Thanks to FS Seed, school children will have the opportunity to learn more about agriculture.  In the past two years the FS Seed Division of GROWMARK, Inc. donated over $120 thousand dollars to educate youth on the importance and benefits of agriculture.

     On Sept. 20, Bill Davisson, CEO of GROWMARK, Inc. presented a check for $60,281.78 to Philip Nelson, Chairman of the IAA Foundation and President of the Illinois Farm Bureau, to use for local and state Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) and agriculture literacy programs.  This current donation brought the three year total up over $180 thousand dollars.

     “There was a time when children grew up on or around farms and knew agriculture was the source of their food and fiber,” Davisson says. “But times have changed. Today, most children don't know their food comes from the farm or the importance of agriculture. We are working to change that.”

Illinois Farm Bureau leaders established the IAA Foundation in 1987 to fund educational, research, and charitable activities which benefit agriculture, Illinois farm families, and county Farm Bureaus^®.

The IAA Foundation has the responsibility to raise funds for a major expansion of AITC efforts throughout Illinois. This effort is designed not only to increase the number of students reached in grades K-8, but also to train more classroom teachers to help integrate agriculture's story into their curriculum, according to Steve Newman of the IAA Foundation.

“The FS Seed Division is proud to support Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Farmers know it’s vital to educate and touch the spirits of school children about the wonders and importance of agriculture,” says Bill Davisson, CEO of GROWMARK, Inc..

For more information, contact your local FS crop specialist or visit our Web site at www.growmark.com.

The FS Seed Division of GROWMARK, Inc., a regional cooperative based in Bloomington, Ill., offers a complete line of seed varieties to meet farmers’ needs and is often first on the market with products that incorporate the latest in genetic improvements.