October 27, 2022

This Week in Farm to School 

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

There's Still Time to Crunch!

The #NCCrunch is an opportunity for youth and adults to taste and learn about North Carolina-grown produce for Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month and thank all those involved in feeding our communities and making farm to school happen, our #farmtoschoolheroes. There is still time to learn more and sign up to participate.

Make sure your #NCCrunch activities are counted in the statewide numbers. So far, #NCCrunch2022 registrants plan to reach 66 counties plus the Qualla Boundary, 771 sites, and 149,404 youth and adults. Help us reach all 100 counties to make it a crunch heard across the state! Share your #NCCrunch photos on social media. Tag @F2SCoalitionNC and @NCFarmtoPreschool Network.

Centering Equity in the Garden

October 29, 2022 // 9 am - 4 pm ET

This in-person workshop, hosted by NC School Garden Network, is about the intersection between abolitionist teaching and garden-based learning. All levels of experience (in education, in gardening) are encouraged to register, as we will be going over the basics of abolitionist teaching and garden-based learning. Both CEU credit and EE credit are available.

Learn more and register here.

Grower-Buyer Meetup 

November 7, 2022 // 8 am - 1 pm // Faithful Farms, Chapel Hill, NC

This networking event, presented by Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and NC A&T University, gives growers and buyers a forum to meet face-to-face and make connections to grow their businesses. This is an interactive session where farmers are matched with wholesale distributors, food hubs, and grocers looking to source locally and purchase from small to mid-size farmers. 

Learn more here.

Finding Your Future in Food Systems

November 8, 2022 // 6 pm ET

This ongoing webinar series, hosted by the North American Food Systems Network, provides participants with connections and insights to help them identify the next steps for their careers. The series features speakers from job-creating organizations, agencies, and businesses, some working locally in their communities, others with a national and international scope. Produced by college students for college students and other emerging professionals.

Register here.

Recorded Webinar: Master Gardeners in School Gardens

Master Gardeners and School Garden Support Organizations gathered together to share their successes, challenges, and questions as they relate to how Master Gardeners can best support school gardens. 

Watch here.

US Department of Agriculture Farm to School Fact Sheets

The USDA Farm to School Team offers over 20 different fact sheets on a variety of topics ranging from school gardening to local meat. 

Learn more here.

NC Ag in the Classroom

Through the NC Farm Bureau, Ag in the Classroom provides lesson plans that teachers can use to connect their kids to the farm and garden through science, math, literacy, and social studies.

Learn more here.

From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals

Deadline: November 15, 2022

The primary goal of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NEXTGEN) is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions (specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)), and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce primarily through student scholarship support, paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and facilitating pathways to employment in the federal sector.

Learn more here.

Food and Literacy Grant

Deadline: November 15, 2022

The Food and Literacy mini-grants will support food literacy and nutrition programming for North Carolina's public libraries. This opportunity will fund at least five $17,000 grants to public libraries to purchase mobile teaching kitchens, supplemental programming materials, and appropriate safety supplies.

Learn more here.

Brighter Future Fund

Deadline: November 15, 2022

The American Farmland Trust’s Brighter Future Fund application is now open. Applications for grants up to $5,000 funding farm projects building resilience and displaying innovation are encouraged. 

Learn more here.

NC Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Going Local Grant

Deadline: November 15, 2022

Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agriculture industry and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The grants value up to $500. 

Learn more here.

2023 Youth Garden Grant

Deadline: December 2, 2022

KidsGardening's Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects since 1982. In early 2023, fifty organizations will be awarded $500 in funding and a collection of gardening supplies for their youth garden program. Among the fifty winners, ten programs will also receive a specialty award package.

Apply here.

USDA Farm to School Grant 

Deadline: January 6, 2022

The United States Department of Agriculture will award up to $12 million in competitive grants to eligible entities through the Farm to School Grant Program in FY 2023. Each grant helps implement farm to school programs that increase access to local food in eligible schools, connect children with agriculture for better health, and inspire youth to consider careers in agriculture. The RFA includes three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. 

Learn more here.

Comment on Second SFA Survey on School Food Supply Chain Disruptions

The public is invited to comment on the second mandatory survey (31 questions) that will be issued to School Food Authorities. The goal is to gather information to assist the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and its partners in enhancing the toolbox for School Nutrition Professionals working hard to ensure students have reliable access to healthy meals. SFAs can review the survey and share how they think it best captures their experience of supply chain disruption. Food system researchers may be able to shape this survey to best fit any questions they have about the supply chain disruption in local food systems.

Learn more here.

The Cycle of a Dream

Kimberly Narain suggests four ways to approach structural racism with children based on her book The Cycle of a Dream: A Kid’s Introduction to Structural Racism in America.

Learn more here.