September 28, 2023

This Week in Farm to School 

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

NC Farm to Summer Celebration - Durham County 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Office of School Nutrition, and the Farm to School Coalition of NC are excited to highlight success stories from the 2023 NC Farm to Summer Challenge. The Durham Public Schools (DPS) School Nutrition Program partnered with the DPS Hub Farm to offer recipe testing during summer camps. Kids got the opportunity to taste-test and share their feedback on a Korean-style Bibimbap Bowl, Garden Nachos, and fresh local berries. What a great way to celebrate NC Farm to Summer! You can learn more by visiting our Facebook or Instagram.

Envisioning “Farmer-Focused” Local Food Purchasing Incentives

October 11, 2023 // 2 pm ET

This virtual roundtable discussion, hosted by the National Farm to School Network, will feature two short presentations about past and current programs that use a farmer-focused approach. Then, presenters will discuss the vision for these types of programs together, looking for the collective expertise of this community to help shape the conversation around this opportunity for policy and practice. State-level local food purchasing incentives (LFPIs) typically provide funding to schools to purchase local foods - but what if we flipped the narrative? What would LFPIs look like if they directly subsidized local farmers and food hubs to sell to schools and other institutions? Further, how could we design these programs to support values-aligned school food purchasing by directly incentivizing small, regenerative, BIPOC-led, women-led, veteran, and/or emerging farmers? Who else across the nation is interested in a “Farmer-Focused” LFPI? 

Learn more and register.

Reimagining Rural: The 2023 Rural Child Hunger 

October 17-18, 2023 // 11 am ET

Save the Children and No Kid Hungry cordially invite you to their virtual two-day summit that will be filled with thought-provoking discussions and interactive sessions. These sessions will explore innovative solutions to end child hunger in rural communities. Despite ongoing challenges, rural communities are finding innovative solutions and forming partnerships to work together and overcome obstacles in order to continue serving all families. Listen to top experts, including youth voices, as they discuss the newest research, policies, and practices aimed at addressing child hunger in rural communities. Learn about best practices, network with like-minded professionals, and collaborate on innovative strategies to end hunger for children across the country. 

Learn more and register.

North Carolina Crunch

October 18, 2023 // 12 pm ET

Join the state of North Carolina in celebrating Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month by crunching into a locally grown fruit or vegetable on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at noon or any time during the month of October that works for you. The NC Crunch is also a great opportunity to thank all those involved in feeding our communities. This event is about uniting together to celebrate North Carolina agriculture, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and healthy eating. Participants of all ages are invited to crunch with their schools, early care and education sites, organizations, families, or communities. Help us reach all 100 counties and 500,000 kids and adults with the NC Crunch! 

Learn more and register.

National Farm to School Network Movement Meeting

October 26, 2023 // 3 pm - 5 pm ET

The National Farm to School Network is thrilled to extend an invitation to their vibrant farm to school community for the upcoming 2023 Movement Meeting. This annual event serves as a gathering point for dedicated advocates in the Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education realms, providing an invaluable opportunity to come together, rejoice in our shared achievements, foster meaningful connections, ignite inspiration, and collectively nurture our growth. 

Learn more and register.

Making the Farm Connection: A Guide to Field Trips for Farmers

Community Alliance with Family Farmers created this guide to help farmers and farm educators feel more comfortable planning and running successful farm visits for students. Both teachers and farmers play active roles in creating a positive learning experience for students out on the farm. The farm visit concepts outlined in this manual are best suited for students between second and sixth grades but can be modified for older or younger students.

Learn more.

Farm to School Fact Sheets

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

Learn more.

Ag Lit Catalog 

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has created a “one-stop shop” for free agricultural literacy resources for learners of all ages. This catalog can help you find materials for various projects and is intended for many different audiences.

Learn more.

The Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit

The Farmers Market Coalition has created a toolkit to help farmers market managers make progress toward becoming anti-racist managers or anti-racist markets. The toolkit uses a framework of four categories to organize the work: Management, Mission, Messaging, and Measurement. There is an overlap between these categories. All sections connect to and reference the Measurement section of the toolkit as it will be difficult to sustain change without an ability to demonstrate the real-world impact of the work.

Learn more.

Recorded Webinars: KidsGardening’s Culturally Inclusive Teaching in the Garden

KidsGardening and guests explored ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning. By their nature, gardens embody diversity. Garden education is increasingly recognized as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic goals, health and wellness, place-based education, and community connections and relationships. However, discussions of culture are often missing in garden-based education. To validate and celebrate the interests and experiences of your students, this webinar series dove deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food and gardens and also as it relates to the diverse populations with whom we work. 

Watch the recordings.

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.

2024 Budding Botanist Grant

Deadline: October 20, 2023

The Klorane Botanical Foundation is committed to supporting programs that teach respect for the environment and protect nature through the preservation of plant species and biodiversity. Designed to further their mission, the Budding Botanist Grant will help our students learn about plants, explore their world, and inspire them to take care of the life they discover in their local ecosystems. In late 2023, twenty high-need schools across the United States will be awarded $500 in grant funding to support their youth garden programs.

Learn more and apply.

Whole Kids Foundation Bee Grants

Traditional Bee Grant

Deadline: October 31, 2023

The Traditional Bee Grant allows for K-12 schools or non-profit organizations that serve any grades K-12 to start a new or enhance an existing bee program hosting live bees on their campus.

Learn more and apply.

Kids Kindness Grants

Deadline: November 1, 2023

Kindness Grows Here believes every child is inherently kind and can make positive changes in their community. Kids and teens have amazing ideas for spreading kindness in their schools, neighborhoods, and larger communities. For this reason, Kindness Grows Here dedicates the largest portion of their budget to their "Kid Kindness Grants" program. Every year from September 1 to November 1 they accept applications directly from kids between the ages of 5-18 who have ideas for spreading kindness. To apply, kids need to complete a simple application that tells us what they want to do, why, who their project will impact, how much money they need, and exactly how they will spend it. 

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.

North Carolina State Budget Released

After months of negotiations, the NC General Assembly released the conference report for the budget which includes three provisions relevant to school meals.

• Reduced-Priced Lunch Copay: The budget permanently eliminates the reduced-priced lunch copay! All students who qualify for reduced-price meals will now permanently receive both breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to their families. 
• Community Eligibility Provisions Pilot: The budget includes $500,000 in recurring funds beginning in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $6.3 million in recurring funds beginning in the 2024-25 fiscal year for a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) pilot. The pilot will support schools and districts in participating in CEP, which allows participating schools to provide school meals at no cost to families.
• School Meal Debt: The budget also includes language that prohibits schools from withholding student records or keeping students from participating in graduation due to school meal debt. 

Learn more.

U.S. Department of Agriculture - CEP Increasing Options for Schools

This final rule enacted by the USDA amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent. Lowering the minimum ISP will give states and schools greater flexibility to offer meals to all enrolled students at no cost when financially viable. As a result of this rule, more schools are eligible to participate in CEP and experience the associated benefits, such as increasing students’ access to healthy, no-cost school meals; eliminating unpaid meal charges; reducing stigma; and streamlining program administration and meal service operations.

Learn more.