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Indiana Farm Bureau has awarded funding to 10 Indiana 4-H or FFA programs through its Ag Literacy Challenge Grant program.

New this year, the program provides funding to Indiana FFA chapters or 4-H clubs seeking monetary support for a new or enhanced ag literacy program in their community.

This year’s grants range in size from $800 to $1,000 and are to be used for programs taking place between Oct. 1, 2024, and Aug. 1, 2025. A total of more than $9,500 was awarded by INFB to selected chapters and clubs.

The winning programs are:

• DeKalb High School FFA – Garden Bed Service Project. Garden beds will be built by the local Ag Powers and Fabrication Class and then installed at four elementary schools. Plant science students will make educational presentations to the elementary students about garden beds and the basics of plant care.

• Elkhart County 4-H – Elementary Ag Literacy & Farmers Market. This program will specifically focus on bilingual students. Students in grades three through six will develop a garden from seedlings and starts using raised beds and containers. They will learn business and entrepreneurial skills by selling garden produce and eggs at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds and the Elkhart City Farmers Market.

• Franklin County 4-H – POULT Program. The program educates youth on turkey production from farm to fork. The grant will allow the program to expand into more classrooms. Participating classrooms will receive an incubator and brooder set up and then hatch their own poults.

• McCutcheon High School FFA and Tippecanoe County 4-H – ABCs of Ag. The event, which will be held in March, is a collaboration between FFA, 4-H, county extension, Farm Bureau and other ag industries to teach third through fourth graders various aspects of the ag industry. Among these are different agriculture majors, major livestock species, commodities and businesses. In the evening, the event will be open to the general public and families.

• Madison Consolidated High School FFA, Jefferson County – Color Your Way Through Agriculture. Ag-focused coloring books and art supplies will be distributed to fourth grade classes. The coloring book will cover a wide range of agricultural topics, from plant growth cycles to farm animal care, making it a versatile educational tool. FFA students will visit classrooms over a two-month period to review the coloring books with students.

• Crawford County 4-H – Ag Day. Crawford County Ag Day will expose fourth grade students to diverse areas of agriculture through interactive learning stations, an agriculture career fair, and networking opportunities with agriculture experts, community partners and volunteers.

• Whiteland Community High School FFA, Johnson County – Teach the Teacher. Many county teachers are unfamiliar with ag programs or FFA. The goal for this project is to bridge the gap and educate teachers about the importance of agriculture and FFA to the community through information packets that include agricultural products and an info sheet that will be distributed to teachers during FFA Week.

• Beech Grove High School FFA, Marion County – Career Connect. The grant money will pay the registration fee for middle school students to attend the Career Expo at the National FFA Convention. This ag literacy project was chosen to help current Beech Grove Middle School students make more informed career choices as they enter high school.

• Sullivan High School FFA, Sullivan County – Christmas at the Barn. Led by Sullivan FFA officers, the event will allow children from the community to experience ag production and ag literacy in a Christmas setting. They will learn about livestock, Christmas tree production, take a wagon ride and receive an ag story book.

• Adams County 4-H – Books in the Barn. The program will provide an agricultural immersion experience to more than 50 youth during the county fair, providing each participant with the opportunity to interact with an animal, complete a craft, enjoy a local agriculture snack and take home a new book to share with their family.