Promoting Ag Literacy: "The Soil in Jackie’s Garden" Donated to Georgia Libraries

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA), Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) are working together to boost agricultural literacy by donating copies of the children’s book “The Soil in Jackie’s Garden” to nearly 400 libraries in the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS). Each county Farm Bureau in Georgia received enough books for every public library, with Thomas County Farm Bureau recently ensuring that each of its six public libraries received a copy.

Written by Peggy Thomas and illustrated by Neely Daggett, the book follows Jackie and her garden friends as they explore the wonders of gardening, uncover soil secrets, and learn about the magic of composting. The narrative celebrates the cycle of planting, nurturing, harvesting, and recycling scraps into compost, highlighting the importance of sustainability. Recognized for its accurate and positive portrayal of agriculture, it was chosen as the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s 2025 Book of the Year.

The GFA, a nonprofit dedicated to preparing future leaders for success in Georgia agriculture, began donating agricultural books to public libraries in 2016, with Georgia EMC joining as a sponsor in 2018. For more information or to donate, visit www.gafoundationag.org.