Mary Johns
(334) 235-1406

Covering strawberry plants. Planting oats and rye. Cutting and stacking wood. Those are just a few of the winter farm chores children will learn about when reading one of the 100 copies of “Sleep Tight Farm” donated to the Alabama Literacy Alliance.

The Alabama Farmers Federation and Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation (AFAF) funded the donation in conjunction with Gov. Kay Ivey’s efforts to promote children’s literacy throughout her inaugural events.

“While supporting the governor’s inaugural philanthropic focus, this book donation also fulfills the need to teach students about agriculture and where their food really comes from,” said Federation and AFAF President Jimmy Parnell. “This is an exciting time for our state, and we’re proud to participate in such a worthwhile cause.”

“Sleep Tight Farm” by Eugenie Doyle and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander was named Book of the Year by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture in 2017. In it, a family prepares their land for winter while reminiscing about everything the farm produced throughout the year.

The books were displayed this morning during Coffee with the Commissioner at the RSA Activity Center in downtown Montgomery. The event was one of several hosted by Alabama agricultural groups to celebrate the inauguration of elected officials, including new Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate.

The Federation and AFAF are committed to supporting education in the state, awarding over $130,000 in college scholarships annually. In September 2018, AFAF worked with Alabama Ag in the Classroom to provide over 900 copies of “John Deere, That’s Who!” to Alabama’s elementary school libraries.

Teachers can find numerous resources for incorporating agricultural lessons into their curriculum at AlfaFarmers.org/schools or AlabamaAITC.org.

AFAF was created by the Alabama Farmers Federation to support and advance agriculture in the state of Alabama.