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Grow Communities Frequently Asked Questions

Want to find out more about the America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM Program? Below you'll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.



What is the America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM Program?
America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, to support farming communities by offering farmers the opportunity to register to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite community charity. Recipients could include FFA, 4-H, schools or other civic organizations – e.g., hospital, fire department or food pantry. It takes less than five minutes to apply, and the application period runs August 1 through November 30 of this year. The program is available in 1,245 counties across 39 states.

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Who can apply?
This program is designed for farmers who live in one of the 1,245 counties, are 21 years or older, and actively engaged in farming at least 250 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton, or farm 40 acres of open field vegetables, or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

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How did you choose these counties?
These counties were selected based on crop parameters from the January 2011 USDA report. The eligible counties are those where a minimum of 30,000 acres of corn and/or soybeans and/or cotton and/or vegetables are planted each year.

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How does a farmer apply?
Eligible farmers can apply at GrowCommunities.com or by calling 1-877-267-3332 to receive a copy of the entry form and rules. Completed entries can be mailed to Grow Communities, 914 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO 63102. One winner will be randomly drawn for each eligible county from all eligible entrants received for that county. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

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Is this a new program?
This is the second year for the America's Farmers Grow Communities program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Prior to that, Monsanto Company sponsored a pilot program.

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Why are you sponsoring this program?
Rural communities are the heart of America. It's where we find the people who work hard to feed, fuel and clothe our country, and the world. We believe in rural America, and we want to support the communities where farmers live and work.

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How are the winners chosen?
Winners are randomly selected by a third party.

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Why aren't the winners based on merit/need of their organization?
We believe farmers who register will make a good decision on where the money is most needed to support their communities; and we wanted to make the process as simple and easy as possible.

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When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be selected in December 2011 and announced in January 2012.

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Does the donation have to be made in the country in which you live?
We want all of the counties to benefit from the program so we ask that you choose an organization in your home county. If you live and farm in two different counties, please register using your address from the county in which you want to make the donation.

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Can you split the donation between two organizations?
No, we ask that you select one organization in your community.

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What are the criteria for organizations that can receive the donations?
The recipient of the donation must meet the Internal Revenue Code definition of a charitable organization. If the winner resides in a city with more than 30,000 residents, then the organization must be an agriculture-related organization – 4-H, FFA, food pantry, etc. If the winner resides in a city of 30,000 or fewer, the organization must fit within one of two priority areas: 1. Community Enrichment – schools, hospitals, community centers, ballparks, fire departments, etc.; or 2. Youth in Agriculture – 4-H and FFA.

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Are seed or retail dealers eligible to participate?
No, this program is designed for farmers only. Dealers can still participate in this community program by encouraging farmers in your community to apply.

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Why can only farmers apply?
Monsanto Company's only business is agriculture. As the philanthropic arm, the Monsanto Fund is dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers live and work.  

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Can a participant be eligible for the program this year if he/she has participated in the program last year?
Yes, participants from last year's program are eligible for inclusion in this year's program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

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List of Eligible Counties (Counties added this year are listed in bold)

Alabama Counties: Baldwin, Cherokee, Coffee, Colbert, Escambia, Geneva, Houston, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone and Madison. 

Arizona Counties: Maricopa, Pinal and Yuma.

Arkansas Counties: Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saint Francis, White and Woodruff. 

California Counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus and Tulare, Yolo.

Colorado Counties: Baca, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Prowers, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma.

Delaware Counties: Kent, New Castle and Sussex 

Florida Counties: Jackson and Palm Beach

Georgia Counties: Appling,Baker, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Coffee, Cook, Colquitt, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Early, Grady, Irwin, Jefferson,Lee, Miller, Mitchell,Screven, Seminole, Sumter, Tattnall, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Wilcox and Worth.

Idaho Counties: Canyon, Gooding, Jerome, Minidoka and Twin Falls.

Illinois Counties: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Kalb, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermillion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago and Woodford. 

Indiana Counties:  Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, De Kalb, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, La Porte, Lagrange, Lake, Lawrence, Madison, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pike, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White and Whitley.

Iowa Counties: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, O Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth and Wright. 

Kansas Counties: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Harvey, Haskell, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Neosho, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.

Kentucky Counties: Ballard, Barren, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Daviess, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Larue, Logan, McCracken, McLean, Meade, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Shelby, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren and Webster.

Louisiana Parishes: Acadia, Avoyelles, Caddo, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Richland, Saint Landry, Tensas and West Carroll.

Maryland Counties: Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester. 

Michigan Counties: Allegan, Arenac, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Montcalm, Newaygo, Ottawa, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Tuscola, Van Buren and Washtenaw.

Minnesota Counties: Becker, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Cottonwood, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Red Lake,Redwood,Renville, Rice,Rock, Roseau, Scott,Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns,Steele,Stevens, Swift, Todd,Traverse, Wabasha,Waseca, Washington, Watonwan,Wilkin, Winona, Wright and Yellow Medicine.

Mississippi Counties: Bolivar, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, Desoto, Holmes,Humphreys, Issaquena, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes,Madison, Monroe,Noxubee,Panola,Pontotoc,Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington and Yazoo.

Missouri Counties: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Barton, Bates, Benton, Bollinger, Boone, Buchanan, Butler, Caldwell, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cass, Chariton, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cooper, Dade, Daviess, De Kalb, Dunklin, Franklin, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Knox, Lafayette, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Mississippi, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, New Madrid, Nodaway, Pemiscot, Perry, Pettis, Pike, Platte, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Scotland, Scott, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Sullivan, Vernon, Warren and Worth. 

Nebraska Counties: Adams, Antelope, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Clay, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawson, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Fillmore, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearney, Keith, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Richardson, Rock, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler and York.

New Jersey Counties: Burlington andSalem

New Mexico Counties: Union

New York Counties: Cayuga, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Washington, Wayne and Wyoming.

North Carolina Counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Iredell, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Robeson, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Tyrrell, Union, Washington, Wayne, Wilson and Yadkin. 

North Dakota Counties: Barnes, Benson, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, La Moure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, Morton, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh and Wells.  

Ohio Counties: Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Holmes, Huron, Knox, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoring, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Wayne, Williams, Wood and Wyandot. 

Oklahoma Counties: Garfield, Grant, Jackson, Kay, Leflore, Noble, Ottawa, Texas, Tillman and Wagoner.

Oregon Counties: Malheur and Morrow.

Pennsylvania Counties: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Butler, Centre, Chester, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Erie, Franklin, Indiana, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Mercer, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Somerset, Westmoreland and York.  

South Carolina Counties: Allendale, Calhoun, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Hampton, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter and Williamsburg. 

South Dakota Counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Sully, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth and Yankton.

Tennessee Counties: Carroll, Coffee, Crockett,Dyer, Fayette, Franklin, Gibson,Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Madison, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion, Robertson, Shelby, Tipton and Weakley.

Texas Counties: Bailey, Bee, Bell, Borden, Briscoe, Calhoun, Cameron, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Collin, Collingsworth, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Fort Bend, Gaines, Garza, Glasscock, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Haskell, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Howard, Jackson, Jim Wells, Jones, Kleberg, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Matagorda, McLennan, Medina, Midland, Milam, Mitchell, Moore, Navarro, Nolan, Nueces, Ochiltree, Parmer, Reagan, Refugio, Runnels, San Patricio, Scurry, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, Tom Green, Uvalde, Victoria, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson and Yoakum.

Vermont Counties: Franklin 

Virginia Counties: Accomack, Caroline, Chesapeake City, Essex, Hanover, Isle of Wight, King William, Northampton, Northumberland, Rockingham, Southampton, Suffolk City, Sussex and Westmoreland.  

Washington Counties: Benton, Franklin, Grant, Walla Walla and Yakima 

Wisconsin Counties: Adams, Barron, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Dunn, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Monroe, Oconto, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago and Wood.  

Wyoming Counties: Goshen

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