Thanks to Illinois farmers’ purchases of FS Seed, school children will have the opportunity to learn more about agriculture. For the second year, the “Plant a Seed…Grow A Mind” program of the FS Seed Division of GROWMARK, Inc. and the IAA Foundation raised $60,610 to educate youth on the importance and benefits of agriculture.

On Sept. 21, Bill Davisson, GROWMARK chief executive officer, presented a check to Philip Nelson, chairman of the IAA Foundation and president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, to use for local and state Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) and agriculture literacy programs.

For every bag of FS seed corn and FS HiSOY^® soybeans sold during the 2004-2005 sales season, a portion of the proceeds was donated to benefit local and state AITC and agriculture literacy programs.

“There was a time when children grew up on or around farms and knew agriculture was the source of their food and fiber,” Davisson says. “But times have changed. Today, most children don't know their food comes from the farm or the importance of agriculture. We are working to change that.”

Illinois Farm Bureau leaders established the IAA Foundation in 1987 to fund educational, research, and charitable activities which benefit agriculture, Illinois farm families, and county Farm Bureaus.

The IAA Foundation has the responsibility to raise funds for a major expansion of AITC efforts throughout Illinois. This effort is designed not only to increase the number of students reached in grades K-8, but also to train more classroom teachers to help integrate agriculture's story into their curriculum, according to Steve Newman of the IAA Foundation.

“The FS Seed Division is proud to support Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Farmers know it’s vital to educate and touch the spirits of school children about the wonders and importance of agriculture,” Davisson says. “Not only do farmers get top quality genetics, the purchase of FS Seed helps teach young minds about the importance of agriculture in everyday life and will also help create future allies for agriculture.”

The FS Seed Division and the IAA Foundation will again offer the "Plant a Seed…..Grow a Mind" program for the 2005-2006 sales season.

The FS Seed Division of GROWMARK, Inc., a regional cooperative based in Bloomington, Ill., offers a complete line of seed varieties to meet farmers’ needs and is often first on the market with products that incorporate the latest in genetic improvements.