Murray Middle School's Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Grant Proposal - Soil to Table with Cultural Relevance

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: seed saving
• Education and Training: youth education
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: employment opportunities, sustainability measures, urban agriculture

We are requesting funding for transportation to our partner farm, the Oliver Kelley Farm, and school forests Belwin, Wolf Ridge, and CWOC, where students will learn how agriculture touches lives as changes take place in agriculture, by working in the fields, farmyards, and forests. By understand the role Minnesota will play to make sure there is enough food and resources in the future, students will examine topics of changing farming methods and careers.

At school, students will use sustainable practices to plant, harvest, maintain quality soil, and serve produce from the school garden and orchard to the school and beyond.

- Increase sustainable farming skills through experiences at our partner farm and reinforced by farming at school in garden and orchard.

- Increase sustainable forestry understanding through observation, work on forest survey, species inventory of resources, and biome surveys.

 - Students will use the student-built raised beds and the student-planted apple and pear trees, to work with sustainable agriculture practices through the seasons, starting with planting, crop rotation, composting, and seed collection for the next season.

- Students will learn of sustainable agricultural career opportunities and culturally relevant sustainable agriculture practices through meetings with farmers, foresters, and chefs.