This Week in Farm to School 

Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.

Harvest of the Month

Each month in 2024, the Farm to School Coalition of NC will be highlighting a harvest of the month. This month, we are celebrating North Carolina’s official state vegetable: the sweetpotato! Sweetpotatoes are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C, which help strengthen our immune system. Visit our website for more sweetpotato growing and nutrition facts and farm to school activity ideas.

Learn more.

REAP Grants to Fund Energy Improvements

March 12, 2024 // 6 pm ET

North Carolina Cooperative Extension of Chatham County is conducting a webinar for farmers interested in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects (and getting grants to help fund them!). They have a great panel of speakers to discuss the REAP program, how it can benefit your farm, how energy efficiency audits help save energy, renewable energy projects on the farm, how to get REAP funding application support, tax incentives for energy improvements, and successful on-farm REAP energy projects. 

Learn more and register.

Vermicomposting in the Classroom

March 13, 2024 // 4 pm ET

What kind of worms do you need in a worm bin? How do you care and feed them? How can you harvest worm castings to benefit plants? Join Massachusetts Farm to School for their exciting workshop on classroom vermicomposting, and leave with everything you need to know to set up and maintain a small-scale worm composting system that can serve as a way to engage students in lessons on decomposition, soil science, and ecosystems. 

Learn more and register.

"I Tried Local..." Training by Growing Minds

March 20, 2024 // 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm ET

Join Growing Minds for a virtual training session to support educators interested in implementing their new farm to school resource: “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms. This toolkit is designed for use in early care and education (ECE) through second grade, and is divided into 10 units based on crops growing locally in North Carolina. All are welcome no matter what your experience with farm to school is! Register to reserve your spot, and sign up for their newsletter to receive information about future sessions.

Learn more and register.

Indoor Gardening Activities for Any Classroom 

March 20, 2024 // 4 pm ET

How can you get your students excited to garden if you have no outdoor space? In this presentation, hosted by Massachusetts Farm to School, you will learn easy, affordable ways to introduce young people to seeds, plants, and gardening indoors. Participants will explore some fun and simple laboratory investigations thta can be done in any classroom, as well as some simple ways to create your own “green” space in a classroom setting. Presenter Heidi Ragno has over 12 years of science teaching experience at the secondary level, specializing in biology, environmental science and forensic science. 

Learn more and register.

How school cafeterias can shape student mental health, and what Wisconsin is doing about it

Experts have found that school cafeterias have an important role to play in students' mental health. Food scarcity can cause stress, anxiety and eating disorders. Ultra-processed foods have been linked to depression, while some whole foods can boost serotonin, which improves mood. Learn how students are working with School Nutrition Programs to find creative ways to incorporate from-scratch cooking and fresh ingredients into recipes.

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The State of Healthy School Meals for All

Offering school meals to all studnets at no charge significantly increased lunch participation in five sates and boosted breakfast participation in four states during the 2022-2023 school year, according to a report released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). 

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Vance County Boys and Girls Club Garden

This incredible story, filmed by NC State University’s Extension Farm to School team,  highlights the importance of student engagement in the garden. Students learn about local food, agriculture, and nutrition, all while demonstrating such outstanding leadership.  

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Food Solutions New England 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

Food Solutions New England will host its 10th annual 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from April 1st to April 21st. Each year, thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations join in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world.

Learn more and register. 

Shifting Power Through Racial Equity-Centered Evaluation 

Evaluation, at its best, has the potential to drive change and uplift and build power in communities. Historically, research and evaluation has been used as a tool to validate the lived experience of impacted communities, instead of answering the questions and measuring the outcomes that impacted communities deem most valuable. Racial equity-centered evaluation requires an intentional approach to understanding the historically extractive nature of evaluation, the importance of self-reflection in the evaluator role, the need for community-led approaches, and thoughtfulness in what we aim to measure. In this panel discussion from the National Farm to School Network, hear from three leaders in this work who share their perspectives, experience, and expertise in shifting power to communities through racial equity-centered evaluation.

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Request for Applications: Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in the Child Nutrition Programs

Deadline: March 18, 2024 

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service will award $2 million in total grant funding to up to four (4) organizations to provide regionally focused training and technical assistance (TA) to School Nutrition Professionals on procurement, preparation, and crediting of traditional Indigenous foods, including the use of cooperator and FNS-developed resources and tools. The cooperators, with FNS guidance and approval, will also develop culturally relevant nutrition education materials for students to accompany the traditional Indigenous foods that are served, and the cooperators will train school nutrition professionals and other school staff on providing nutrition education to students.

Learn more and apply.

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (USDA NIFA) 

Deadline: April 4, 2024

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) supports projects that provide education, outreach, and technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories to enter and/or improve their success in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands; and provide beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.

Learn more.

Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG)

Deadline: April 11, 2024 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently accepting applications for grants under the Value-Added Producer Grants program. The grants help farmers and ranchers generate new products, create marketing opportunities, and increase their incomes through value-added activities. Eligible applicants include independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures. The deadline for electronic applications is April 11 and April 16 for paper applications.

Learn more and apply. 

Braiding Seeds Fellowship

Deadline: May 1, 2024

Applications for the 2024 Braiding Seeds Fellowship are now open! This is an 18-month fellowship for BIPOC beginning farmers and land stewards across the Northeast and Southeast U.S. Each of the 10 selected fellows will receive a $50,000 stipend, mentorship, professional development workshops, in-person and virtual cohort gatherings, finance and business plan support, and one on one coaching. They will also be awarding 12 mini-grants of $2,500 each to runners up. 

Learn more and apply.

Expanding School Breakfast in NC

Governor Roy Cooper announced $1.3 million in grants to 42 public school districts and public charter schools across North Carolina to expand access to healthy school breakfast for more than 51,000 students. The NC Innovative School Breakfast Grants were funded through federal funds directed by the Governor in October 2023. Access to nutritious school breakfast improves student outcomes and helps students thrive. 

Learn more.

School Meal for All NC Ambassador

Calling NC youth and young leaders! Your voice and leadership are needed. With the support of the School Meals for All NC Leadership Team, Ambassadors participate in policy and systems change trainings, utilize GIS and story mapping to tell stories of the impact of school meals, learn social media advocacy, and plan and attend local and state conferences and convenings. Ambassadors must live in North Carolina and be ages 13 - 24. 

Learn more.