CDFA AWARDS FUNDING TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AS PART OF THE CAL AG PLATE PROGRAM

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SACRAMENTO, December 18, 2020– The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $230,981 for organizations to enhance agricultural education and leadership opportunities under the 2020 California Special Interest License Plate (CalAgPlate) grant program.

“Over the last seven years the CalAgPlate program has supported more than $1.4 million in funding for agricultural education,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “It continues to be a great program that connects and educates school children through activities like ag-focused field trips and school gardens, while also supporting leadership training and career development opportunities.”

The CalAgPlate program is funded with proceeds generated through the sale of special interest, agriculture-themed license plates through the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Current grant recipients include:
1. California Association, Future Farmers of America: $197,458
CalAgPlate grant funding will support student leadership and program development for California’s statewide Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, which has 338 school chapters throughout the state that provide integral leadership instruction through the FFA student organization to 95,253 student members. This program will increase student access to information about career, leadership, and programmatic opportunities.
 
2. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: $8,556
The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) will conduct a webinar for educators and community-based organizations involved in providing agricultural education to youth. The webinar sessions will provide participants with hands-on activities for teaching youth about agriculture in the economy and society, include speakers from the agriculture industry and a live virtual field trip. The activities will center around agricultural topics such as plant nutrients, careers in agriculture, or fruits and vegetables for health. This project has the ability to reach thousands of students through the 150 educators that participate in the online webinar.
 
3. Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center: $9,730
The Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center will provide an educational and job readiness program designed to benefit the low/moderate income students living in National City, CA. The goals of the program are to inspire high school youth to become urban growers and food system leaders, increase food security, and build a coalition of youth engaged in continued learning and civic activity. This project will provide students with leadership and teambuilding opportunities, practical job skills such as accountability and communication, and a community to support growth and networking.
 
4. Madera District Fair: $9,237
Madera District Fair will be building a Digital Ag Studio to digitally promote awareness of agriculture content of the Central Valley. The studio will be built on location and have the means of being mobile to record and/or broadcast from multiple points of interest from within the fairgrounds. The studio will be used to interview top agricultural members, create educational videos and broadcast segments for children of all ages to enjoy while at the fair or at home. This project will serve the community by extending the outreach beyond the boundaries of the fairgrounds through recorded and live streamed content.
 
5. California Farmland Trust: $6,000
This project will provide 40 elementary educators with classroom resources kits and training related to the importance of protecting farmland. California Farmland Trust will provide a poster-based and hands on curriculum activity designed for fifth grade students that can be conducted virtually or in-person. The developed curriculum and activities will teach students the importance of farmland and its use for our future.

Please support agricultural education and the CalAgPlate program by purchasing a special interest license plate from the DMV.

More information is available at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/calagplate/

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