CFF Educates Southland Students About Ag
      Twenty-five Southern California third-grade students from Journey School – wearing T-shirts and hats donated by the agricultural industry – in March, 2008 harvested food at the Incredible Edible Farm in Irvine, Calif. The food was then donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County. They learned firsthand what hard work farming is and had earned a break.
      After a quick snack, the students headed to an avocado grove where they saw avocados hanging from trees and being harvested from ladders that were at least six times their height. The all-expense paid field trip ended with lunch at the University of California Cooperative Extension Research Farm, where students viewed rows of crops and orchards. After the tour, several students said they will have a greater appreciation of the food they eat along with a better understanding of how the food gets to their local grocery store shelves.
      Journey School in Aliso Viejo received the 2008 California Fertilizer Foundation Progress Grant. Last year Journey School was awarded $1,000 for their school garden.School grants have since increased to $1,200 each. They submitted a progress grant application highlighting what they did with the funds and were then awarded an additional $1,500, plus an all-expense paid field trip for their third-grade students.
      Each year, 24 California schools are awarded $1,200 grants for their school gardens and an additional $1,500 progress grant with a paid field trip. CFF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to enhance the awareness and understanding of plant nutrients and agriculture in California.