ffa presentation

www.farmtoschool.org

National Farm to School NetworkJune 9, 2010

Transform the Tray


Let’s add some color!


Outline

National Farm to School Network

Examples

Child Nutrition Reauthorization

FoodCorps

Q & A


1 in 3


Common Sense Solution


What is Farm to School?

• It is a school-based program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms

• Serves healthy meals in school cafeterias

• Improves child nutrition

• Incorporate nutrition-based curriculum

• Provides agriculture, health; and nutrition education

• Supports local and regional farmers


Fresh, local foods served in cafeterias


School Gardens


Cooking and Taste Tests


Farm tours


Nutrition and Agriculture Education


Family Meals

Food – Culture Connections


Waste Management

Programs


Health: Kids Win

The choice of healthier options in the cafeteria through farm to school meals results in consumption of more fruits and vegetables with an average increase of one serving per day, including at home.


Agriculture: Farmers WinFarm to School programs can open up the expansive school food market, estimated at more than $12 billion a year, to socially disadvantaged farmers.


Economy: Communities Win

For every dollar spent on local foods in schools, one to three dollars circulate in the local economy.

"If Michigan residents ate the recommended amounts of fruits and

vegetables and bought them from local, seasonal sources, it could add nearly

2,000 jobs and $200 million to the state's economy."

Mike HammMichigan State University


““For the six or eight weeks I get tomatoes, I For the six or eight weeks I get tomatoes, I get them for the same price, which helps get them for the same price, which helps stabilize my budget. stabilize my budget. For us, it’s a win-win situation. We get to For us, it’s a win-win situation. We get to support the farmers in our local area. We’re support the farmers in our local area. We’re someone they can depend on. In turn our someone they can depend on. In turn our kids are saying, “kids are saying, “We really like thisWe really like this.”.”

Mary Ann Lopez, South Windsor’s School Nutrition Mary Ann Lopez, South Windsor’s School Nutrition

Specialist and Food Service DirectorSpecialist and Food Service Director


Local Product -salad bars -hot entrees / other meal items-snack in classroom-taste tests-fundraisers

Educational Activities: -chef/farmer in class, cooking demos-greenhouses, waste management, recycling, and -composting-farm tours-harvest of the month-CSA in the classroom-School gardens

Implementing Farm to School


Student: Why don’t we get fresh lettuce and local watermelon at school lunch ?Parent

Food Service Director Principal

National Food DistributorSchool Board

Food Processor Teacher

Nutritionist Contracted Food Service Provider


8 Regional Lead Agencies

Training & Technical Assistance

Policy

Networking

Media & Marketing

Information Services

2000+ programs in 50 states


VERMONTVermont FEED (Food Education Every Day)

Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community10 years and over 150 Vermont schools

PENNSYLVANIAThe Kindergarten Initiative at The Food Trust

•Integration of Nutrition and Agriculture Education•Parent outreach and involvement activities•2009- 67 schools, 10 districts


Farm to School: FLORIDA

New North Florida CooperativeFarmer-led: 60-100 farmers72 School Districts1,000,000 studentsLeafy greens, sweet potato sticks, green beans, watermelon, okra, strawberries, muscadine


Farm to School: WASHINGTON 2002 one school, Olympia District, organic salad bar, local purchasingMarch of 2008 –

Local Farms-Healthy Kids HB 2798 / SB 6483 passes

Policy alliance was spearheaded by environmental group with farm preservation, public health, anti-poverty advocatesComprehensive legislation:

2 Full Time positions to coordinate local food procurement inside of Departments of Ag and EducationRequires all state food contracts to include a plan to maximize the availability of Washington grown food purchased through the contract.


Child Nutrition Reauthorization


National School Lunch Program2nd largest food & nutrition assistance program; over 219 billion lunches served since began in 1946

31 million children served

In 2008, cost the Government $9.3 billion

Current reimbursementFree = $2.68Reduced-price = $2.28Paid = $0.25

“to promote the health and well-being of the Nation’s children”


Farm to School on the Hill

H.R. 4710--Farm to School Improvements ActS. 3123—Growing Farm to School Programs Act

Start-up grants of up to $100,000 to help establish farm to school programs

Available to farm organizations, schools/districts, non-profits, etc.


U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Administration support

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

USDA Farm to School Team


Videos at video.farmtoschool.org Videos at video.farmtoschool.org


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZlCoG6RMgs


Real Food Is…2010 National Video Contest

Learn more and enter at video.farmtoschool.org


Imagine AmeriCorps service members building and tending

school gardens and developing Farm to School programs for public schools around the country.


The OpportunityThe Opportunity

Size of AmeriCorps will triple by 2017

State AmeriCorps programs have proven the model

No national AmeriCorps programs are yet doing this work

Reinforces Let’s Move, People’s Garden, Child Nutrition

Potential for long-term growth


The VisionThe Vision

Serve schools with issues of obesity and access

Serve members by training a new generation of farmers

Structure of a national program; flexibility for local needs


The ModelsThe Models

Montana FoodCorps: 6 institutions and $2.5 million in local purchases through a 3-year pilot

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture: 22 AmeriCorps members working in 10 communities with 300 volunteers

Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness: 2 AmeriCorps members; conventional farmers planting school food crops


The Planning ProcessThe Planning Process

A work in progress!

Commitment to a big tent

Monthly conference calls open to all the first Thursday of the month

Recent Detroit Planning Summit May 19-20


Join UsJoin Uswww.food-corps.orgwww.food-corps.org


Let’s Get Started!Let’s Get Started!- Start small—taste testing, farm tour, apples- Organize various stakeholders/hold a meeting- Research area farmers- Contact food service director and school

administration- Identify funding sources- Market the program- Volunteer


“Dear Shcool Board, Well I herd that we only get crunch lunch on 2 days of the week. How do you expect us to stay helthey? How do you expect us to live with the meatlof? Well, I hope you do sumthing.”

Student at Davis Joint Unified School District (CA) to the School Board supporting the Davis Farm to School Salad Bar Program



Debra Eschmeyer

[email protected]

419-905-8612

ffa presentation

Health & Medicine

school meals

school cafeterias

school districts

school team

national farm

school programs available

food usda farm

classroom school gardens