To help spread the message of Soil and Water Stewardship Week, April 30 through May 7, Tama Soil & Water Conservation District will be holding its annual Grocery Sack Contest. 288 area students from five local school districts participated in this event last spring.

The 2017 activity will be open to third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms in six local school districts: South Tama, Meskwaki Settlement, Dysart-Geneseo, North Tama, Settlement, Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Green Mountain-Garwin. Homeschooled students are also invited to participate.

The 2017 theme will be “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life!” which stresses that productive soils are the foundation of any healthy ecosystem. As the world’s population grows and demand for food production increases, it’s essential that we work together to protect and enhance our soils.

As in past years, the grade winner at each participating school will receive a $5 award. One overall, countywide winner will receive $10 and an airplane ride over Tama County this summer.

Watch for the message of trees on renewable paper grocery sacks at these area grocers: Terry’s Food Center in Dysart, Hometown Foods in Traer, Trunck’s in Reinbeck, HyVee in Marshalltown and Fareway in Toledo.

Questions? Call the District at 641/484-2702 extension 3.