United Cooperative donates to FFA greenhouse fund

BEAVER DAM - United Cooperative recently provided a $5,000 donation to Johnson Creek High School’s Vocational Agriculture department for building a 60 by 30 greenhouse.

Construction on the planned structure will begin this spring, and will cost roughly $52,000 to build and install, said Kelsey Sambs, vo-ag instructor at Johnson Creek High School. 

The greenhouse will allow for multiple outcomes, Sambs said, in addition to being a teaching classroom for vocational agriculture, which has about 90 students enrolled.

"We grow vegetables and produce for the school’s food service program year around,” she said. “A lot of our students don’t have access to fresh vegetables at home. The greenhouse allows us to work in partnership with the food service director and provide vegetables to the school lunch program. We also want to teach kids how to grow their own food, so they can start their own garden or container gardens at home,” she said.

Sambs expressed the support coming from the local ag industry toward the project has been exciting. 

“As a farmer-owned organization, United Cooperative is proud to be a part of the funding for the greenhouse at Johnson Creek High School,” said David Cramer, United Cooperative President and CEO. “Growing food is a life-skill, and its rewarding to know our monetary support will help teach students how to grow their food now and in the years to come.”