South Carolina Farm Service Agency set a goal to have four People’s Gardens in each of the FSA districts within the state. With that goal easily accomplished, the agency has set its sights higher and now aims to place People’s Gardens in 12 counties throughout South Carolina.
“I believe a lot of good will come from our effort,” said Wayne Kesler, FSA county executive director in Newberry County. “Someone up above must be overseeing this work because our garden looks too good for a bunch of rookie gardeners to be managing it.”
FSA along with Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rural Development, Clemson Extension Service, youth clubs, and others have started planting gardens in Williamsburg, Horry, Edgefield, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, Dorchester, Laurens, Newberry, Bamberg, Colleton, Lee, and Barnwell.
“This initiative turned out to be an excellent project,” said Russell Carter, farm loan manager with the Lee County service center. “The People’s Garden has been the most productive team building exercise I have seen in 20 years of government service. “Almost every employee in the building participated in making the project a success.”
And their labor will not been in vain. All proceeds from the gardens will be donated to nursing homes and local food banks in the community.
—by South Carolina FSA
