Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 6 · column 2 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
local than your back yarcL* Funded by grants from Lowe's Toolbox for Education and the Rappahannock County Farm Bureau, the hoophouse will have waterfilled tubing? beating the soil, optimal for crops that prefer to have their tops cool like salad greens. Hoophouses, like greenhouses. provide control of environmental conditions, but at substantially leas cost. They are usually covered with plastic and ventilated through roll-up sides. The high school already has a greenhouse, used for starting plants and conducting biology experiments. The hoophouse will serve a different function: extending the growing season and allowing crops to be grown year-round, synchronizing the harvest with the school year. “I estimate we can grow 300 pounds of salad in the hoophouse this winter’' said Scheuerlein. While produce in the past has been donated to the cafeterias, the schools may begin paying a four price to make the program more sustainable. This transition could be eased by the 2008 Farm Bill which allows schools receiving- federal funds to give preference to local produce. Construction of the hoophouse began in May when Steve Schadler donated the grading and Rachel Bynum and Eric Plaksin brought interns over from ’Waterpenny Farm to help measure and dig the footers. The project is part of FZTs multi- faceted approach to teaching local students about agriculture, nutrition, and land conservation. Since 2004, students have been
44.9%