuylerville High School to see how Cahan used its learning materials in the classroom.
“With my experience in agricultural education and experience in livestock production as a farm owner/operator, it seemed like a good fit,” Cahan said.
Cahan has built an agricultural business from the ground up. His farm currently raises livestock using all natural and alternative practices. After raising grass-fed beef, pork, and poultry animals, he retails the specialty meat products directly to farmers’ markets in New York City. This provides another avenue for him to educate and share with the public.
“After getting comfortable with the project, I really enjoyed working on a resource that can be easily used by my peers in agricultural education programs across the country,” Cahan said. “I have spoken to several agricultural educators from other states that use this text book and they are eager to utilize the labs and activities in the new lab manual.”
The lab manual reinforces the textbook content through practical application of real-world examples. Cahan designed individual and group activities around a number of topics, including food safety, anatomy, physiology, feed and nutrition, and career opportunities in animal science.
“It was an honor to be a part of the creation of an educational resource and it was a great learning experience working on this project,” Cahan said.