Tiger Farm School Garden receives funds for infrastructure development

The Tioga Central School District is a recent recipient of a Fall 2017 Community Fund Grant from the Community Foundation for SCNY. Funds will be used to dig a well to provide irrigation for a five-acre school garden and the addition of an outdoor classroom. The classroom structure will be designed and constructed by students in the High School Technology Class.

Work on Tiger Farm began in the fall of 2016, when community volunteers prepared the land for planting potatoes, pumpkins, corn and sunflowers by students in the spring of 2017. Potatoes were harvested by students in the fall of 2017 and are being served in school cafeterias. 

Long term plans for the school garden are currently in process. Development of the garden infrastructure will support the creation of a learning laboratory to compliment agriculture education lessons for students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Scot Taylor, superintendent, stated, “Through our agriculture education efforts, students will learn many lifelong lessons provided by farming, the nutritional benefits of locally grown produce, the many educational and career paths agriculture education can provide, and the benefits of physical activity associated with agriculture. This grant will provide infrastructure that will allow for the expansion of Tiger Farm and the opportunities agriculture education can bring to the students of Tioga Central.”