Carroll County and Smyth County Farm Bureaus are pursuing projects that will teach children about agriculture this year—with support from the 2016 White-Reinhardt Fund for Education mini-grant program.
The organizations competed with county and state Farm Bureaus across the nation for the grants, awarded annually by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the American Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Committee. Virginia communities received 2 of the 13 grants awarded.
White-Reinhardt mini-grant funding provides $500 to county or state Farm Bureaus to support new or existing projects that share information about agriculture.
“These grants are a wonderful opportunity for our volunteers to continue educating the general public,” said Tammy Maxey, senior education manager for Virginia’s Agriculture in the Classroom program. “In sharing agriculture with children, we hope that they will share the information with their parents and other adults.”
The Carroll Farm Bureau has used its grant money for a barn tent with interior and exterior panels that provide interactive, hands-on, virtual agricultural experiences for children. The tent also features children’s books about agriculture and will be used at schools and events in the community.
The Smyth Farm Bureau used its grant money for “Farm a Month” book bundles and lesson plans for members of its Women’s Committee to use in their community. Volunteers will visit classrooms each month to discuss a different agricultural commodity.
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