This Week in Farm to School | |
Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities. | |
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Mark Your Calendars for the 2023 Farm to School Boot Camp!
Dates and locations vary
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’s Farm to School team invites you to a day of interactive learning. They will feature forecasting, specification, procurement, handling, marketing, and more. The boot camp is open to School Nutrition Directors and Supervisors, choose the location and date most convenient for you! More information including agenda and registration to follow.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture’s People’s Garden Webinar: Climate Smart Agriculture & Who’s in the Garden
Today! August 31, 2023 // 3 pm ET
How do we work with Mother Nature to successfully garden in some of her harshest climates? Join the USDA to learn how gardens across the United States thrive in challenging weather conditions and how to manage invasive species in our gardens.
Learn more and register.
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Farm to School Local Foods
Today! August 31, 2023 // 3 pm ET
Join the Institute of Child Nutrition for a webinar on procuring local foods. The webinar aims to equip School Nutrition Professionals with effective procurement practices for incorporating locally sourced foods into school meal programs. It will feature strategies for sourcing local foods, establishing community partnerships, and addressing procurement challenges.
Learn more and register.
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Food Hub Feasibility Study Webinar Series
The Saratoga Cornell Cooperative Extension USDA Food Hub Feasibility Study webinar series will be of interest to all who are in any way connected to our food supply - farmers, farmers' markets, supermarkets, food banks, etc. The Food Hub Feasibility Study webinar series explores the findings of a study conducted by Saratoga CCE, which was funded by the USDA’s 2021 Local Food Promotion Program grant. Through research, analysis, and on-the-ground work, this study details available and potential markets for local foods. They offer recommendations to best service local food system that consider distribution, infrastructure, farm to institution, food access, the emergency food system, and climate change. Each webinar is designed to stand alone, but the full interdisciplinary picture of the food system is best seen through the full series.
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Proof of Concept Food Hub and Farm to School - September 6, 2023 // 12 pm ET
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Food Access - September 13, 2023 // 12 pm ET
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Distribution, Markets, Emissions - September 20, 2023 // 12 pm ET
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Infrastructure Expansion - September 27, 2023 // 12 pm ET
Learn more and register.
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Finding Success with Farm to School Sales
September 12, 2023 // 3 pm ET
Join Local Food Marketplace to discuss the role of farm to school sales in the local food landscape. They will discuss why farmers and producers should sell to schools, how to land your first school sale, and strategies for recurring sales. They will be joined by Michelle Perkins from Kitchen Sync Strategies, an expert in local food sales.
Learn more and register.
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Teens Talk Wellness - Bonus Food Inclusivity Episode
For this bonus episode, one of our Teen anchors chats with Isabel Lu, an artist and public health researcher. Isabel discusses their food experiences growing up and how food inclusivity impacts public health research today!
Learn more and listen.
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Whole Kids Foundation School Garden Resources
With school back in session, many programs are back in the garden! Whether you are working to build a new school garden or support an existing one, the Whole Kids Foundation has resources to help.
Learn more.
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Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Tools and Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has created local school wellness policy tools and resources to bring your school community together. School wellness policies can help create strong school environments that support students' growth, learning, and well-being.
Learn more.
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Pathways to a Racially Just Food System
Kimberly Libman, Spring Cutter, and Nessia Berner Wong discuss how racial discrimination is woven into the food chain at every level. However, community-led innovations, new research perspectives, and a promising food policy landscape offer hope for accelerated progress toward a more racially just food system.
Learn more.
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Strengthening Equity and Inclusion in Garden Education
The School Garden Support Organization Network has compiled resources that identify tools that can help farm to school programs intertwine equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice into all aspects of your program.
Learn more.
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2024 CHS Foundation Classroom Grant Application
Deadline: September 15, 2023
CHS Foundation provides $500 grants each year to pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade teachers who have classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and more. Eligible projects include classroom and schoolyard gardens, embryology projects, aquaculture projects, and agricultural literacy reading programs to name a few. Teachers have until June 1 the following year to complete the project and submit a final report. Only-state certified classroom teachers employed by a school district or private school teachers are eligible to apply.
Learn more and apply.
Farm to School Technical Assistance-Cooperative Agreement
Deadline: October 10, 2023
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has released the request for application for their Farm to School Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to support nonprofit entities and Indian Tribal Organizations to implement national and/or regional-level farm to school activities. Awardees under this cooperative agreement will undertake projects supporting USDA’s priorities of Food System Transformation, Improving Child Health through Nutritious School Meals, and Indigenous Food Sovereignty. Eligible applicants are national and/or regional level nonprofit entities and Indian Tribal Organizations with a history of meaningful engagement with the target audience for this cooperative agreement.
Learn more and apply.
NC Farm Bureau Going Local Grants
Deadline: November 15, 2023
North Carolina Farm Bureau is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to NC teachers through their Ag in the Classroom Going Local program. These grants value up to $500. Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and the NC Standard Course of Study. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply.
Learn more.
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USDA Supply Chain Study Shows Increases in Local Food Purchases for School Meals
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently released the results of the SFA Survey II on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation, which gathered information from School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating Child Nutrition Programs in schools on the impacts of continued supply chain disruptions and the return to standard school meal program operations during year 2022-2023.
Explore the survey results.
10 Farm Bill Proposals that Could Reshape the Food System
Civil Eats Field Report shares an update on how lawmakers are gearing up for a food-and-ag sprint when they return to D.C. in September. Here Civil Eats shares 10 important new marker bills you should know about before the pace of negotiations accelerates.
Learn more.
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