Students of Mora High School’s agriculture classes will operate a new hydroponic farm to put food on the table. Mora FFA/Agriculture Department plans to purchase a hydroponics vertical farm that can be brought into the classroom and used to grow around 200 plants at a time in only a 6 ft by 3 ft space.
Students will be learning to germinate, care for and harvest produce that they will then donate to the school cafeteria for lunches. From the planting and harvesting, students will be demonstrating safe food handling practices and learning what it really takes to grow produce.
The Mora High School Agriculture Department has students from grades 7-12 in a variety of courses, from Intro to Agriculture, Fishing and Aquatics to Floral Design and Vet Science. Agriculture A students (7th grade) will be the most hands-on with this project, but all students will be able to take part and see the progress as the year progresses.
To pay for the hydroponic farm, the Mora FFA chapter has been awarded $4,995.00 as part of the Grants for Growing program. The nationwide program, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company, provides grant funds to local FFA chapters to support the development or improvement of agricultural education projects that enhance the classroom experiences for students through chapter engagement activities.
The Grants for Growing program provided approximately $548,000 to FFA chapters in 47 states. Funding is provided through consumer donations made during checkout at a Tractor Supply Company store by purchasing a $1 FFA Paper Emblem. The fundraising period aligns with National FFA Week in February.
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