The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America, the Farm Credit corporate giving program, awarded a total of $153,012 through the Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant Program this year.
Sixty-six high schools throughout Compeer Financial’s territory in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin will be receiving grants of up to $3,000 each to fund agriculture education programs and equipment in the classroom, directly impacting the lives of 11,947 students.
The grant program seeks to promote agriculture education and inspire youth to gain a deeper understanding of the ever-changing agriculture industry by funding programs and the purchase of modern classroom equipment.
High school agriculture departments throughout Compeer Financial’s 144-county territory were eligible to apply for an Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant.
The organizations receiving grants in 2020, and the equipment the funding will go to, include:
Illinois
Belvidere Agriculture and FFA Program. Grow tower, LED indoor grow lights, support cage, extension kit, tower garden dolly, seed, fertilizer and shipping costs
Bureau Valley Agriculture Department. Lab equipment including charging stations, optical sensor, compatible flat pH, ammonium ion-selective electrode, nitrate ion-selective electrode, CO2 gas sensor, soil moisture sensor, conductivity probe, pH buffer capsules and LabQuest2 interfaces
Harvard Ag Department. Animal science supplies, rubber aprons, student-grade scalpels, vinyl gloves and shipping costs
Lexington High School. A mig welder, welding helmets and welding supplies and materials
Lincoln-Way East High School. A welder
Lincoln-Way West High School. A welder
Olympia High School. New benches in the greenhouse
River Ridge High School. A wood planer
Rochelle Township High School/ Rochelle FFA. Lab tables and chairs
Rolling Meadows High School. Hydroponics systems
Rushville-Industry FFA. Fixing the vent-fan system in the greenhouse
Scales Mound School. A refrigerator, electric ranges with ovens, dishwasher and microwave
Sterling High School. Labquest 2 Interfaces and charging stations
Stillman Valley FFA Chapter. Digital microscopes
Sycamore High School Agriculture Department. New greenhouse growing benches, potting benches and technician carts
Tri-Point High School. SmartTVs with casting equipment
Tri-Valley High School. Electronic scales, animal science microscopes and supplies, animal behavior lab kit, fecal slide analysis lab activity
West Central FFA Chapter. Greenhouse ventilation packages including fans, shutters, thermostat and film
Minnesota
Chisago Lakes High School and FFA. A walk-in outside cooler including electrical hookups, equipment and adhesives to attach to the greenhouse
Cleveland High School. Digital scales, soil sample probes, food dehydrator, hot plates, water bath canner, pressure canner, food Processors-blenders, grow mats, grow lights, egg incubator, heat lamps, feeders and waterers, and a set of veterinary equipment including needles, syringes and bandaging material
Edgerton High School Agriculture Department. Greenhouse benches and heaters
Ellsworth Agriculture Department. Cooler buckets, Oasis blocks, floral wire, floral adhesive, floral tape, floral shears, foam knives, corsage bags, wristlets, corsage pins, flower food, dried products, ribbon, containers and cut flowers
Foley Agriculture Education Department. An electrical sensors training kit and curriculum
Hayfield Community Schools. A plasma cutter, auto darkening welding helmets, welding gloves and consumable kit
Heron Lake - Okabena High School. A drone, battery, iPad mini and FAA Drone Certification Course
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Public Schools. A plant science kit and plant producer educational hydroponics system
Kingsland High School. A mig welder
Madelia FFA. A rabbit hutch kit, chicken pen, LabQuest2 Interfaces, CO2 gas sensor, dissolved oxygen sensor and soil moisture sensor
Mankato West High School. A hydroponic system including rain gutters, covers, concrete blocks, hoses, water pumps, polyethylene tubing, fittings, net pots, rock wool and hose clamps
Milaca High School. A mig welder and consumables
NE Metro 916 Career and Technology. CO2 gas sensors, colorimeters, heart rate monitors, O2 gas, pH sensor, temperature probes, conductivity probes and respiration belt
Paynesville Area Agriculture Department. A mobile light cart with shelves, light fixtures and growing lights, digital compound microscopes with LCD tablets with Wi-Fi capability, egg incubator and egg scope
Pipestone Area High School. A floor drill press, bench grinder, hand-held grinders, drill bit sets, soldering irons, propane torch kits, palm sanders, auto darkening helmets and hand tools
Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School Agriculture Program. A drip-line watering system and flood table for the greenhouse
Rockford Agricultural Education. A TV and Chromebox
Southland Public School. A welder
Staples Motley High School. A MiniPCR Kit, Mad Cow Disease Lab, Micropipette sets, CMT Kit, pans, digital thermometers and safety lighters
Triton High School. Hydroponic indoor farms
Wisconsin
Albany School District. Garden hoes and shovels, gardening gloves, hose, soil, vegetable seeds, fertilizers and a storage bin
Alma FFA. A bovine AI cervix training kit, laserjet and cartridges
Arcadia School District. A hydroponics table and supplies
Cadott Community School District. Three-in-one bend roll and shear machines
Campbellsport High School. A portable hydroponic system
DeForest Area School District Agriculture Department. A plant growth cart and hydroponic set up
Elk Mound High School. A Flex Farm 288
Elmwood FFA. Orchard improvements
Flambeau High School Ag/FFA. A welder and consumables
Howards Grove High School. A refrigerator
Iowa-Grant School District Agriculture Department. Portable steel benches for the greenhouse
Laconia High School — Rosendale-Brandon School District. A Flex Farm 144
Lancaster High School Agriculture Education Department. Electric ranges and refrigerator
Lomira High School. A bovine breeder artificial insemination simulator
Mt. Horeb High School. Hydroponic units and accessories
New Auburn Agriscience Department. A Carolina Plant Environmental Chamber
New Lisbon AgriScience Department. Go Direct sensors and probes
Ripon High School Agriculture Education Department. Electrophoresis apparatuses, gel bottles, LED full spectrum grow light pack, light fixtures and shipping costs
River Valley FFA. Tank heaters, water pumps, water filters and cartridges, LED aquarium lights, aquarium gravel, water test kits, aquarium accessories and plants, cleaners and scrubbers, various rish types and species
School District of Ashland. Greenhouse and hydroponic system equipment and supplies
School District of Bloomer. A CNC router
School District of Horicon. Hydroponic Dutch bucket closed loop system for greenhouse
Shullsburg Schools. Electrophoresis equipment including chambers, power supplies and a UV Transilluminator
St. Croix Falls School District Agriculture Education Department. Cookware and kitchen utensils
Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences. A glass door reach-in refrigerator
Wauzeka-Steuben School District. Expanding and upgrading the greenhouse
Wisconsin Dells FFA. An egg incubator, food dehydrator and GPS receivers
Wonewoc-Center FFA. A bovine AI training kit and cow anatomy 3D flip chart