Students take nutritional adventure to Allen County farm

SCOTTSVILLE Ky.- A trip to the Need More Acres Farm means a nutritional adventure for Dishman McGinnis students.

This farm is a fresh food provider for the school, and thanks to a partnership between the farm and the school system, the kids are able to come by to get their own delicious home-grown vegetables and seeds. Some of the kids are trying these fruits and vegetables for the first time.

Some Dishman students live in what is known as a food desert, meaning it’s not as easy to find home grown produce, near their homes.

Director of food service operations for the Bowling Green City Schools, Dalla Emerson, said this is a great way to not only get the kids in a fun and educational environment, but also to provide the children with much needed nutrition.

“We get awesome support from the state and from the local community to provide for these students. This is just one of those opportunities. We like to expose as many kids in the community as possible to how things grow and how it’s made,” Emerson said.

Farmer of the Need More Acres farm Michelle Howell said partnerships like this are why she became a farmer, to provide for the kids, and to grow future farmers who may be able to help eliminate food desserts.

“This is why we started farming. We wanted people who wouldn’t normally have access to fruits and vegetables to have them, and also to get new people to think about farming one day as an occupation. When I watch these kids, I ask how many of them want to be a farmer. Half of them raise their hands. It’s just wonderful,” Howell said.