This Week in Farm to School 

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

Hydroponics for the Classroom Teacher

March 6, 2024 // 4 pm ET

How can hydroponics work in the classroom setting? Join Massachusetts Farm to School to hear how students have been exploring how to get better yields from your aquaponics plants and discussing the potential for aquaculture and hydroponics to help meet global food needs and have time to ask questions on how can set up a similar system in your classroom.

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.

Project Wild Workshop

March 26, 2024 // 9 am to 4 pm ET // Statesville, NC

This workshop, hosted by Allison Woods Outdoor Learning Center, is for formal and informal educators and is open to anyone from any background to learn to connect students to nature through scientific inquiry, bringing nature to the classroom, and giving students exploratory outdoor learning opportunities. Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program that emphasizes wildlife. 

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Webinar Recording: Food Hubs and Farm to School: Policy and Impact Across the Food System 

Last October, C-FARE highlighted two “almost direct to consumer” food distribution models. Four panelists representing government (USDA) and research (University) discuss policy and marketplace impacts of Farm to School and Food Hubs. Both of these models of food system intermediaries reach across the food system from farm production through distribution to the consumer, whether that be an institution or an individual. 

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Farm to School in New Orleans: Grow Dat Youth Farm 

Grow Dat Youth Farm is a nonprofit organization based in New Orleans, Louisiana, that focuses on youth development, sustainable agriculture, and community engagement. Their mission is to nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. One youth leader’s experience at the farm can benefit communities for a lifetime.

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ASAP’s Faces of Local Interview - Alison Francis

Alison Francis is the Director of Nutrition for Haywood County Schools, and has worked with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) for many years to source from local farms. 

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School Garden Curriculum - Farm to School Connections at Combs Elementary

The school garden offers many curriculum connections! Watch as an administrator, teacher, and children highlight the great learning opportunities found within the school garden.

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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. 

Using Networks To Build Collaborative and Equitable Food Systems

This brief focuses on local food systems as vehicles for collaboration and racial equity among multiple stakeholders and networks. Local food systems are widely regarded as go-to examples for fostering rural-urban and farmer-consumer connections, but they require significant investments in stakeholder networks and the institutional infrastructure necessary to sustain and expand them. Examples of statewide, regional, and national initiatives are given to illustrate the power of networks to foster deeper levels of collaboration and reciprocity. The vital roles of Minority Serving Institutions and Cooperative Extension are highlighted. 

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Garden Grant Program

Tomorrow! Deadline: March 1, 2024

Through the 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.

Better Food Policy Fund Unrestricted Grant

Deadline: March 5, 2024

The Better Food Policy Fund's debut grantmaking program will award $600,000 in unrestricted funding to 10 US-based food policy councils over two years to support their work to effect better food policy through civic collaboration. Through this pilot program, they seek to celebrate and uplift the work of food policy councils and believe every food policy council is worthy of funding. They hope to grow and expand the field of food policy councils through funding and fostering shared learning.

Learn more and apply.

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.

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USDA’s Updated Equity Action Plan

On February 14, USDA released an update to its Equity Action Plan, outlining actions taken in each mission area since the April 2022 report. This report also notes the “refined equity strategies” the department will implement in the coming year to improve their progress.

Learn more.

Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farm and Foods: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Evaluation Results

The 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) program continues to reach more children in schools, districts, and childcare sites across Michigan, with the 2021-2022 school year serving the largest number of participating grantees yet. Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Food shows the evaluation findings from the 2021-2022 10 Cents a Meal program. This report showcases 10 Cents a Meal’s impact by examining the faceted impact on Michigan kids, farms, and food service programs. From “What foods were served through 10 Cents?” to “The Big Picture: Does 10 Cents Work?”, this report provides key indicators towards progress achieved and future opportunities for growth.

Learn more.