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Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies

Fight hunger locally with Purple Plow Challenge

Date Posted: September 16, 2021

Often we think people living with food insecurity are homeless or somehow easy to identify, but they could easily be your neighbor or classmate. Are you ready to help?

Growing Your Community Challenge is the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s latest Purple Plow challenge. Running through Dec. 21, the interactive program challenges students in grades 5-12 to:

  • create, construct and maintain an environment suitable for edible plant growth;
  • show progress toward a long-term, food-based solution for the local community; and
  • develop and maintain community partnerships benefitting local food security.

Growing Your Community Challenge is great for middle or high school teachers looking for experiential learning opportunities, either virtually or in a classroom. It’s also a great fit for 4-H clubs or other youth groups interested in exploring and learning through hands-on experience.

Learn more and see examples of previous challenges at the Purple Plow website and in this video. The top three entries will win a 3-D printer and a Visa gift card to help buy supplies for future challenges.

If you’re short on time, check out the ‘puzzlers’ — hands-on STEM activities that can be completed in just a couple hours. They’re designed to sharpen critical and creative thinking through ag-related activities and follow the Purple Plow’s engineering design steps: create, test, improve and share.

The Purple Plow Challenge is special project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and made possible through generous support of our title sponsor, Corteva Agriscience.

To stay informed about the Purple Plow, sign up for their e-newsletter here.