Cass City Public Schools has been selected to receive $10,000 from the 2023 Homegrown Giving program, funded by ACH Seeds Crystal Brand Sugarbeet Seed. The funds will be used to support a variety of projects and efforts to enhance the quality of life across rural communities in sugarbeet-producing areas.

“When talking with local sugarbeet growers, one of their biggest challenges is getting truck drivers to haul their sugarbeets,” says Andy Bernia, Great Lakes region manager at ACH Seeds. “Cass City’s CDL course is a perfect fit to help meet the needs of our grower-customers, which is what our Homegrown Giving program is about.”

With the donation, Cass City Public Schools plans to sustain a school-based Class A CDL training program to help address the high demand for CDL drivers in the agriculture industry.

“We know there’s a crucial need for truck drivers in the industry as a whole, but we also have a great need for our local sugarbeet farmers,” says Adam Dorland, CDL course instructor at Cass City Public Schools. “With this donation, we are able to support students through the CDL course and provide them with a skill set they can utilize after they graduate.”

Through the training program, students receive both a math credit and a Class A CDL certification. The school rents a truck and trailer each month while covering other costs such as fuel and insurance. Students pay for the online portion of the course and the fee for an online test.

The donation will help fund the school’s CDL program and create a scholarship to pay the fees for students who complete the course. There are many success stories of Cass City Public Schools students who have completed the course and are now using their CDL license in their careers, with a few of those students returning to agriculture. Twelve students are enrolled in the CDL course for this school year.

“The CDL program is a great way for students to gain experience to prepare them for jobs in agriculture,” Dorland says. “The Homegrown Giving donation will allow us keep the program running and connect more students with farmers who are struggling to find truck drivers so we can help their operations thrive.” 

ACH Seeds is continuing the Homegrown Giving program into 2024 with six $10,000 awards again. Local growers and community members can nominate an organization for a chance to receive one of the awards.

For additional information on the Homegrown Giving program and to learn how you can make a difference in your hometown, visit achseeds.com.

Source: ACH Seeds