By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Fifteen homeschool educators received a garden grant from Texas Farm Bureau to help grow students’ understanding of food production and agriculture.

This is the first year for the state organization to offer garden grants to homeschool programs.

“This is an expansion of our Learning From the Ground Up program, and we can’t wait to see the updates from our homeschool garden grant recipients,” said Jordan Bartels, associate director of Organization Division, Educational Outreach.

Involving students in hands-on experiences that garden projects provide helps them better understand agriculture.

“Students can dig into agriculture and cultivate a better understanding of food production and foster a deeper appreciation for how food is grown and for the people who grow it,” Bartels said. “They are not just learning about it theoretically. They are actually getting their hands dirty when learning about their food.”

The grants are valued at $200.

The 2023 Homeschool Garden Grant Program recipients include:

  • Alyssa Rabins
  • Amanda Cairns
  • Anita Brandvold
  • April Wood
  • Ashley Peek
  • Ashton Holmes
  • Brianne Bernsen
  • Damon Cleaton
  • Elizabeth Boerlin
  • Jessica Miller
  • Jocelyn Steward
  • Lauren Boultinghouse
  • Rachel Spencer
  • Sharon Falk
  • Victor Lozada

To be eligible, projects must provide students with hands-on, experiential learning about agriculture, and agricultural concepts must be used in the instruction. Students must be directly involved throughout the entirety of the project.

Grant recipients will be given half of the awarded funds upon notification of selection, and the remaining funds will be awarded in the spring.

For more information on Ag in the Classroom resources and professional development opportunities for educators, visit texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.