Missouri Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture offers competitive mini-grants that allow teachers to purchase materials and fund activities to share the message of agriculture in the classroom.
Missouri Farm Bureau awarded $7,500 in grants this year. Several grants were unfunded due to the numerous entries for the program. The Bollinger County Farm Bureau board stepped up when two of the grants in the county were unfunded.
Meadow Heights
Valerie Carlson, a third grade teacher at Meadow Heights, requested funding for her program about the life cycle of a chick. In third grade science, the life cycle of animals is introduced and students observe and actively participate in the process.
Students watch the chicks develop inside the shell and then hatch. Valarie teaches about the life cycle of a chick in her classroom every year and funds from Bollinger County Farm Bureau replaced the non-working incubator.
Woodland
Ashley Newell, a special education teacher at Woodland wanted to create and manage a school garden to assist in teaching both agriculture and life skills to her students. The school recently cleared an outdoor space which will be utilized for the project. Other organizations shared donations with the program, including a planter’s shed and multiple cases of jiffy greenhouse kits. Ashley requested funding for the addition of raised beds and garden tool sets in her submitted grant. With these items, students would be able to construct raised beds, design garden layouts, create compost, evaluate soil composition and pH levels, and select items to grow, plant and harvest.
Bollinger County Farm Bureau proudly partnered with both teachers and shared funding before Christmas break so students would be welcomed with new projects in 2025.
Program background
Missouri Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture offers competitive mini-grants that allow teachers to purchase materials and fund activities to share the message of agriculture in the K-12 classroom.
Individual Grants allow a teacher to apply for a maximum of $250 to assist with classroom activities, purchasing accurate agriculture resources, consumables needed to enhance learning or field trips when linked to documented learning activities before and after the field trip.
Group grants allow multiple teachers at the same or multiple grade levels to apply for $500 funding to involve all their students in a cooperative project. Applications for group funding must involve at least 2 classroom teachers.