Thousands of students across Alabama can learn more about agriculture and American history thanks to books donated by the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation and Alabama’s Agriculture In The Classroom (AITC).

First Peas to the Table, an award-winning children’s book, is a lighthearted story of how a little girl and her classmates learn about gardens and peas, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s garden at Monticello.

“The book was named the Foundation for Agriculture’s Book of the Year during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting in January,” said Kim Ramsey of the Alabama Farmers Federation. “The Book of the Year Award seeks to identify accurate ag books that educate and create a positive public perception of agriculture. This book definitely does that. We’re happy to help schools across the state share agriculture’s story.”

County Federation presidents are distributing nearly 1,000 books to public and private school libraries in their respective counties. Among the schools receiving the book is Lowndes Academy.

K4 teacher Carmen Gray of Lowndes Academy is a graduate of AITC’s Summer Institute and a national AITC attendee. She was excited to share the book with her students.

 “The other teachers and I are thankful for the book donation to use in our classroom because we are a private school and do not receive funds to purchase books,” Gray said. “It’s a great addition to our classroom library and will be a valuable resource for our farming unit.”

Gray said her students are excited to learn about the life cycle of a pea, especially learning how one pea can make many peas. The book is a great informational story about Thomas Jefferson, pea cultivation and friends working together, she added.

The Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation supports advancement of agriculture in Alabama through education, research and awareness.

Primary funding for the foundation comes from Farming Feeds Alabama affinity tag sales, corporate donations and fundraising projects.

The foundation provides numerous youth scholarships and supports youth livestock shows and AITC.