ACH Seeds has announced its six regional winners through its Homegrown Giving Program. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 award.
Here is a look at each winner.
Delco High School FFA - TASCO Region
With the donation, Declo High School plans to improve its current plant science education area and provide students with hands-on learning opportunities. It will help cover expenses for costly tools and other supplies needed in the school’s greenhouse and welding classes, allowing the school to support class offerings for students. Declo High School also plans to add more labs into their courses to help students learn about the science behind agriculture.
“This award makes us really excited because it allows us to develop our ag program even further,” Jessica Marchant, Declo High School Ag Education Teacher said. “We are limited in hands-on activities, and this will help us provide more opportunities for students in the classroom. I’m grateful there are programs like Homegrown Giving that support organizations trying to make a difference in their hometowns. We look forward to improving agriculture education tools and curriculum for our students to help them better understand the importance of agriculture in our community and the world.”
“There are many ways that ag education positively impacts local communities,” Burke Garner, ACH Seeds Western Region Manager, said. “It changes the way youth perceive agriculture and provides them with the knowledge and talent to support their local communities when they return home. This is what Homegrown Giving is all about.” –
West Central Area Schools FFA - MDFC Region
The produce grown in the greenhouse will be donated to local Grant County food shelves to provide citizens with nutritious food. With the donation from ACH Seeds, WCA plans to purchase tools and equipment to support food processing, storage and handling. The money will also help WCA expand the school’s agriculture program curriculum to include education in food science, focusing on both processing and preservation. WCA plans to combine education, food production and processing to create more sustainable and resilient food systems in Grant County.
"I knew there was a deep root of support that hadn’t been tapped before,” Eric Sawatzke, WCA agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor, said. “The Homegrown Giving award is another testament to the support this agricultural community has provided our FFA chapter and ag education program. We are thankful for the opportunity ACH Seeds has provided us."
“We are proud to partner with WCA FFA and support their efforts in the community,” Jake Boersma, ACH Seeds Central Region Manager, said. “Their organization is making real impacts in their community while enhancing the future of agriculture, which is what our Homegrown Giving program is all about.”
Cass City Public Schools - MSC Region
With the donation, Cass City Public Schools plans to sustain a school-based Class A CDL training program to help address the high demand for CDL drivers in the agriculture industry. Through the training program, students receive both a math credit and a Class A CDL certification. The school rents a truck and trailer each month while covering other costs such as fuel and insurance. Students pay for the online portion of the course and the fee for an online test. The donation will help fund the school’s CDL program and create a scholarship to pay the fees for students who complete the course. There are many success stories of Cass City Public Schools students who have completed the course that are now utilizing their CDL license in their current careers with a few of those students returning to agriculture. Twelve students are currently enrolled in the CDL course for this school year.
“The CDL program is a great way for students to gain experience to prepare them for jobs in agriculture,” Adam Dorland, CDL Course Instructor at Cass City Public Schools, said. “The Homegrown Giving donation will allow us keep the program running and connect more students with farmers who are struggling to find truck drivers so we can help their operations thrive.”
“We are proud to partner with Cass City Public Schools and support their efforts in the community,” Andy Bernia, ACH Seeds Great Lakes Region Manager, said. “When talking with local sugarbeet growers, one of their biggest challenges is getting truck drivers to haul their sugarbeets. Cass City’s CDL course is a perfect fit to help meet the needs of our grower customers, which is what our Homegrown Giving program is about."
KMS Schools FFA Alumni - SMBSC Region
With the donation, the KMS FFA Alumni plan to enhance the KMS agriculture class offerings and provide additional resources to expand their crop plots for student learning. The funds will be used to support a variety of projects and efforts to enhance the quality of life across rural communities in sugarbeet-producing areas.
"I’m grateful to ACH Seeds and the opportunities we will have from the contributions of their Homegrown Giving program,” Cody Suter, KMS FFA Alumni President, said. “I hope everyone takes advantage of this great program in their community.”
“We are proud to partner with the KMS FFA Alumni & Ag Boosters and support their efforts in the community,” Jake Boersma, ACH Seeds Central Region Manager, said. “This program is designed to help support the local communities we serve, and we’re excited to see the impact these donations will have. The KMS FFA Alumni has shown a great passion for promoting agriculture with their local students and teaching them about the impact ag plays in all of our lives."
Huntley Project FFA & Ag Department - WSN-WYS Region
Huntley Project Schools offer welding and college welding classes to help teach students a skill set they can use after graduation. The donation allows for expansion of their welding program by purchasing additional wire-feed welders. These additions will help students stay up to date with workplace operations and ensure they are well-trained and positioned to be successful in a trade career. A portion of the donation will also be used to expand the agriculture department’s curriculum.
“There is an increasing need for students with workplace-ready skills in the agriculture trade industries,” Mark Wandle, Huntley Project Schools Superintendent, said. “I’m grateful to ACH Seeds and their Homegrown Giving program for helping us provide the tools needed to continue promoting trade careers and help prepare students for the workforce.”
“We are proud to partner with Huntley Project Schools and support their efforts in the community,” Steve Skaalure, ACH Seeds Sales Manager, said. “They offer students the chance to change the trajectory of their career path through hands-on learning opportunities. Whether the students become ag mechanics or ag engineers, they will be supporting the future of agriculture, which is what the Homegrown Giving program is all about.”
Gering High School FFA & Ag Career Pathway - WSS Region
With the donation, GHS plans to construct a greenhouse at the high school to provide students with the opportunity to participate in hands-on lessons to explore and learn about food systems. Greenhouse construction will start during the fall 2023 semester and is anticipated to be fully operational for the start of the spring 2024 semester. The produce grown in the greenhouse will be used in a farm-to-school program to provide students with nutritious foods in the GHS cafeteria and in the school’s culinary program for education on food production. Extra produce will be donated to the school’s PupPack Backpack Program to supply fresh vegetables for students in need. This project will also help GHS expand their Agriculture Career Pathway program, which helps students learn about agriculture-based career opportunities to help meet growing workforce demands in the community.
“I’m grateful to ACH Seeds and their Homegrown Giving program for helping us get one step closer to reaching our goal of getting our greenhouse operational this semester,” Carrie Johns, GHS Agricultural Sciences Teacher and FFA Advisor, said. “We look forward to continue supporting our community through projects from this addition.”
“We are proud to partner with GHS and support their efforts in the community,” Ryan Reuter, ACH Seeds Sales Manager, said. “When local communities thrive, everyone benefits. Homegrown Giving empowers and strengthens organizations in those areas working to make real impacts, while also enhancing the future of agriculture.”