Education

Honey bees and other pollinators play an important role in the agricultural ecosystem. As the green industry has seen, these same pollinators are under stress from a number of factors: pests, disease, lack of habitat, and more. The GROWMARK System is working with youth organizations to help sustain and increase honey bee populations. An agricultural cooperative serving customers across North America, GROWMARK provides agronomy, energy, facility engineering and construction, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, IL, GROWMARK owns the FS trademarks, which are used by licensed member cooperatives. Winning Entry Wins Pollinator Garden For Public Space Now in its seventh year, the Pollinator Garden program is open to 4-H clubs, Ag in the Classroom groups, and FFA chapters throughout the United States. Groups who previously participated in the program have been automatically re-enrolled. The deadline for entries is March 11, 2022. Youth organizations are asked to locate a public place and secure permission to plant a pollinator garden prior to filling out an application. This could be in a park, near a school, along a well-traveled road, at the county fairgrounds, or any visible location. GROWMARK will provide enough seed to plant approximately a 700 square foot area, as well as educational signage to be placed around the garden. “More than 300 youth organizations have been part of the program since 2016,” said Karen Jones, GROWMARK Youth and Young Producer Specialist. “Growing the number of pollinator gardens this year ...