Poplar Bluff High School has been introducing lamb meat to family and consumer sciences students with the aid of a $400 grant secured earlier this academic year through the Missouri Sheep Merchandising Council.

FACS instructor Missy Cox acquired 60 pounds of lamb meat from a Carter County farmer and had the processing donated by Ozark Meats in Grandin. Thus far, she has prepared two dishes demonstrating different seasonings for students to sample and plans to cook the final dish this week while offering an opportunity for students to practice working with the lamb.

“Students will be exposed to lamb meat. I hope this broadens their options and allows them to see that lamb is available in our area,” Cox wrote in her successful proposal in October. Out of 20 students, she noted, only one in her class had tried the dish prior.

The Missouri American Lamb Promotion is designed to give state youth the opportunity to prepare, eat and promote American lamb meat to help increase the industry demand, according to the grant initiative. The meat had to be purchased locally and not imported, representative Shelly Long stated in the award letter.

Cox learned about the funding request through a listserv she subscribes to, she said. In the future, she intends on writing a Beef in the Classroom grant, reimbursable up to $2 per student, as well as a Pork Goes to School grant – refundable up to $3 a student.

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Cutline: Students of Missy Cox’s family and consumer sciences class hold up a hand-drawn sign on Friday, April 26, thanking the Missouri Sheep Merchandising Council for the generous grant.