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Mabelvale Garden Update »Mabelvale Garden Update This past week, Karl Heinbockel and fellow Delta Garden Study interns have had the opportunity to escape the fluorescent lights of the office and work in the bright sunshine at the Mabelvale Magnet Middle School gardens and greenhouse. In spite of the oppressive heat, there is still much to do to prepare for the coming school year at Mabelvale Magnet Middle School. We are removing the residue from last year's crops (and weeds!) and replacing them with a buckwheat cover crop to revitalize the soil. The buckwheat cover crop suppresses weed growth and once tilled in will add important organic material back into the soil. This allows new plants the ample nutrients necessary to blossom with great vigor. Healthy soil has been our focus this summer. In the fall, we will concentrate our efforts at producing a variety of food crops with the help of our students at Mabelvale! In the coming weeks, we will be continuing to clean up and organize the garden and greenhouse spaces so that this school year will be a great one for Delta Garden Study's showcase garden - Mabelvale!

FrontPage Article »See the Progress on our New Gardens! Don't forget to visit our Garden Schools’ webpages for pictures and stories about the progress of our new gardens. Liana, Kevin, Ryan and Cale have been busy developing their sites, planting a late summer garden, and getting to know their communities. Many thanks to all of their community members who have donated materials, equipment and labor!

About The Delta Garden Study »About The Delta Garden Study The Delta Garden Study is a $2 million research study funded by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service designed to prevent childhood obesity and social risk behaviors, and improve academic achievement, in middle school children in the Delta and Central regions of Arkansas.

Marshall Update

Even though we wrapped up our regular garden lessons for the year last week, classes have still been coming out in droves to help plant the summer garden and taste all of the spring produce that we’re harvesting. Sadly, our strawberry season is almost over but our greens and root crops are still going strong. Today, for instance, Rachel whipped up a delicious sautéed beet and sweet potato medley with sides of balsamic vinaigrette simple salad and sweet sautéed kale, all of which went over generally well with the students. On Monday, Rachel and I met with the directors of the local food pantry and worked out a plan that will allow us to provide families with garden fresh produce throughout the summer. Speaking of the summer, there has also been a lot of interest in our summer garden internship positions from both middle and high school students. We’ll be finalizing our eager work crew next week.

Marshall Featured Student: Laykin Rainbolt

The Delta Garden Study project has made this an interesting year in science class. We have studied a variety of topics from plants to agriculture to the atmosphere. I have really enjoyed the project because I am extremely involved in all aspects of agriculture, especially beef and gardening through my 4-H projects. My favorite part was definitely talking about animal agriculture and genetics. Although I didn’t agree with everything that was taught, I still feel as though the Delta Garden Study is a worthwhile project for all students because everyone should know where their food comes from.

Garden Program Specialist

Cale Nicholson

I grew up gardening with my Mom, Dad, and Grandma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. I remember many muggy Saturday afternoons siting with my family shucking corn and shelling beans under the welcoming shade of a nearby Maple tree or, if we were lucky, by the cold airconditioner in the house! These experiences ingrained in me a love of vegetables and an appreciation for the hard work that goes into raising my own food. To me the physical labor required to produce a successful vegetable garden in the heat of an Arkansas summer is both extremely challenging and extremely rewarding and the best way to do this work is with the help of friends and family.

FoodCorps Service Member

Rachel Spencer

Though Rachel's college career wound a winding path through the study of international affairs, human geography, epidemiology, and assorted other things, she recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Health Science from the University of Georgia. At UGA she helped lead efforts to start the campus community garden UGArden, bring Real Food Challenge's Southeast Youth Food Activist Summit to Athens, GA, and establish the university's Office of Sustainability. Interning at that office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Health Services Branch led Rachel to develop a passion for work at the intersection of sustainability and public health, interests that she is excited to explore further by working with the Arkansas Delta Garden Study. Outside of all things food related, Rachel enjoys taking flights of fancy through books, capturing moments of life on film, marveling at the elegance of the periodic table, and one day aspires to be as saucy as Lauren Bacall.

Meet the Staff

Pictured from left to right: Heath Massey, Science teacher, Alan Yarbrough, Principal, and Kenda Dearing, Chemistry and Physics teacher.

Marshall High School Website

To find out more about Searcy County School District and their garden study, visit their website at: http://searcycounty.ar.schoolwebpages.com/.

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