The Big Bend Community College's Greenhouse project finished construction mid-summer, and students in the Agricultural program have been able to utilize the building to assist in their projects. The BBCC Board of Trustees was taken on a tour of the building Thursday during a board meeting.
"I think that they're learning sustainability through their soils classes and other different classes," said LeAnne Parton, Director of Development and Executive Director of the BBCC Foundation. "It's just been a real wonderful addition to our Ag program."
The greenhouse was funded by a grant from the Paul Lozier Foundation, which funded $300,000; the Kubata Foundation funded another $150,000 for a total of $450,000 in grants, said Parton. She said part of the greenhouse project was the addition of sustainable raised beds, and all the produce grown by the students will be used for the Viking Pantry to help feed the students. The plan is to have about 30 raised beds built for this purpose.
Aaron Mahoney, an Agriculture Professor at BBCC, said this semester, students in the Ag program have put the raised beds to use by studying cover cropping and looking at the late-season progression of some of the crops that were started in the summer. This allows the students to look at the yield traits and the physical appearance of crops toward the end of the harvest.
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