Morrison Receives Farm Bureau Mini-Grant

JEFFERSON CITY — More than 1,800 students — some of them in McDonald County — will gain knowledge of agriculture through grants awarded to 49 classroom teachers across the state. These mini-grants, funded by the Missouri Farm Bureau Foundation for agriculture, provide teachers necessary resources to purchase educational materials and consumables to help students better understand the importance of agriculture.

Ashley Morrison, of Anderson Elementary School, was awarded a check for $250 — a mini-grant by Johnathan Pierce, County Farm Bureau President.

Teachers can apply for a classroom grant of $250 or a grade-level grant of $500. This year, 10 classroom grants and seven grade-level grants have been approved to fund learning activities, such as Fun with Fruits and Vegetables, Learning about George Washington Carver, and Dairy Delight. The units of study, activities, field trips and accurate agricultural resource materials provided through these awards allow students to enhance their awareness and understanding of agriculture.

“Educators are delightfully creative in sharing accurate agricultural messages with their students,” said Diane S. Olsen, director of Promotion and Education Programs for Missouri Farm Bureau. “Reviewing the applications reminds me that there are so many ways information about agriculture fits into the classroom curriculum.”

The mini-grant allows teachers to stretch their limited resource budget even further while infusing agricultural concepts.

Mini-grant applications for 2017-2018 will be available soon at county Farm Bureau offices and online at www.mofb.org. Deadline for applications is May 31, 2017. For more information on mini-grants or educational programs through Farm Bureau, contact Diane S. Olson, 573-893-1414 or dolson@mofb.com.