USDA Celebrates October as National Farm to School Month
On September 23, 2010, Congress passed a
resolution designating October as National Farm to School
Month. As children across the country settle in for another year
of learning, USDA celebrates
National Farm to School Month.
This October, just like every other month during the school
year, school menus will feature an array of products from local
and regional farmers, ranchers, fishermen, food processors, and
manufacturers. Kids of all ages will dig up lessons in school
gardens, visit farms, harvest pumpkins, and don hair nets for
tours of processing facilities. Science teachers-- and English,
math, and social studies instructors, too-- will integrate food,
agriculture and nutrition-based educational curriculum so that
lessons about healthy eating choices and where food comes from
permeate the school learning environment.
USDA is pleased to support these and many other farm to school
activities. In our vision, regional offerings, and therefore
economic opportunities for U.S. food producers, span the school
meal tray and include everything from the salad bar and fresh
fruit and vegetable servings to the wheat in the pizza crust,
beans in the chili, rice in the stir fry, turkey in the
sandwiches, and cheese in the quesadillas. And we’re equally
interested in helping schools increase or augment programming
that builds food literacy among the nation’s children.
Click on the links below to find out how these USDA agencies
support farm to school initiatives.
Agricultural Marketing Service
The Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) research on food hubs
and farmers markets directly impacts farm to school initiatives
as this work facilitates relationships between producers and
consumers. The
USDA National Farmers Market Directory and
recently published
food hub resources provide easy access to
supplier information and innovative distribution methods that
many farm to school programs use. AMS provides technical
assistance in the development of wholesale markets, farmers
markets, and public markets. These markets centralize local food
distribution, making local products more accessible for use in
farm to school programs.
Through programs like the
Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP),
the Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG), and the
Federal State
Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), AMS has supported many
farm to school projects across the country, often providing the
jump-start needed for a farm to school program. For example, in
2010, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture received a FSMIP
Grant to develop value-added products for the school lunch
program. In 2011, the Delaware Department of Agriculture
received SCBG funding to create a farm to school implementation
plan with the goals of increasing local fruit and vegetable
consumption and improving access to local products.
Agricultural Research Service
Through the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) network of
scientists across the country, ARS helps find solutions to
agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from
field to table and everywhere in between. One such investigation
involves season extension technologies. With school out in the
summer, but harvests in full swing, seasonality is often cited
as a key barrier to farm to school efforts. ARS’s research on
season extension for strawberries, a well known student
favorite, has found that the use of low tunnels in strawberry
production allows producers to harvest both earlier and later in
the season. This means students can enjoy strawberries, a great
source of Vitamin C, earlier in the spring and later in the
fall, when school is in session.
The
Farm to School Bibliography, developed by the
National
Agricultural Library (NAL), documents existing research and
resources on farm to school efforts across the country and also
helps to identify research gaps. In addition, NAL has three
specialized centers which relate to farm to school; the
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center which indentifies
resources about sustainable food systems and practices; the
Food
and Nutrition Information Center which provides credible,
accurate, and practical resources for nutrition and health
professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers;
and the Rural Information Center which provides services for
rural communities, local officials, organizations, businesses
and rural citizens working to maintain the vitality of America’s
rural areas.
(back to links)
Economic Research Service
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is currently developing the
first-ever farm to school census, intended to capture baseline
information about the degree to which farm to school initiatives
are underway across the nation. Data from the census will allow
USDA to:
- Provide estimates of the prevalence and geographic
distribution of farm to school programs.
- Estimate the dollar value and extent of local purchasing,
including trends related to specific items purchased, which
meals incorporate local products, primary distribution methods,
and number of producer relationships, among others. Secondarily,
to the extent practical, data will be used to examine the
current and potential economic impact of farm to school
programs.
- Develop a baseline related to the frequency with which schools
are offering local product.
Also relevant to farm to school efforts, in 2010, ERS published
a report titled
Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts and
Issues. This report provides a comprehensive overview of local
food systems and the effectiveness of farm to school initiatives
in increasing food security.
(back to links)
Farm Service Agency
The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA)
conservation programs have long
helped producers protect environmentally sensitive land,
decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat and safeguard ground
and surface water. Grayson Natural Foods in Grayson County,
Virginia is a value-added livestock production business. With
the help of FSA conservation programs, the five farmers who
formed Grayson Natural Foods were able to transform their
traditional livestock operations into an environmentally and
economically sustainable one. Now, they enjoy great success and
even supply nearby Wake Forest University with environmentally
responsible beef.
FSA’s
Farm Loan Programs offer many resources for producers,
with Farm Storage Facility Loans as but one example.
Constructing on-site storage facilities can enhance economic
returns for producers by giving them greater control of their
product—from seed to sale. FSA Farm Storage Facility Loans can
finance the construction of both on-site storage and minimal
processing facilities, both extremely important for producers
working with schools.
The Direct Loan Program’s
Rural Youth Loans have helped many
students expand their farm to school learning by establishing
and operating agricultural-related projects in connection with
4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America, and similar organizations,
all the while generating income. Youth loans may be used to buy
livestock, equipment, and supplies; buy, rent, or repair tools
and equipment; and pay operating expenses for running the
project. In South Dakota, high school senior Kyle Heylens,
received one such loan to begin a Red Angus livestock operation.
(back to links)
Food and Nutrition Service
The
school day just got healthier thanks to new school breakfast
and lunch meal standards. This school year the 32 million
students who eat a school lunch each day will see more fruits,
vegetables and whole grains; low-fat and fat-free milk choices;
and foods with less sodium and trans fat. In addition, students
will receive “right-size” portions with calorie counts based on
the age of the children being served. As noted by Undersecretary
Kevin Concannon
in this video, the new meal pattern also offers
lots of opportunities to incorporate locally produced foods into
the school cafeteria.
Indeed, FNS routinely collaborate with other agencies to help
promote local and regional products as viable options for the
school food cafeteria. For example, in partnership with
colleagues at the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), FNS
created
Produce Safety University, a week-long training for
foodservice professionals addressing food safety practices for
handling fresh produce received from any supplier, including
local producers.
Support to schools also comes in the form of FNS’s
Team
Nutrition, an initiative that provides many resources to help
schools encourage healthy choices, from standards-based
classroom lessons, to success stories, to a national recognition
initiative called the
Healthier US Schools Challenge, which
includes recognition of farm to school programs as a key step
schools can take to encourage healthier eating.
As it relates to curriculum,
Nutrition Voyage: The Quest To Be
Our Best, takes 7th and 8th grade classes on an exploratory
journey into school wellness. There are three inquiry-driven
lessons for each grade, with one lesson focusing specifically on
farm to school. A garden-themed nutrition education kit for
preschool is also available.
Grow It, Try It, Like It! Preschool
Fun with Fruits and Vegetables introduces children to: three
fruits - peaches, strawberries, and cantaloupe, and three
vegetables - spinach, sweet potatoes, and crookneck squash. The
kit includes hands-on activities, planting activities, and
nutrition education activities through the imaginary garden at
Tasty Acres Farm and can be used to introduce any fruit or
vegetable!
Team Nutrition also offers states
training grants to help
support sustainable infrastructures for implementing Team
Nutrition's goal of improving children's lifelong eating and
physical activity habits. Institutions in a number of states,
including Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin, have used a portion of their Team Nutrition grant
funds to provide nutrition education as part of their farm to
school activities. As just one example, Idaho identified five
farm to school pilot districts representing all three regional
areas of the state and a variety of school sizes. The pilot
sites were asked to make a commitment to serving local food on a
regular basis throughout the school year and to provide
education to their students on local foods. Over 77% of Idaho
schools reported they serve local foods at least seasonally. The
State used Team Nutrition grant funds for the nutrition
education piece of this initiative, including the development of
posters promoting the consumption of local fruits and
vegetables.
And new this year FNS is encouraging the use of local and
regional products in the school meal program via a
farm to
school grant program. Two types of farm to school grants were
announced in spring 2012. Planning grants are intended for
school districts or schools just starting to incorporate farm to
school program elements into their operations. Implementation
grants are intended for school districts or schools, along with
State and local agencies; Indian tribal organizations;
agricultural producers or groups of agriculture producers; and
non-profit entities working in partnership with school districts
or schools, to scale or further develop existing farm to school
initiatives. Awardees will be announced later this month; stay
tuned!
(back to links)
Food Safety and Inspection Service
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently
implemented the
Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, which
will provide opportunities for small State-inspected businesses
to ship meat products across State lines and potentially provide
for schools.
Ohio is the first State to take advantage of the
program and we hope to see many small businesses expand.
Additionally, FSIS developed slaughter maps that can help small
producers identify State-Inspected and Federally-Inspected
plants. These maps are available
here and are helping USDA
identify gaps and find ways to better support local and regional
food systems. In 2010, FSIS published a
Mobile Slaughter Unit (MSU)
Compliance Guide that outlines how MSUs can meet FSIS
regulations. All of these efforts support the Know Your Farmer,
Know Your Food Initiative and soon may make it easier for
schools to serve regionally produced meat products at lunch.
(back to links)
Forest Service
Operated through the Conservation Education branch of the Forest
Service, the
Green Schools! Program combines environmental
education projects, service learning, and leadership
opportunities to help students make their schools more
sustainable. Participating schools have been involved in
projects such as recycling, energy and water conservation,
creating school gardens, and increasing garden produce in
cafeterias. For example, the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Public Charter
School in Washington D.C. received support to establish a school
garden and work with chefs to connect the garden to the table.
Indeed, Green Schools! is growing gardens across the country. In
Kansas City, MO, six schools have partnered with the Forest
Service, the American Forest Foundation, and the Corporation for
National and Community Service to develop a school garden on
their campuses. Students in Kansas City from all grades and all
types of schools, such as Lincoln College Prep High School,
Scoula Vita Nouva Charter School, and Borderstar Montessori are
connecting food to the classroom through hands-on gardening
activities.
In addition, under an interagency agreement between the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL) and USDA, the FS operates 28 Job Corps
Civilian Conservation Centers (JCCCCs), providing economically
disadvantaged youth, ages 16-24, with the academic, vocational,
and social skills needed to pursue long-term, productive
careers. Many graduates of this program will go on to work in
school food service. Innovative programs like
Job Corps Top Chef
engage students in menu planning and recipe development centered
on healthy options.
(back to links)
Rural Development
Rural Development’s (RD)
Community Facilities (CF) grants and
loans have been used to develop infrastructure to serve,
process, and prepare local foods. In Maryland, the Harford
County Board of Education received a CF grant in 2010 to expand
its refrigeration and freezer equipment at the Food Services
central warehouse facility. This expansion allowed Harford
County to increase the amount of local food served to their
39,000 public school students. In South Carolina, Dorchester
School District received a 2012 CF grant to purchase a
high-efficiency steamer to prepare locally-grown produce.
Another school used a CF loan to expand their campus to include
an organic vegetable garden and fruit orchards which provide
fresh produce for the after school snack program.
RD’s
Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) program promotes
economic growth in rural communities, with a specific emphasis
on regional food systems. For example, Ecotrust, a non-profit
located in Portland, OR, received RBOG funding and created FoodHub, an online marketplace that allows large-scale
purchasers of food, such as schools, to connect with nearby
growers. Through RBOG, RD is supporting the recruitment of more
producers and buyers in rural communities throughout the Pacific
Northwest, and is providing training and technical assistance to
ensure FoodHub is able to help the producers’ businesses grow.
“FoodHub is great for the fact that we can connect so quickly to
farmers and they can connect quickly to us,” said Susan Barker,
Nutrition Services Administrator at Beaverton School District in
OR. Barker is among the many food service administrators, school
officials, farmers, and students benefiting from RBOG funding in
their community.
Through the
Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program, RD
funds projects that facilitate the development of small and
emerging rural businesses, distance learning networks, and
employment-related adult education programs, which several
groups have used to support farm to school efforts. In Onekama,
Michigan, the county’s economic development corporation used
2010 RBEG funding to develop an innovative farm to school
initiative to serve produce, milk, beef, and pork from local
producers. Since they received the funding, lunch participation
is up over 40 percent among students, 80 percent of school
administrators and teachers are now eating the school lunch, and
40 local farmers and food processors are participating in the
initiative. Over in northeast Iowa, the Iowa Food and Fitness
Initiative’s Farm to School program has connected 21 farms to
local schools thus far, and in 2011 received RBEG funding to
increase these efforts through networking and matchmaking
events.
Additionally, the
Business and Industry Guarantee Loan Program
supports the development of physical infrastructure and
facilities, including food processing, marketing and
distribution business venues for locally-grown agricultural
products. The
Value-Added Producer Grant Program provides
funding for feasibility studies and the development of
value-added products. For example, Southeast Milk Inc. in
Belleview, Florida developed a value-added milk product to offer
to local school districts and in Oklahoma, Southern Plains
Agricultural Resources Coalition used funds to process no-till
wheat into flour and marketed the product to schools.
(back to links)
Natural Resources and Conservation Service
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program’s (EQIP)
Seasonal
High Tunnel Initiative helps farmers extend the growing season
and expand market opportunities. In Oklahoma, farm to school
program coordinator Chris Kirby promotes the initiative among
growers to help ensure locally grown products are available
year-round for her schools, all the while increasing profit for
OK producers through an extended growing season. One OK farm,
Trebuchet Gardens, has become so successful selling schools cool
season crops grown in high tunnels that owners Tod and Jaime
Hanley rely solely on the income from the winter growing season.
Some years, they don’t even plant summer crops! Together, Kirby
and the Hanley’s have produced a Season Extension Guide to help
other producers convert to year-round growing.
Another EQIP program, the
EQIP Organic Initiative, helps
producers plan and implement conservation practices to improve
upon the environmental sustainability of their operations. A
young farmer in Iowa is using the Organic Initiative to convert
his recently acquired conventional farm into an organic farming
operation – growing soybeans, potatoes, lettuce, broccoli,
carrots and parsnips – bound for local farmers markets and
schools.
The
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) works with
States, local groups, and volunteer landowners to purchase
conservation easements to make sure farmers threatened by
development pressures can afford to keep farming. In Granby,
Connecticut, the family that operated Bushy Hill Orchard for
more than 30 years could no longer maintain their 70-acre farm,
but wanted to ensure the land stayed in agriculture and
continued to benefit the community. Using FRPP, USDA and the
Connecticut Department of Agriculture partnered with the Town of
Granby and the Granby Land Trust to purchase the development
rights to the land. This allowed Bushy Hill’s small farm
neighbor, Allen and Becky Clark, to purchase the orchard and
expand their existing operation. In addition to flowers,
pumpkins, corn stalks, and goat products, the Clark’s have added
apples, peaches, pears, raspberries, and blueberries. And, in
keeping with Bushy Hill’s tradition, the Clark’s continue to
offer agricultural education tours and lectures to schools.
(back to links)
National Institute for Food and Agriculture
The National Institute for Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA)
Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP)
funds projects in low-income communities that address issues of
food access, nutrition, and farming. Since its inception in
1996, this program has funded numerous farm to school
activities. For example, in 2009, The Food Trust of
Philadelphia, a non-profit dedicated to making healthy foods
available to all, received a CFPCGP grant to increase fresh,
locally grown food in corner stores and to develop marketing and
education tools to promote healthy food choices in schools,
recreation centers and corner stores
The
New Hampshire Farm to School Program (NHFTS) was established
in 2003 as a pilot program funded by NIFA’s Sustainable
Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program to introduce
local apples and cider into New Hampshire K-12 schools. What
started with one farmer and one school has blossomed into a much
bigger network. Within three years, over half the K-12 schools
in the state – serving some 120,000 students – were purchasing
local apples for their cafeterias. The program continues
successfully today, with farms such as Apple Annie,
Apple Crest,
and Brookdale Fruit Farm, among many others, selling apples,
cider and other products to schools across the state.
In addition to these programs, NIFA supports research related to
farm to school through the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
grants, the
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the
Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) and the
Organic
Agriculture Research and Extension (OREI) program, all of which
support innovative connections between producers and markets
such as schools in various ways.
(back to links)
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