JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (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.