This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Grace Thatcher, a student at Lehi Elementary School, was randomly selected the Utah winner of the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Contest. Her giant cruciferous vegetable weighed nearly 13 pounds and earned her a $1,000 education savings bond. More than 1.5 million third-graders in 48 states — 13,545 from Utah — participated in this free program, sponsored by Bonnie Plants, the largest producer of vegetable and herb plants in North America. Since 2002, the company has sent free "oversized" cabbage plants — the O.S. Cross variety — to third-grade classrooms. At the end of the growing season, teachers from each class select the student who has grown the "best" cabbage, based on size and appearance. The student's name is then entered in a statewide drawing selected randomly by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Teachers who want to sign up for the 2017 program should visit bonnieplants.com.