The FiberMax Center for Discovery, a nonprofit agricultural history and education center in Lubbock, Texas, has announced gifts totaling $2.6 million from Craig and Ann McDonald, Joe and Christy Hurst, and Terry and Sheri Hurst in support of AgWorks, an agricultural literacy wing at the center.

The combined gift is the final funding the center needs to break ground in 2023 and start construction on a $6.4 million, hands-on gallery aimed at students through grade four that will inform visitors of where food and fiber originate and connect visitors back to farmers and ranchers. Exhibits will include an irrigation water table, crop cycles, a large animal vet clinic, a stable, and a grocery store. Once complete, the 5,000-square-foot gallery also will include information about careers in agriculture, a Cotton Heritage Center, a rotating exhibit gallery, and archives.

“From the smallest gift to the largest, every dollar has gotten us to this moment today,” said FiberMax Center executive director Lacee Hoelting. “We have to educate the public on the importance of agriculture, where their food and fiber comes from, and the people that make it happen every day.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Evan Drorigon)