In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Jefferson County members created a weeklong program during their county fair in August to showcase the significant milestones and advancements in the agricultural industry.
Key Points
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Ag literacy spread further in eastern Ohio thanks to a national grant award.
Jefferson County Farm Bureau received $1,000 from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture through its White-Reinhardt Fund for Education program. The award was one of six grants made throughout the country.
In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Jefferson County members created a weeklong program during their county fair in August to showcase the significant milestones and advancements in the agricultural industry.
“This year we are celebrating America’s 250th anniversary as well as our county Farm Bureau’s 80th anniversary, and we wanted to look back at how agriculture built both our country and Jefferson County,” said Jeanne Roberts, a retired teacher and county board member. “From George Washington’s early crop experiments to today’s precision technology, this weeklong fair program was able to bring agriculture’s storied history and modern advancements to life for local kids in a hands-on, memorable way.”
To assist students in exploring the history of agricultural advancements, Jefferson County also purchased the foundation’s 2025 Book of the Year, “The Soil in Jackie’s Garden,” along with several other agricultural literacy resources.
“Most kids today are several generations removed from the farm. By expanding our ag literacy program across all six days of the county fair, we’re able to reach hundreds of students who might otherwise never see how present agriculture is in their daily lives,” said Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas County Organization Director Kayla Scott. “Our goal with this project was to educate the next generation on how food, fiber and energy touch their lives each and every day.”
Roberts and Belinda Boyce, also a retired teacher and county board member, worked with Scott to complete the grant application. The White-Reinhardt Grant Program funds projects that will increase agricultural literacy. County and state Farm Bureaus may apply for $1,000 grants for education programs for grades K-12 in order to initiate new ag literacy programs or expand existing programs.
The White-Reinhardt Fund for Education is a special project of the foundation in cooperation with the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee. It was established to honor two former chairs of that committee, Berta White and Linda Reinhardt, who were leaders in the national effort to improve agricultural literacy.
What’s Next
The 2027 White-Reinhardt Scholarship application for teachers is now open. This scholarship program provides educators with funds to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference to help foster ag literacy. Apply by Dec. 1.
Learn more about this opportunity and other Farm Bureau ag literacy initiatives at agfoundation.org.
Photos from Jefferson County Farm Bureau
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