“This annual contest inspires children to learn more about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “I urge teachers and parents to encourage our young people to enter this contest. They will discover how farmers produce the safe, abundant and affordable food and fiber that we all enjoy.”

Contestants will draw posters and write essays about “Kentucky Agriculture: Growing for the Future.” They will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the unique new opportunities that are emerging in agriculture such as biofuels, plant-based biodegradable plastics and research into plant-based medicines.

Statewide poster and essay winners in each of grades 1-8 will be honored in the Kentucky Agriculture Day Luncheon March 22 at the Kentucky History Center. Each winner will receive a $100 savings bond.

One Kentucky Proud Poster and one Kentucky Proud Essay will be selected from among all the winners. The classrooms of the students who produce the Kentucky Proud Poster and Kentucky Proud Essay each will be awarded $500.

Entries must be based on the contest theme. Posters must contain the theme. Drawings must be in color. Poster contest participants are asked not to use colored pencils. Posters should be no larger than 18 inches by 24 inches, drawn on white paper and framed with either poster board, heavy paper or mat board. Essays from students in grades 1-3 should be no longer than 150 words, and essays from students in grades 4-8 should be no longer than 250 words. Entries must be entirely student-created. Students may enter both contests.

Essays and posters will be used in various KDA publications and special events. They become the property of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and will not be returned.

Entries should be mailed to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Poster and Essay Contest, 500 Mero St., 7th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601. Entries must be in the KDA office or postmarked no later than Feb. 24. Winners will be notified by March 10.

For full contest rules, information resources and other information, contact Rayetta Boone or Teresa Prather by phone at 502-564-4696 or by e-mail at rayetta.boone@ky.gov or teresa.prather@ ky.gov

For more information on the Web, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture website (www.kyagr.com), click on Education Resources in the pull-down menu and click on Agricultural Education.

Arbor Day poster contest open to Tennessee fifth-graders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “Trees are terrific…in All Shapes & Sizes.” is the theme for the 2006 Arbor Day poster contest announced by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Division of Forestry and the National Arbor Day Foundation. Cosponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation, the annual contest is open to all Tennessee fifth-graders.

Teachers in public, private and home schools can participate in the contest by selecting a winning poster from their school for the state competition. Entries must be received, regardless of postmark, by 4:30 p.m. (CST) on March 10.

Send posters to: Arbor Day Poster Contest, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, P.O. Box 40627, Nashville, TN 37204. Posters can also be hand delivered to the TDA Division of Forestry office located in the Bruer Building at Ellington Agricultural Center, 440 Hogan Rd, Nashville, TN 37204. Only posters that meet guidelines will be eligible.

Tennessee’s first place poster will be entered in the national contest, which awards a $1,000 savings bond, a lifetime membership in The National Arbor Day Foundation, an expense-paid trip to the home of National Arbor Day in Nebraska City for the National Awards Weekend, and teacher classroom materials. The national second and third place winners also receive a savings bond and teachers receive cash prizes.

In Tennessee, Arbor Day is always recognized on the first Friday in March, which falls this year on March 3. Nationally, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Each state sets its own Arbor Day date based on the optimum tree planting conditions for that region.

For more information on the Arbor Day Poster Contest and to request a booklet of rules and guidelines, contact state urban forester Bruce Webster at 615-837-5436 or email bruce.webster@state.tn.us

More information about the national contest is at www.arborday.org

Published in the January 11, 2006 issue of Farm World.