This Week in Farm to School 

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

Farm to School Coalition of NC Listening Sessions

We want to hear from you! Have your voice heard through Farm to School Coalition of NC 2024 Listening Sessions. The listening sessions will occur at 3:30 pm to 5 pm throughout February. (Specific dates and zones listed in the form.)

Purpose: 

1. To learn about what is happening with Farm to School across the state

2. To understand what stakeholders would like to see happen with Farm to School in North Carolina

3. To learn about what resources are needed for partners around the state

Learn more and register!

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

February 20, 2024 // 3 pm ET

Growing Minds Farm to School Program is part of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, a nonprofit based in Asheville, NC. They are excited to announce the launch of their new resource: “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms. It is designed for use in early care and education (ECE) through second grade and offers curriculum alignment. In this training, you will learn about the different components of the Toolkit, hear success stories from farm to school champions across the state, and brainstorm ways you can start using it in your classroom. All are welcome no matter what your experience with farm to school is!

Learn more and register.

Business of Farming Conference

February 24, 2024 // Asheville, NC // 8 am - 4 pm 

The annual Business of Farming Conference, hosted by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, brings together professional farmers from across the Southeast region to network and share resources to grow their farm businesses. Farmers learn about marketing, business planning, and financial management from regional experts and innovative peers. The conference is designed for beginning and established farmers as well as those seriously considering farming as a profession.

Learn more and register.

2024 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference

February 27, 2024 // Chapel Hill, NC

Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2024 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference, an annual day of celebration and inspiration for anyone invested in making sure kids have access to healthy food. The one-day event is presented by the Carolina Hunger Initiative and will take place Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at The Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill. Attendees will have a chance to connect with other child hunger leaders from across the state, learn about new strategies and success stories, and leave reenergized to continue the fight against child hunger.

Learn more and register.

“I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms

“I Tried Local…” is designed for use in ECE through second-grade classrooms. The curriculum, created by the Growing Minds team at the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, is divided into 10 units based on foods grown in North Carolina: blueberries, broccoli, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, peppers, radishes, sugar snap peas, sweet corn, and watermelons. You can move through the units in any order that makes sense based on your growing region, curriculum, or program structure. The toolkit has a plethora of additional resources around how to implement farm to school with gardens, classroom cooking, farm field trips and farmer visits, and local food in meals or snacks. 

Learn more and download.

NC State Cooperative Extension Summer Internship Program

Completing a summer internship with North Carolina Cooperative Extension provides a high-caliber educational experience, and it allows you to build a bridge from college to career. The internships are paid and interns can expect to gain knowledge about Extension agents, develop rich job experiences, and help deliver solutions to address local needs.

Learn more.

USDA Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide

The USDA Local and Regional Food Systems (LRFS) Resource Guide helps people quickly familiarize themselves with USDA programs that most often serve local and regional food systems stakeholders and connect to these services. Stakeholders can use this resource to partner with USDA to address climate change, create more and better market opportunities, support food and nutrition security, and advance racial justice, rural prosperity, and equity. In addition to the LRFS Resource Guide, you can identify relevant USDA programs at a glance using the USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain Fact Sheet. 

28 Days of Black History

February is Black History Month–celebrate by subscribing to Anti-Racism Daily’s free daily newsletter series in February. This is a great resource for students, workplaces, and anyone dedicated to learning and centering anti-racism. 

Learn more.

Design Principles for Building Belonging 

Across our planet, people are looking for effective ways to build just, equitable, and inclusive institutions that serve and support everyone. Even more challenging, people are looking for ways to do so without fueling the growing fragmentation that is separating us from each other and our sense of humanity. The distinct belonging framework developed by the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) includes a set of principles and practices that can root out structural inequality and exclusion of all kinds while helping us turn toward, rather than against, each other. Beyond a call for inclusion into pre-existing structures built to serve only some of us, belonging asks each of us to commit to co-creating new structures built for everyone. 

Learn more.

GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant 2024

Deadline: February 9, 2024

The 2024 GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant, brought to you by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening, is designed to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to communities across the United States. In March, 170 programs will receive $500 in funding to start or improve their garden or greenspace. In addition, fifteen programs will receive an additional $1,000 through their Plus, Pride, and Equity Specialty Awards. Whether you are creating an aquaponics program, developing a native plant garden, updating your raised bed garden, or starting an after-school program garden club, consider applying for the grant opportunity. 

Learn more and apply. 

2024 Creating New Economies Fund (CNEF) Application

Deadline: February 16, 2024

Grassroots organizations in rural North Carolina are encouraged to apply for Resourceful Communities’ 2024 Creating New Economies Fund Grant. This grant funds organizations’ project ideas that support social justice, environmental stewardship, and economic development in your community. All applicants are required to talk to a Resourceful Communities staff person about their project before submitting their application. Grants cannot exceed $15,000. There is no minimum amount that must be requested for an application to be considered, however, grants average between $8,000 to $12,000. 

Learn more and apply. 

Garden Grant Program

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Through Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program, schools and non-profit organizations turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity, and support classroom curriculum. Their grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at a K-12 school or non-profit organization. 

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.

National Farm to School Network Policy Team’s Office Hours

Are you looking for a thought partner for your policy work? Do you have questions about any of the NFSN’s policy updates or resources? The NFSN Policy team is now holding bi-weekly office hours every Tuesday from 3:00 pm to 4:20 ET as a service to partner organizations. This is a dedicated space where you can ask questions about policies relevant to your work, learn about NFSN’s projects, and gain insights from policy work happening across the nation. 

Learn more and sign up.

Blog: A Year in Review of 2023 Farm to School Policies

In reflecting upon the transformative strides made in 2023 for farm to school, the policy team at National Farm to School Network extends heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated advocates who have been the driving force behind this pivotal year. Check out this blog post to learn about the 2023 policy wins!

Learn more.