(AP) -- A 36-pound cabbage is worth $1,000 in scholarship money for one mid-Missouri girl.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture says that Amber Trachsel of California, Mo., has been picked as the winner of the annual Bonnie Plants Cabbage Growing Contest.
Alabama-based plant wholesaler Bonnie Plants started the contest in 2002 with the goal of encouraging young people to garden. Nearly 1 million free cabbage plants are distributed each year to third-graders.
Amber planted her cabbage in May and harvested it in July. The 36-pounder dwarfed the typical cabbages sold in grocery stores, which weigh only a few pounds.
Now in fourth grade, Amber was recognized during a recent school assembly. Missouri Agriculture Department Director Jon Hagler showed up to congratulate her. He says gardening teaches students where their food comes from.
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