By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
On a Wednesday afternoon in April, instead of a line of kids waiting to be picked up outside Gatesville Elementary School, there was a line of black plastic buckets.
The recycled feed buckets, along with bags of soil, seeds, fertilizer and gardening gloves, were assembled by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Becky Coward for Gatesville Elementary students to take home.
Coward was recently awarded a Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Learning From the Ground Up garden grant, and Coryell County Farm Bureau provided matching grant funds.
Her initial plan was to help students grow container gardens at school, but school closures and social distancing regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to get creative in how to reach them.
“Becky came up with the idea of leaving the kits outside the school and anyone who wanted one could come get it,“ Coryell County Farm Bureau President Cody Archie said. “Especially now that kids are at home all day every day, this is just a really great opportunity to see how agriculture works.”
About 45 do-it-yourself container garden kits were picked up last week, Archie said. He hopes the experience may spark a child’s interest for a career in agriculture someday or inspire families to grow a larger backyard garden next year.
“It’s also a chance for students to see how long it takes to grow food and the effort that’s involved in farming,” he said. “It takes time and patience to wait for our food to grow, so they’ll get to experience that firsthand.”
Click here for more information on TFB’s Learning from the Ground Up garden grants, virtual resources and lesson plans to help with student activities during the school closures.
Meet a Farmer videos and other videos highlighting Texas farmers and ranchers are available on TFB’s YouTube channel.