Students at the Oxford Academy and Central School District Primary School in Oxford, NY, grew their fresh produce in the aeroponic Tower Garden and created a healthy snack at school. The deadline for teachers to apply for the 'Grow with Us Grant' is January 9, 2024. (Submitted photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY — Classrooms are filled with hungry students and teachers are educating them to grow their own healthy food with the help of the New York Agriculture in the Classroom grant program.

According to the New York Agriculture in the Classroom website the ‘Grow with Us Grant' for the 2023-2024 school year provides schools with two different options; a bundle of three Tower Gardens as a science bundle which includes a dolly and nutrient solution or a 2445 Organics SuperGrow System 3 Tier Rack.

Each system allows for learning through agriculture, plant growth, and healthy eating through the entire school year.

The ‘Grow with Us Grant’ application guidance and lead teacher agreement can be found at cdn.agclassroom.org and remains open for applications until 11:59 p.m. on January 9, 2024.

There are specific guidelines for review; amongst of which, teachers must be the primary user of the grow system for classroom instruction and any teacher who previously received a grow grant is not eligible to apply. Certified agriculture teachers and agriculture programs are not eligible.

Clayton and Megan Kappauf, a husband and wife teaching team in Oxford, use creative ways to bring interests of gardening, food production and processing into their classrooms at the Oxford Academy and Central School District-Primary School in Oxford and received the 2023 National Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award.

The Kappaufs work with high tunnels, dehydrators, and aeroponic grow systems so their students are exposed to a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

Clayton said, “The students eat what they grow and this is the second year of successful growth with the towers.”

He explained that Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment rather than soil. The system uses water, liquid nutrients and a soilless growing medium to quickly and efficiently grow tasty, colorful, healthy produce.

He said utilizing a tower garden for aeroponic plant growth is especially helpful if space is limited.

As noted on the NY Agriculture Classroom website the Tower Gardens are a vertical, aeroponic (air or mist) system allowing up to 20 vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs to grow in less than three square feet indoors or out.

The 2445 Organics SuperGrow System 3 Tier Rack is a terraponic (soil) based system allowing almost all types of plants grown outdoors and can produce up to 15 pounds of produce a month, depending on the crop chosen.

It will be up to the schools to apply for the system that fits their goals and allows for accommodations in the classroom or outdoors.

For further information, contact nyaitc@cornell.edu or call 607-255-9253.