In the News

Monsanto, MFA Foundations Provide Fertile Funding for Jefferson Farm and Gardens
Columbia Business Times
July 14, 2007
Link to Article

By Mike Honeywell

The Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute has received two grants to support construction projects at the Jefferson Farm and Gardens learning center, scheduled to open next year in southeast Columbia off on New Haven Road.

The institute, a non-profit organization engaged in agricultural education and research projects, is developing Jefferson Farm and Gardens, a 67-acre, multi-faceted educational center that focuses on contemporary farming, gardening and science education.

The Monsanto Foundation provided $200,000 to help pay for the construction of the Plant Science Teaching Greenhouse. The teaching greenhouse will enable youths and adults to work with a variety of plants during different stages of growth. It will be attached to the Visitor Education Complex to facilitate year-round, hands-on learning.

The MFA Foundation donated $125,000 toward the cost of building the Children’s Barn, which will focus on the importance of animal agriculture. An animal science youth educator will supervise visitors as they get up-close and hands-on experience with animals housed in the barn and tour informational exhibits. The MFA Foundation, which is supported by Columbia-based MFA Inc. and MFA Oil Co., celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.

The Farm and Gardens will be designed to appeal to visitors of all ages. During the warmer months, there will be gardens and field areas including a fruit orchard, a demonstration vineyard, a vegetable garden, Missouri field crop demonstrations, a children’s garden, ornamental plantings, a wildflower meadow, a Missouri tree grove and a children’s barnyard.

In addition to the outdoor exhibits, the facility will have year-round exhibits on farming and gardening, a garden-theme gift shop, a reading room with a library of garden and farm-related books for all ages, and a glass greenhouse. There also will be special events held at various times throughout the year to recognize planting, harvest and other special seasons of agricultural life.

The Visitor Education Complex will also house a large meeting room that can accommodate groups of up to 120 and four classrooms that can be used for additional space or smaller meetings. The Farm and Gardens is interested in providing meeting space for agricultural or horticultural groups and may offer the space to other groups, including 4-H Clubs, scouting troops or outdoor-oriented youth groups from time to time. Rental fees may apply, depending on the services provided.

Since its inception in 1997, The Jefferson Institute has collaborated with the Missouri departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; the University of Missouri; and the U. S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, as well as area landowners and farmers. The Jefferson Institute provides services to area residents, including presentation of agriculture and horticulture education programs, research on Midwestern crops and market development programs for farmers and landowners.