BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — It's official. Pine Grove Elementary School is a school — and a farm. The school has a lot of gardens, and it can legally sell its produce to the school cafeteria and to the public.
"We are now a bona fide U-pick farm for the state of Florida. We are, I believe, the very first elementary school in the nation to be certified as a farm," said Pine Grove science research teacher Doug Poteet, who also owns PAR 5 Farms Inc., a nonprofit farm, with Dwayne Ross, a volunteer and parent of a former Pine Grove student.
The two have helped the school build a food-producing farm, a butterfly attraction, a vineyard and a home for animals.
"Mr. Poteet and Mr. Ross got very industrious," principal Earl Deen said. "And now we have roosters."
Deen addressed School Board members and guests at the U-pick garden dedication, just before winter break. Visitors left with bags of lush, fresh bunches of various kinds of lettuce.
During the ceremony, the vineyard was dedicated to community member and master gardener David Furrow. Furrow has donated years of service to Pine Grove, instructing students about irrigation, tilling, plant selection and propagation and cultivation. He was instrumental in creating the vineyard.
Poteet is passionate about produce that can be used in the school cafeteria. The bottom line, he said, is "how to get better food for kids."
The farm needed to be certified, which required paperwork and meeting certain specifications, including a wash station.
In a 30- by 40-foot area, there are 1,260 growth cells that are continuously rotated, Poteet said.