Seminole County Farm Bureau
Youth and Agriculture
Education Resources

What are the Ms. Imogene Yarborough Agriculture Education Mini-Grants?

Annually, the Seminole County Farm Bureau offers mini-grant funds to support agriculture education in Seminole County, FL. These mini-grants have been named in honor of Ms. Imogene Yarborough who devoted much of her life to the agriculture community and ag education. She was recognized by many awards in leadership, service and contributions to the agriculture community throughout her life, far too many to count. Of her most recent awards, in 2019, she was honored with the Florida Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award and the Seminole County Farm Bureau honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 for all her accomplishments here locally in Seminole County. These mini-grants strive to honor her memory by helping fund projects that teach Seminole County youth about agriculture.

We encourage applicants to be creative with their ideas and programs to educate Seminole County youth on agriculture. Depending on availability of funds, applications will open at the start of the school year in the fall with a rolling selection process. Applications close when all available funds have been used or at the end of the school year, whichever occurs first. 

What types of programs have been funded in the past? 

Some examples of how funds have been used in the past include: purchasing supplies to build raised garden beds, seeds for a hydroponics classroom lesson, locally grown produce for a solar powered cook-off, equipment of irrigation at a school garden, and many others. If you can relate your educational program to agriculture in some way, we highly encourage that you apply! If you aren't sure if your program would be eligible for mini-grant funds, please reach out to us and we can chat more. 

Who is eligible for a mini-grant? 

Seminole County K-12 teachers, educators, and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) are eligible to apply for a mini-grant. Mini-grant funds must be used to support agriculture educational efforts in Seminole County, FL.

Want more details on where to apply? 

For more information and where to submit applications, visit: https://forms.gle/dNL5m3MDFwtb3rzW8. Applications close when all available funds have been used or at the end of the school year, whichever occurs first. 

What is the youth speech contest?

Every year, the Florida Farm Bureau hosts a statewide Youth Speech Contest. This contest starts at the county level. Winners of the county competition advance to district, and then potentially, state. This speech competition is a wonderful way for youth to gain an understanding of Florida agriculture, develop their communication skills, and potentially win prizes ($$$)!

What is the 2025 speech topic? 

"What obstacles threaten Florida agriculture's economic viability, and how do we address them?"

Who is eligible to participate? 

To participate in the Seminole County contest, the youth must reside in Seminole County, FL. 
Senior Division - any youth who is at least 14 years of age, and not over 18 years of age as of September 26, 2025 (not having reached their 19th birthday).
Intermediate Division - any youth who is at least 11 years of age, and not over 13 years of age as of September 26, 2025 (not having reached their 14th birthday). 

When and where is the 2025 Seminole County Youth Speech Contest? 

The Seminole County contest will be hosted on April 11, 2025 (Time -TBD) at the UF/IFAS Extension Seminole County Office (250 W County Home Rd, Sanford, FL). The district competition will be hosted later in the fall when the school year starts up. 

What are the prizes? 

1st Place - $300
2nd Place - $125

*Senior Division and Intermediate Division will each have a 1st and 2nd place recipient. 

Want more details on where to sign up? 

For registration and more information visit: https://forms.gle/VQvebEi3je2zNduk8 

What is the Cecil Tucker Scholarship?

Cecil A. Tucker, II was an agricultural researcher, rancher, historian, author, businessman and philanthropist of both time and resources. Cecil had a long, successful career in agriculture having served as a Seminole County Agricultural Extension Agent, where he developed educational programs for farmers as well as youth, Cecil was a leader in the agriculture community, having served as President of Seminole County Farm Bureau for a number of years. This scholarship strives to honor his memory by helping to support future agricultural leaders. 

This scholarship strives to award up to four, $1,000 scholarships to graduating High School Seniors or current college students who are interested in continuing their education to prepare for a career in some way connected to the diverse agricultural industry. 

Who is eligible to participate? 

Applicant must be a high school senior in Seminole County, Florida; or a current college student that is a resident of Seminole County, Florida.  Applicant must be a member of Florida Farm Bureau, or have a family member who is a member of Florida Farm Bureau. Membership cost is only $41.

When are applications due in 2026? 

Applications must be received by March 31, 2026. Scholarship winner will be determined soon after.

Want more details on how to submit your application? 

For more information and where to submit your application, visit: https://forms.gle/4d8ZBcASYY2CQNVx5. 

What is the Ag Teacher of the Year Award?

Teaching about agriculture is no easy feat! We started this award in 2022 to recognize local teachers and educators that are doing outstanding work to teach youth in Seminole County, FL about agriculture. This award is presented at the Seminole County Farm Bureau Annual Membership Luncheon in October.

Who is eligible? 

All K-12 teachers and educators in Seminole County, FL are eligible to be nominated. Does the nominee have to be agriculture or FFA teacher? No! We understand that the topic of agriculture is often integrated into other subjects from biology to engineering to home ec and more. We highly encourage folks to nominate outstanding teachers and educators that teach on agricultural topics in any way. 

When and where is the award given? 

The award will be given to one teacher per year. The honor will be bestowed at the Seminole County Farm Bureau Annual Membership luncheon that is usually held in October annually. While nominations are accepted all year long, the annual recipient will be selected during the first week of October every year. 

Want more details on how to nominate a teacher? 

You can find more information on the nomination form here: https://forms.gle/16h8ViRiJxpJMAdN8.

Who has received this award in the past?

2024- Shawn Gard-Harrold, ePathways

2023-Bryan Turner, Milwee Middle School 

2022- Ms. Mary Lynn Hess, Goldsboro Elementary School

Florida Farm Bureau also provides Classroom Mini-Grants to certified Florida educators who are engaged in classroom instruction at the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade levels. The Classroom Mini-Grant program supports agriculture education in the classroom. For more information, visit the Florida Farm Bureau Outreach & Education Webpage. 

What is Florida Agriculture in the Classroom? 

Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc. provides educational resources to help Pre-K through 12th grade educators incorporate agricultural concepts into their core subject area classes. For more information visit: https://faitc.org/. As part of their efforts, they are instrumental in organizing Agriculture Literacy Days which is a statewide program where concepts of agriculture are brought into the classroom. 

How does this relate to Seminole County Farm Bureau? 

Much like Seminole County Farm Bureau, Florida Ag in the Classroom hopes to education youth so that they are more aware of and appreciate agriculture and natural resources in Florida. Every year, Florida Ag in the Classroom partners with the community to make an Agriculture Literacy Days book to help teach about agriculture and highlight Florida's agriculture industries. Seminole County Farm Bureau and Young Farmers & Ranchers team up to visit classrooms, read the Ag Literacy Days book and complete fun educational activities with youth in Seminole County.  

Are you interested in an Ag Literacy Days event? 

In 2023, Seminole County Young Farmers and Ranchers volunteers visited multiple classrooms to offer Ag Literacy Day events in Seminole County.  The 2023, Ag Literacy Days book was titled Moovers, Shakers and Milk Makers and talked about the Florida Dairy industry. In each class, the volunteers read the annual Florida Ag Literacy Days book and led a butter making activities with the students. The annual book is released at the start of the year. Every year, the book and activities changes. We have volunteers available throughout the year to read the book and complete activities with students.

To request a volunteer to come to your classroom, please visit: https://forms.gle/19csrpoWVLE37N5F9.