Washington County Agriculture in the Classroom receives grant

The Washington County Agriculture in the Classroom program has received a $1,500 grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation. The money will be used to develop four chick hatching units for kindergarten classes in the Washington County school districts.

The chick hatching unit will allow classrooms to learn about the development of chicks from egg laying through hatching which will be a 21-23-day unit. Each unit will come with an incubator, seven eggs, candler, lessons, and supplies for the chicks once they hatch.

Chicks will then be available to the community for their own farm or backyard flocks. Contact the Washington County Extension Office for more information on receiving these birds.

Diane Rinner, the Washington County Youth Outreach Educator, visits classrooms and teaches students how agriculture plays an important role in their lives through hands-on activities. Agriculture in the Classroom in Washington County is a partnership between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Washington County and Washington County Farm Bureau. For more information, contact Diane Rinner at drinner@iastate.edu or 319-653-4811.