farm to school: national policy opportunities and updates from the usda farm to school team

Farm to School: National Policy

Opportunities and Updates from the

USDA Farm to School Team

Session 2: Tuesday, May 18th 4-5:30pm

AgendaWelcome/Introductions (5 min)

Introduction to the One Tray Team (10 min)

Updates from the USDA Farm to School Team (25 min)

Farm to School in the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (25 min)

Q&A Panel Discussion (25 min)

NOURISHING THE NATIONONE TRAY AT A TIME

www.onetray.org

The One Tray Team

Community Food Security Coalition

National Farm to School Network

School Food FOCUS

What Can USDA Do?

Commonly referred to as the “Can Do” document

A ten-point roadmap for national coordination between government and partners

National teams of experts

USDA Farm to School Teams

Geographic Preference Rule: comments due June 18th

Details on the National Farm to School Network website: www.farmtoschool.org

Nationally Coordinated Research Agenda

USDA Foods (formerly Commodities Program), DoD Fresh pilot Ideas

Visit www.onetray.org to access:

One Tray and “Can Do” documents

Further Background Information

Policy Updates

Two Great videos: PricelessLunch Encounters of the Third Kind

Ideas for Action

Updates from the USDA Farm to School Team

Charles Parrot, Associate Deputy Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service

Loren LaCorte, Farm to School Team Lead, Food and Nutrition Services, Special Nutrition Programs

Farm to School in the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization

Kate Fitzgerald, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Megan Lott, National Farm to School Network and Community Food Security Coalition

Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization

What is CNR?Occurs Every 5 years

What programs are included?NSLP, SBP, CACFP, Summer Food, WIC (including

WIC FMNP), FFVP, Special Milk Program

Committees of JurisdictionHouse: Education and Labor CommitteeSenate: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and

Forestry

Farm to School Collaborative

The Farm to School Collaborative was formed in April 2009

Involved Groups: Community Food Security Coalition National Farm to School Network National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition School Food FOCUS Wallace Center at Winrock International

This Collaborative has been advocating for the inclusion of $50 million in mandatory funding for a Farm to School Competitive Grants Program in CNR.

What We’ve DoneHeld 2 Congressional Briefings on Capitol Hill in

Feb 2009

LOTS OF MEETINGS WITH LEGISLATORS!

TWO Main Farm to School Bills Introduced:HOUSE: The Farm to School Improvements Act of

2010 – introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (NJ) SENATE: The Growing Farm to School Improvements

Act of 2010 – introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT)

National Farm to School Support letters to Leadership

HOUSE SENATE

Baldwin (WI-2) McGovern (MA-3)

Bennet (CO) Murray (WA)

Blumenauer (OR-3)

McIntyre (NC-7) Brown (OH) Sanders (VT)

Boyd (FL-2) Meek (FL-17) Casey (PA) Schumer (NY)

Carnahan (MO-3)

Miller (CA-7) Durbin (IL) Shaeen (NH)

Clarke (NY-11) Pallone (NJ-6) Franken (MN) Specter (PA)

Dahlkemper (PA-3)

Polis (CO-2) Gillibrand (NY) Stabenow (MI)

Davis (TN-4) Ross (AR-4) Harkin (IA) Tester (MT)

Ellison (MN-5) Rothman (NJ-9) Klobuchar (MN) Udall (NM)

Grijalva (AZ-7) Schakowsky (IL-9)

Merkley (OR)

Johnson (GA-4) Scott (VA-3)

Kagen (WI-8) Sestak (PA-7)

Kaptur (OH-9) Shuler (NC-11)

Kennedy (RI-1) Welch (VT)

Loebsack (IA-2)

Where We Are Now?Senate

Leahy Bill incorporated into Senate Ag Marker Bill

Other provisions of Senate Marker bill: Improved nutritional quality and reimbursement Increased accessBetter program integrity$4.5 billion total costhttp://ag.senate.gov/site/legislation.html

Next step -- Senate floor

Where Are We Now?House

Holt bill

No House Committee meetings or Chairman’s MarkHope for action by Memorial Day

Paying for the bill in the House – jurisdictional issues

House Agriculture Committee – what they will and won’t do

House Ways and Means Committee

Why Isn’t the Bill Moving? Other pressing issues on legislative schedule

Divisions within advocacy community – fight for President’s full $10 billion or settle for less?

Finding the money to pay for it– offsets or “new” money from Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees?

How Can You Help? House member letter to leadership asking for

action

Pending Senate member letter to leadership to take action

Pending organizational sign on letter asking for action and more funding