Farm City Poster Contest

Information went home about this last week.  All posters are due no later than Wednesday, October 23, so that they maybe graded and turned in on time.

The Alabama Farm-City Poster, essay and multimedia theme for 2014 is “Agriculture: 365 Sunrises and 7 Billion Mouths to Feed”.

As the sun comes up on Alabama agriculture each day, we find farmers feeding cows, walking through chicken houses, working on farm machinery, planting crops, harvesting fields, greeting customers at the farmers market, watching the weather and praying for blessings from above.  But, if we look closer, we’ll also see them creating habitat for wildlife, protecting streams from erosion, helping neighbors, leading communities, teaching children and creating jobs for thousands in nearby towns and cities.

Each sunrise is a new opportunity for Alabama’s largest industry.  It’s a chance to explore new varieties and technologies; educate future generations about the land; and experience the joy of a hard day’s work, a perfectly ripe peach or a bumper crop.

For farmers, however, each day also brings responsibility and challenges.  Seven billion people worldwide depend on agriculture for sustenance, and the number is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.  That means each farmer must not only continue feeding about 155 people, but he or she also must find ways to be more efficient and productive.

“Agriculture: 365 Sunrises and 7 Billion Mouths to Feed” reminds us that we should never take our food for granted.

The local contest is sponsored by the Russell County Farm-City Committee, Russell County Farmers Federation and the Russell County Extension office.  The state contest is sponsored by the Farm-City Committee of Alabama in cooperation with Alabama Ag in the Classroom and Alabama Farmers Cooperative.  More information is available online at www.AlfaFarmers.org, www.AlabamaAITC.org and www.AgEducate.org.

The 1^st place winning poster will be sent to the state for competition there.  State winners will be featured in the Alabama Farm-City Committee’s 2016 Farm-City Calendar.

Eligibility and Rules

1.    Entry is open to all students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade and must be the original work of the student.

2.    There are two categories of competition: K-3 grades and 4-6 grades.  First, second and third place winners will be named in each category.

3.    Posters must relate to the theme.  The name of the theme must be on the poster.

4.    The size should be horizontal on poster board paper sized 28” x 22”.  Please use standard thickness poster paper. Vertical posters will not be considered.

5.    Any flat medium can be used (such as pen and pencil, crayon, watercolor, ink or oil).  No three-dimensional posters (such as gluing products on to a poster) will be eligible.

6.    Each student is required to complete the information form and attach it to each poster entry.

7.    All entries will be judged the first week of November.

8.    Criteria for judging include: creativity, originality, neatness, overall appearance and relevance to the theme.

9.    Deadline for entry is Friday, October 24, 2014.  1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners will be notified by mail no later than Wednesday, November 12, 2014.  Award winners will be invited to the Russell County Farm-City Breakfast along with parents, family, teacher and principal.  They will be recognized during the breakfast.