Beloit Garden’s First Harvest
After spending Tuesday afternoon gettin up close and personal removing the pesky Colorado Potato Beetles, we were back at the Beloit Gardens bright and early on Wednesday morning. This cool summer morning was spent harvesting varieties of lettuce that had reached the end of its first production cycle. After weighing almost 8 pounds of lettuce, we washed and dried using filtered rainwater and the bright sun. Though the weight may not sound like much, we brought 3 full boxes of lettuce to Food at First in Ames where it will be used to create nutritious meals to be served to those in need at no charge.


Story County Fairgrounds
Wednesday afternoon was spent building ideas for assisting the Story County Fairgrounds with expansion and advertisement. This consisted of the team looking into and reaching out to local venues for the fairgrounds to work with during private rentals while also beginning construction on a handout to provide information about the buildings available for private events.
Cultivating Hope
After a slow Thursday, our Friday morning was busy out in the field with Cultivating Hope Farms. This meeting was spent brainstorming ideas for gaining funding and increasing the outreach of Cultivating Hope as a club. With a few ideas to be discussed with venues for possible future events, we left the farms that morning with a strong sense of accomplishment.
Ames Farmers Market
The Rising Star interns kicked off a warm June morning out in the sun at the ISU Extension tent during the Ames Farmers Market. Children coming to the market with their parents got to enjoy the process of planting beanstalks and flowers that they could take home and transfer into their own planters or gardens. During these activities we spoke to the parents and provided them with information about gardening help and 4-H clubs. We spoke to many amazing people who all left with smiles on their faces. The kids were excited with their new plants and the parents grateful their children had not gotten covered in dirt.

