Young Tennessee hunters 

eligible for special hunt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Youth ages 10-15 who are hunter safety-certified and have never harvested a deer are eligible to win a spot in a special hunt.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), the hunt will take place on a private farm in Humphreys County that has more than 2,000 acres of prime deer habitat. There also are tree stands on the property, including three that are handicapped-accessible.

A total of 30 young hunters will be selected to participate in the Oct. 25 hunt. The winners will be picked by drawing and notified by Oct. 15. To participate, hunters must have a Tennessee hunting license and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult who is at least 21 years old.

Applications and more information are available on TWRA’s website at www.tnwildlife.org

Michigan schools getting visits from nutrition theater group

FRANKENMUTH, Mich. — The Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee has partnered with FoodPlay Productions to bring FOODPLAY, a national award-winning theater show that inspires and empowers children to make healthy choices, to Michigan schools.

FOODPLAY makes good eating great fun, but its messages are serious. In the last 25 years, childhood obesity rates have doubled among elementary school children and tripled among teenagers. One in three children is overweight, and less than 2 percent of the nation’s youth are meeting their daily nutritional requirements. Kids on average are drinking more than 600 cans of soda and consuming more than 150 pounds of sugars a year, missing out on recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains needed for optimal health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-third of the nation’s youth will develop diabetes if current eating and exercise habits don’t improve.

During the fun-filled performance, children follow the antics of Janey the Juggler, who dreams of becoming a juggling star but keeps dropping the balls. The problem? – her unhealthy diet! With the help of the “Coach” and the children in the audience, Janey learns how to juggle the foods she eats to wind up with a balanced diet. 

FOODPLAY’s live theater assembly will be presented to children (grades K-5), and schools will be given follow-up materials to keep the nutrition and health messages alive at home and in school all year long. Follow-up materials are provided for teachers, students, parents, school food service and health staff to help everyone work together to create healthy schools and healthy communities. According to USDA-sponsored evaluations, FOODPLAY programs produce dramatic improvements in students’ eating and exercise habits and trigger community-wide interest in building healthy environments.

DuPont Pioneer supports 

agriscience education, career

JOHNSTON, Iowa — DuPont Pioneer and the National Assoc. of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) are continuing their support of agriscience education through a grant program aimed at training teachers and supplying equipment and resources to elevate the rigor of agriculture and science curricula. Grants of $2,500 to $5,000 are available to help prepare students for careers in agriculture and food.

DuPont Pioneer is working closely with the NAAE to award grants to teachers who are implementing Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE), but may lack sufficient resources.

CASE is a multi-year approach to agriscience education with rigorous educator training requirements and hands-on, inquiry focused learning activities. The collaboration with DuPont Pioneer and CASE is a special project of the National FFA Foundation. This is the third year of involvement in this effort by DuPont Pioneer.

The DuPont Pioneer grants will be available to help with three areas teachers have identified as cost barriers to implementing the program in their schools – teacher training, equipment and materials, and end-of-course assessments.

Mt. Juliet FFA named state horse judging winner 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Members of the Mt. Juliet FFA took home first place honors in Tennessee FFA’s largest state Career Development Event (CDE), Horse Judging. More than 250 students representing 67 teams competed at MTSU’s Miller Coliseum in the event sponsored by the Tennessee Equine Hospital. The CDE tests agricultural education students in equine science selection, management and production.

Team members include: Avie Joyce, Savannah Stanley, Savannah Throneberry, and Hannah Williams. Joyce and Stanley claimed first and second high individual scorer, respectively.

FFA chapters with teams finishing in the top ten in order of rank were: Mt. Juliet, Lincoln County, McMinn County, Westmoreland, Woodbury, Cookeville, Moore County, Livingston Academy, Jefferson County, and Gallatin.

As state winners, Mt. Juliet will go on to compete during the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky., in October. If they place in the top ten nationally, they will be recognized before the more than 60,000 FFA members attending the convention and be awarded as much as $1,000 per team member.