December 15, 2019 - SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $220,413 for organizations to enhance agricultural education and leadership opportunities under the 2019 California Special Interest Plate (CalAgPlate) grant program.
“We are pleased to provide these resources,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The recipients will make education available to more than 110,000 young people and enhance educational opportunities for students and families by combining agriculture, business, and science. I could not be prouder of the CalAgPlate program.”
Over the six-year duration of this program, more than $1.2 million has been awarded to support agricultural education and leadership development. Current grant recipients include:
• California Association – Future Farmers of America (FFA): CalAgPlate grant funding will support leadership and program development for California’s statewide FFA program, which has 338 school chapters throughout the state and provides leadership instruction to more than 92,000 student members.
• Centennial Farm Foundation (Orange County): This organization educates Southern California youth about agriculture and agricultural career pathways. The grant will provide resources and education to more than 1,000 young people.
• San Joaquin County AgVenture: This project will teach youth about the agriculture industry and nutritional education. Approximately 16,000 third-grade students will receive valuable learning opportunities through hands-on education programs.
• Fairmont Elementary School (Fresno County): CalAgPlate grant funding will help Fairmont Elementary School in Sanger expand its Outdoor Plant and Sciences Learning Lab through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) principles. Fairmont Elementary serves a diverse student body and became the first school in California to have a full-time agriculture teacher directly teaching K-8 grade students.
The CalAgPlate program is funded with proceeds generated through the sale of special interest, agriculture-themed license plates through the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Please support agricultural education and the CalAgPlate program by purchasing a special interest license plate from the DMV. More information is available at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/calagplate/
Source: CDFA
