Catoosa/Walker Farm Bureaus seek entries for 2017 essay and art contests

The Catoosa and Walker County Farm Bureaus encourage sixth-eighth grade students to enter the 2017 Georgia Farm Bureau middle school essay contest. The contest is open to students attending public and private schools and homeschooled children.

Students should address the topic “The Importance of Georgia’s Specialty Crops.” The winner will be awarded $50 from their county Farm Bureau.

“The purpose of the essay contest is to encourage students to study Georgia agriculture and learn how their food is grown and the contributions farming makes to our lives every day,” said Bernard Sims, Catoosa County Farm Bureau president. “Students who participate in our contest will not only learn how farmers grow these crops but also about the nutritional value of each crop and why the USDA recommends we eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. This contest is a wonderful way for teachers and home-school parents to encourage their students to learn more about Georgia agriculture, while meeting curriculum objectives. The topic encourages students to explore the career opportunities agriculture has to offer.”

Farm Bureau has developed curriculum information for teachers that outlines how the writing activity meets state educational standards for each grade level. Students participating in the contest will also be asked to complete a short survey indicating which fruit and vegetable crops they have eaten, their taste preference for the crops from favorite to least favorite and which crop they may not have tasted that they are willing to try.

The winner from each county will be entered in the first district competition. The district winner will receive a cash prize of $100. The 10 GFB district winners will compete for the state prize of $150 cash. Previous state winners are not eligible.

The 2017 Georgia Farm Bureau High School art contest is for students in ninth-12th grade. Artwork should be drawn in black ink or dark soft lead pencil on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of white paper and should be camera ready. The winner will receive $50 from their county Farm Bureau.

Drawings will be judged on 1) how well the artwork represents modern agriculture found in Catoosa or Walker County or Georgia’s agriculture industry and 2) artistic merit.

The winner from each county will be entered in the first district competition. The district winner will receive a cash prize of $100. The 10 GFB district winners will compete for the state prize of $250 cash. Two runners-up will each receive $150 cash. Previous state winners are not eligible.

Students must be willing to allow Georgia Farm Bureau to reprint copies of their drawings. Winning artwork becomes the property of Georgia Farm Bureau and will be printed in a calendar that is distributed by Georgia Farm Bureau to promote agriculture.

To enter the contests, students may download information from gfb.org/programs/ aic or contact their county Farm Bureau for entry forms and contest information and submit their entry to that office by Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. All entries must be officially submitted by each county Farm Bureau to the Georgia Farm Bureau home office.

For more information, contact the Catoosa County Farm Bureau office at 706-937-2000 or the Walker County Farm Bureau office at 706638-3237.