LCO Students Tobacco Planting

Submitted by Wendy Torstenson

 

A grant was provided to the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe High School by the Wisconsin Native American Tobacco Prevention under the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council to plant, grow, and harvest native tobacco used in traditional ceremonies.  To start the project, Ho-chunk tobacco seed was obtained from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College farm.  Biology students then prepared seed trays in the classroom to germinate the seeds and placed the trays under grow lights purchased with funds from the grant.  After 6 weeks of growth, seedlings were transplanted into larger individual containers.  On June 3, 2014, the freshman and sophomore biology classes went to the college farm to place the tobacco seedlings in the ground.  After weathering a Wisconsin summer, the plants will be harvested in the fall, cured, and then offered to the schools for use in ceremonies.