First graders across Helena, East Helena, and Montana City are starting their October lessons with a hands-on connection to Montana agriculture after Torgerson’s Equipment delivered approximately 600 pumpkins to every first grader in Helena Public Schools. The initiative, reported by MTN News, aims to bridge the gap between the classroom and the farm by providing students with a tangible example of where their food originates.
From seven pumpkins to a statewide tradition
What began more than two decades ago as a modest gesture—a donation of just seven pumpkins for first graders in Great Falls—has scaled into a massive logistical operation. Today, the program distributes 45,000 pumpkins to first graders across the state of Montana.
The pumpkins are sourced from Hutterite colonies located outside of Great Falls. By bringing these crops directly to the students, the program attempts to reintroduce agricultural literacy to a generation increasingly removed from the production process. Craig Widhalm, the office manager at Torgerson’s Equipment, noted that meeting the students allows the organization to explain the background of the crop and effectively bring agriculture back into the classroom.
Students use pumpkins for art and science lessons
The pumpkins serve as multi-disciplinary tools rather than simple seasonal decorations. Teachers are utilizing the gourds for a variety of educational exercises, ranging from artistic expression to biological study. Some students will paint or carve their pumpkins, while others will dissect them to study plant anatomy or cook them to understand food preparation.
For students like Kannon Schlosser, the experience is a lesson in the lifecycle of a plant. Schlosser described the process of farming, noting that farmers use seeds, water, and sunlight to grow the pumpkins, and emphasized the necessity of cooking them before they can be turned into pumpkin pie.
“I am going to carve it in a silly way because I like being silly,” Schlosser added.
Other students, such as Jazmyn-Rae Phillips, highlighted the dual utility of the donation, expressing excitement that the pumpkins can be both eaten and carved.
The civic stakes of agricultural literacy
By integrating these deliveries into the classroom, the program aims to show students where their food comes from, using pumpkins grown in Hutterite colonies for first graders in cities like Helena.
