Starke County Jail inmates learn farming skills

Starke County Jail is giving their inmates life skills for the real world as part of a new program dedicated to farming.

The program is called F.A.R.M., and stands for fostering a recovery mentality.

The goal is to teach inmates skills to garden everything from water melon and cantaloupe to cucumbers and green beans.

Staff at Starke County Jail says this program is still in its initial stages, but by summer time, 16 to 20 inmates will be working at a time in the garden.

Inmates will also take care of up to 30 chickens in an effort to develop skills they can use when their sentence is over.

 “This is something new that when we came on board the sheriff really wanted us to institute something and we’re hitting it really hard right now, everyone’s excited the inmates, staff are excited, we have good people here,” said Phil Cherry, Starke County Jail’s warden.

Inmates will be able to eat the produce they grow and there are also plans to add a greenhouse.