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SACRAMENTO, January 6, 2026 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $218,220 for organizations to enhance agricultural education and leadership opportunities under the 2025 California Agriculture License Plate (CalAgPlate) grant program.
The CalAgPlate program is funded with proceeds generated through the sale of special interest, agriculture-themed license plates through the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Since the inception of the CalAgPlate grant program, CDFA has awarded over $2.5 million to support agricultural education and leadership development. Current grant recipients include:
1. California Association, Future Farmers of America (FFA): $178,500 CalAgPlate grant funding will continue to support student leadership and program development for California's statewide Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, which includes 373 school chapters across the state. These chapters play a crucial role in providing leadership instruction through the FFA student organization to 108,200 student members. The program aims to enhance student access to information about career, leadership, and programmatic opportunities.
2. San Joaquin Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture Education: $10,000 San Joaquin County’s (SJC) AgVenture program increases agricultural literacy and nutrition awareness among elementary school students by connecting classroom learning to real-world agricultural experiences. AgVenture will host five field days across northern, central, and southern SJC, serving approximately 12,500 third-grade students and their chaperones in partnership with 1,200 local farmers, producers, and volunteers. Through hands-on, interactive activities, students will learn where their food comes from, explore the importance of agriculture in their community, and gain exposure to the agricultural workforce.
3. Coachella Valley Unified School District: $9,720 The School to Table project addresses reconnecting students to agriculture through hands-on composting and vertical gardening experiences. This project will support the installation of GeoBins, tumbler composting systems, and mobile vertical gardens at participating schools. Students will get to experience composting, sustainable food systems, and seed-to-table learning experiences through new garden installations. Through these activities, students will learn to transform food scraps into nutrient-rich soil and grow fresh produce in small, sustainable spaces throughout the year.
4. Beginnings Inc., Humboldt County: $10,000
The Youth Agricultural Business and Career Development Program will transform an established greenhouse initiative into a comprehensive agricultural business and leadership program for second through sixth grade students. Field trips to local farms and business will allow students to explore diverse agricultural careers such as greenhouse management, nursery operations, herbalism, food entrepreneurship, and natural foods retail. Students will be able to apply business skills by developing, branding, marketing, and selling student-grown plant starters and garden goods, which will allow them to learn about the viable careers and entrepreneurial skills agriculture has to offer.
5. Community Bridges: $10,000 This project will bring agricultural job awareness seminars and training opportunities to youth and families in Santa Cruz County. The project will host bilingual workshops and career panels featuring local growers, food producers, and agricultural professionals. These events will provide practical information, mentorship connections, and hands-on exposure to careers in agriculture.
Please support agricultural education and the CalAgPlate program by purchasing a special interest license plate from the DMV.
More information is available at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/calagplate/
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