Carroll, Craig Farm Bureaus receive grants for educational efforts

Two county Farm Bureaus in Virginia are recent recipients of grants that will assist in educating youth about U.S. agriculture.

The Craig County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is one of five applicants nationwide to receive a $500 grant from the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Program to help fund Our Food Link projects.

Our Food Link is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus can use to innovatively reach consumers with information on food production.

In May, members of the Craig committee began installing raised garden beds at McCleary Elementary School in New Castle to provide a hands-on learning opportunity for students in the school’s special education program. In learning to plant and care for a garden, students will have an opportunity to engage all of their senses, learn about the life cycles of plants, try new foods and gain exposure to specific mathematics, science, reading and art concepts.

The garden also will be part of a buddy project with middle school students, who will incorporate science, technology, engineering and math projects as well as pollination projects. Committee members are providing teachers with resources from the Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom program.

The Carroll County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is among recent recipients of a $500 White-Reinhardt Mini Grant from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The grants are allocated to county and state Farm Bureaus to create new agriculture literacy projects or expand existing ones.

The grant will provide funds to donate sets of a locally published book about agriculture, along with supplemental materials, to all fifth-grade classrooms in Carroll County public schools. The Most Important Job on the Farm by local author, educator and farmer Kellie Worrell illustrates the relationship between agriculture and the environment.

It also addresses farmers’ stewardship responsibilities, covering topics such as food safety and animal welfare. The book includes QR codes that, when scanned, take readers to interactive online educational resources.