(Pictured above: Student & Borlaug Scholar, Mylee Vocu, presented strawberry seedlings during the greenhouse tours during the open house celebration on February 21.)
We reached a new level of possibilities with our plans for a new greenhouse at West Central Area High School. And I think West Central Initiative is the right organization to help us out.
Eric Sawatzke
I received the note above from Eric Sawatzke, agriculture teacher for West Central Area (WCA) Schools, in November of 2021. I attended WCA and still reside in Grant County, so I had already heard that the schools were building a greenhouse, and it was going to be big. During an Ag Boosters meeting, I learned that it wasn’t just a greenhouse—it was a curriculum surrounded by community support and possibilities for the region’s economic growth.
At that time, the families and business community of the WCA School District had raised more than $250,000 for the project. They had established partnerships with the Lions Club International Foundation, local volunteers, and a GroShed hydroponics system from Runestone Electric Association. They also had students eager to get their hands in the dirt, two of whom were from the Borlaug Scholars program, part of the World Food Prize, for research in food system intervention.
Now, stakeholders are focused on expanding these investments. The Ag Boosters and I discussed how a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Food Program could help expand the ag curriculum—from growing plants to gleaning and processing excess food, including meat processing. They could use funds to train staff, community members, students, food-shelf representatives, and more.
My colleague, Kate Mudge, worked at a food bank that had systems for taking in donations of food from growers and gardeners.
As we discussed the details, we discovered that, between us, we had the capacity for this pilot project, and Growing Grant County was born. West Central Initiative had the capacity and expertise to get it started. Ashby and WCA School Districts have community support and student leadership to sustain the program for the long haul. In addition, the project fit within the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and squarely fits the mission, vision, and values of West Central Initiative.
I’m more than honored to be a small part of the grand design my friends and neighbors have envisioned, and excited to be just one of many that will steward the investment and help it continue to grow and flourish.
About the Author
Jill Amundson has served west central Minnesota communities since 2003, starting at the Herman Review, followed by twelve years of nonprofit assistance for the historically disadvantaged. She now serves as the Impact Evaluator at West Central Initiative, assisting the organization and our partners in planning, problem-solving, and sharing successes in community development initiatives. Jill lives in Ashby with her husband, Pete raising two Ashby Arrows (class of 2016 and 2032) and fishing as often as possible.
