08 Oct 2012

"Help America's Farmers Grow Communities" Support Local Firefighters during Fire Prevention Month

By Kevin Stillman

Monsanto Fund-sponsored program gives back to Iowa fire departments  

 

ST. LOUIS, MO. (Oct. 7, 2012) - Rural communities have a fire death rate twice the national average, according to the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association.  Firefighters in these communities are also often less likely to have the necessary firefighting equipment and training. To help combat these challenges, the Monsanto Fund is investing in rural fire departments and helping to keep farming communities safer through America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM.

Grow Communities gives eligible farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite local nonprofit organization. Last year, the largest percentage of Grow Communities funding was directed to local fire departments. The Monsanto Fund invested a total of $612,500in 245 rural fire departments across the country.

Mark Schoening, Fire Chief for Oak Township in Mills County Iowa, knows firsthand how impactful being selected as the winning recipient for Grow Communities for the county can be.

"This donation allows us to buy six air tanks, which will give us triple the amount of time we can be fighting fires indoors," Schoening said.

For the third consecutive year, Grow Communities is gearing up to distribute $2,500 donations in 1,271 eligible counties across the country. Now through Nov. 30, 2012, farmers can apply online at www.growcommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 to apply by phone. To date, more than $7 million has been invested in rural America through Grow Communities.

"Supporting rural America is our priority," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We understand that the safety of these rural communities depends so much on the strength of its local fire department. We are proud and honored to give back to firefighters, and I am delighted to see so many farmers directing donations this way."

New this year, community members can suggest a fire department or other nonprofit organization that is in need of funding on the Grow Communities website. Farmers can review "planted ideas" and consider them in their application. To submit a nonprofit project idea that needs funding in your community, visit GrowCommunities.com by Nov. 30.

As a result of the worst drought in 50 years, more than 700 of the 1,271 Grow Communities counties have been declared natural disaster areas by the USDA. Winning farmers from these counties will have the opportunity to direct an additional $2,500 donation to a second nonprofit of their choosing to assist with community needs that have surfaced due to the drought. The Monsanto Fund will select one winner at random from each of the eligible counties and announce winning farmers and recipient nonprofits in January 2013.

America's Farmers Grow Communities highlights the important contributions farmers make every day to our society and helps them positively impact their communities. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund's overall effort to support rural America.
For more information about this program and to view the official rules, visit www.growcommunities.com.

 

###

 

SIDEBAR

28 Iowa fire departments received  a total of $70,000 from America's Farmers Grow Communities in 2012, including:

·         Griswold (Cass County)

·         Tipton (Cedar County)

·         Quimby (Cherokee County)

·         Woodburn (Clarke County)

·         Webb (Clay County)

·         Welton (Clinton County)

·         Weldon (Decatur County)

·         Terrill (Dickinson County)

·         Worthington (Dubuque County)

·         Rockford (Floyd County)

·         Stratford (Hamilton County)

·         Holstein (Ida County)

·         Packwood (Jefferson County)

·         Olin (Jones)

·         Des Moines Township (Lee County)

·         Martell  (Linn County)

·         Oak Township (Marshall County)

·         St. Ansgar Rescue Squad (Mitchell County)

·         Sanborn (O'Brien County)

·         May City (Osceola County)

·         Deep River Poweshiek County)

·         Eldridge (Scott County)

·         Panama (Shelby County)

·         Cambridge (Story County)

·         Gladbrook (Tama County)

·         Sharpsburg (Taylor County)

 

About the Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org

 

# # #

19 Mar 2012

Farmers get last chance to put their school district first

By Kevin Stillman

Deadline approaching for $10,000 or $25,000 grant opportunities

ST. LOUIS (March 15, 2012) - With rural schools feeling the pinch of tightening budgets, now is the time for farmers to support their school district through America's Farmers Grow Rural Education?.  Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the program gives farmers the opportunity to nominate their public school district to compete for a grant of $10,000 or $25,000 to support a science and/or math educational program.
"The deadline to nominate your school district is April 15, so act now before you head back into the field," said Monsanto Fund President Deborah Patterson. "A $25,000 grant can make a big difference in school districts that support small farming towns. The nomination process is quick, easy and can be completed at GrowRuralEducation.com."
This past fall, Olympia Community School District in McLean County, Ill., was one of 16 school districts to receive a grant through the America's Farmers Grow Rural Education pilot. The school created the Growing Our Own Vegetable program with the $25,000 grant they received this past fall. The Olympia students are now able to grow vegetables in their greenhouse to study in science class and, ultimately, to be used in the school's cafeteria.
"The Growing Our Own Vegetable program is something we've wanted to do for years, and we finally got the opportunity, thanks to the Monsanto Fund and America's Farmers Grow Rural Education," said Brad Hutchinson, superintendent of Olympia CUSD. "We now have the resources to continue providing the very best education to our students."
Farmers can nominate their local school district by visiting GrowRuralEducation.com until April 15, 2012.
Through America's Farmers Grow Rural Education:

  • Farmers in 1,245 eligible counties can nominate their local public school districts to apply for a $10,000 or $25,000 grant.
  • The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants this year. There will be 177 $10,000 grants and 22 grants of $25,000 awarded.
  • The Monsanto Fund will invest more than $2.3 million to school districts in 39 states this year.
  • A list of eligible states and regions can be found at GrowRuralEducation.com.

America's Farmers Grow Rural Education is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow academic opportunities for their youth. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for additional information.

About the Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

###

25 Jan 2012

James Andrew to represent Iowa on advisory council

By Kevin Stillman

James Andrew to represent Iowa
on America's Farmers Grow Rural EducationSM advisory council

Advisory council to help distribute more than $2.3 million to rural school districts

JEFFERSON, Iowa (January 25, 2012) -  James Andrew of Jefferson, Iowa, was selected to represent Iowa on the America's Farmers Grow Rural EducationSM Advisory Council, a board of 26 farmer leaders that determines the rural school district recipients of the America's Farmers Grow Rural Education grants. This two-year assignment allows farmers on the council to help select which school districts are most deserving of $10,000 or $25,000 grants.
"America's farmers have told us that nothing is more important than growing the next generation, so the Monsanto Fund created America's Farmers Grow Rural Education as a way to help farmers improve school districts in their rural communities," said Linda Arnold, Monsanto Customer Advocacy Lead. "We asked these 26 farmer leaders to represent the farmers in their state in the decision of how best to award the grant money."
The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council is made up of farmer leaders from across the country, who are actively engaged in their local communities through various leadership positions, such as a member of the local School Board, an active Farm Bureau leader or a member of an educational organization or committee within various organizations. The council is responsible for reviewing the top grant applications to select the winning school district in each USDA-appointed Crop Reporting District (CRD). These individuals are passionate about both agriculture and education, which is essential when choosing the best grant for each CRD.   
"The farmers on the Advisory Council are leaders in their rural communities," said Arnold. "Their passion for both agriculture and education make them well-suited to help us review the grant applications."
Andrew was chosen for his exemplary experience with state and national farm commodity groups including Iowa Corn Growers, Iowa Soybean Association, American Soybean Association and U.S. Grains Council. He cares deeply about the quality of education in his community and is dedicated to helping grow and develop local students. One way to do this is through increasing learning opportunities through additional funding and education projects. Andrews hopes to make a difference for not only local students, but schools across the state through the advisory council.
"I believe in America's Farmers Grow Rural Education," Andrew said. "My work in the soybean and biotech arena has convinced me of the future need for continuing science and math research by our high school graduates in the genetics and products is needed to keep America in the lead to feed an ever-growing and hungry world."
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, is a new program that gives farmers the opportunity to nominate a public school district in their rural community to compete for a grant of either $10,000 or $25,000. The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants this year. There will be 177 $10,000 grants and 22 grants of $25,000 awarded. Visit growruraleducation.com to see a complete list of eligible states and regions. Grants will be awarded based on merit, need and community support. Overall, the Monsanto Fund will donate more than $2.3 million to school districts in 39 states through this program.
The program was piloted in 165 eligible counties in Minnesota and Illinois, in which more than 11,000 farmers nominated their schools. The Monsanto Fund donated more than $266,000 in total to local school districts in nine CRDs in Illinois and seven CRDs in Minnesota in 2011.
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, to support farming communities. Visit growruraleducation.com for a complete listing of school districts, counties and more information about America's Farmers Grow Rural Education.

About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work.  Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

###

10 Jan 2012

$10,000 and $25,000 grants available to rural school districts

By Kevin Stillman

$10,000 and $25,000 grants available to rural school districts
through America's Farmers Grow Rural EducationSM

ST. LOUIS (Jan. 6, 2012) - Statistics show that the U.S. ranks only 25th in math scores and 21st in science compared to 30 industrialized nations. These facts show that education is strongly in need of support. To help, Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, is launching America's Farmers Grow Rural Education? to aid rural school districts by providing $10,000 and $25,000 grants in 1,245 counties across 39 states.

"We believe our rural communities are the heart of America," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We want to help strengthen local communities and education systems, especially in the areas of science and/or math. A strong science and math education helps build a foundation for many careers in agriculture, but also will help our students to be more competitive with those in larger cities and other nations."
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education gives farmers the opportunity to nominate a public school district in their rural community to compete for a grant. Nominated school district administrators can then submit an application for either a $10,000 or $25,000 grant to support a science and/or math educational program by April 30, 2012. School districts that apply for a $10,000 grant will compete against other school districts that are located in the USDA-appointed Crop Reporting District (CRD); except that CRDs with fewer than five eligible school districts will compete against each other for a single grant. A school district that applies for a $25,000 grant will compete against schools that are located in its state or designated region.
The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants this year. There will be 177 $10,000 grants and 22 grants of $25,000 awarded. Visit growruraleducation.com to see a complete list of eligible states and regions. Overall, the Monsanto Fund will donate more than $2.3 million to school districts in 39 states through this program.

Grants will be awarded based on merit, need and community support. The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council will select the winning grant application. This group is made up of 26 farmer leaders from across the country, who are passionate about both farming and rural education. The council members, from across the country, are actively engaged in their local communities through various leadership positions, such as a member of the local School Board, an active Farm Bureau leader or a member of an educational organization or committee within various organizations. The council is responsible for reviewing the top grant applications to select the winning school. These individuals are passionate about both agriculture and education, which is essential when choosing the best grant.
The program started with a successful pilot in Illinois and Minnesota, in which farmers were given the opportunity to nominate a public school district in 165 eligible counties in those two states. The Monsanto Fund awarded more than $266,000 to local schools in 16 CRDs through the pilot.
The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education program is part of a broad commitment by Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow their youth. Visit www.growruraleducation.com for additional information and to view a complete list of winning school districts.

 

About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work.  Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

###

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?) 

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.