By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Increasing agricultural literacy and awareness in schools and communities is a priority for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Texas Farm Bureau (TFB).

A national grant program and scholarship program was established by AFBF to fund projects that help students and adults cultivate a better understanding of agriculture.

“Increasing agricultural literacy among today’s students makes for more informed consumers later in life,” Jordan Walker, TFB director of Educational Outreach, said. “Connecting agriculture to subjects such as science, social studies, reading and more helps students become aware of how broad agriculture is and how it relates to everything they do each day.”

White-Reinhardt Grant Opportunity
The White-Reinhardt Grant Program funds projects that help increase agricultural literacy.

County Farm Bureaus may apply for $1,000 grants for educational programs for grades K-12 through the White-Reinhardt Grant Program. The grant can be used to initiate new agricultural literacy programs or expand existing programs.

“The White-Reinhardt Grant Program is a great opportunity for teachers and schools to connect with their county Farm Bureau offices to apply for funding that helps develop new or expand current agricultural literacy programs,” Walker said. “Not only does the grant program offer funding for great programs, it also promotes collaboration with county Farm Bureau offices where teachers can connect with local agricultural experts who can serve as a valuable resource for programming efforts.”

Grants are available on a competitive basis.

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/wr-grants-home.

Applications must be submitted by Oct. 15.

Applications must include a timeline and detailed budget with estimated expenses, as well as a summary of the project, goals and anticipated outcomes and the target audience.

The winners will be announced in the spring, and funds will be distributed to the County Farm Bureau.

White-Reinhardt Scholarship Opportunity
The White-Reinhardt Scholarship provides funds to cover travel expenses for teachers and ag literacy volunteers to attend the National Ag in the Classroom Conference.

The scholarships are for full-time educators and/or volunteers who actively participate in classroom agricultural literacy programs or events.

“The annual conference offers teachers an unmatched experience to learn from both agriculture and education experts as they seek to incorporate agriculture into the classroom,” Walker said. “Our goal is to encourage as many Texas teachers as possible to attend the conference each year, and this scholarship opportunity can help make the trip possible for award recipients.”

Applications must be submitted by Oct. 15.

Applicants must demonstrate through past programs an ability to create innovative outreach programs to teach students about food, fiber and fuel.

Applicants must also explain how information learned at the National Ag in the Classroom Conference will be used and why agricultural literacy is an important part of formal classroom learning.

Preference will be given to those educators and volunteer educators who have not received scholarships in the past.

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/ag-scholarships.

Winners will be announced in the spring.

If you have questions about the grants or scholarships, contact Walker at edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254.751.2569.

Click here to view more educational activities and professional development opportunities available from Texas Farm Bureau.