School Garden Mini-Grant Opportunity for Teachers

The South Carolina Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher committee has announced a school garden mini-grant for teachers in public or private schools.  This program will provide a $500 mini-grant to a school in each of the four SC Farm Bureau disctricts for teachers who meet the qualifications of the application. Teachers will have to design a project garden that contains production agriculture crops (i.e. wheat, corn, oats, peanuts, fruit and/or vegetables). They will have to clearly present their goals and objectives, centered around the involvement of their students.

If awarded, the mini-grant recepients will have to work under the advisement of a county Farm Bureau volunteer leader, preferably a Young Farmer and Ranger member, county Farm Bureau Board member, or county Women's Committee member.

Project proposals and applications are due October 1, 2012.  Applicants may only submit one proposal per year.  Mail completed applications to:

SC Farm Bureau

P.O. Box 754
Columbia, SC 29202
or fax to: 803.936.4452

Awards will be announced in February of 2013.

This is a great effort that will help teach school children that agriculture is still an integral part of our everyday environment.  Don't miss out on this excellent opportunity to add to your school garden program!

Healthy Vending Machine Movement

There has been a strong focus on the school lunch program recently and a lot of positive changes have been taking place.  With school children eating up to 50% of their daily food at school, it has come to the publics attention that there are other food outlets that have been overlooked: Vending Machines.  The Obama Administration is working on setting nutritional standards for food items children can purchase outside of the cafeteria. 

With these new restrictions about to take place, South Carolina is already ahead of the game thanks to David Carroll.  David, owner, East Coast Organics, is working on placing his vending machines into local schools.  These vending machines only offer healthy and nutricious snacks and David is focusing his purchasing on local South Carolina produce and products. 

There is great promise in seeing healthier options in school vending machines and it is very exciting to see a jump start in South Carolina!