Creativity and
Collaboration Grow Farm to School Success in Maryland
USDA’s
Office of Community Food Systems caught up with Erin
Kennedy Hysom from the Maryland Department of Education to learn more about
the growth of farm to school in Maryland. As a joint initiative between
two state agencies, Erin and her counterpart in the Maryland Department of
Agriculture, Karen Fedor, collaborate to promote farm to school. From Homegrown School Lunch Week to Taste the Rainbow in Anne Arundel County to the Department
of Agriculture’s Buyer-Grower Expo, there is much to dig in to in
Maryland. Here are a few examples of their creativity and collaboration:
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Over the past few years, Erin
and Karen have trained extensively on buying local, built connections with farmers
and the agriculture community, and strengthened relationships with new and
existing partners, such as Maryland's Future Farmers of America, the
Maryland
Agricultural Education Foundation, Maryland Farm
Bureau and University of Maryland Extension.
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The MD Department of Agriculture
received Specialty
Crop Block Grant funding for the purchase of farm to school
promotional materials, which created a series of posters, stickers, farm
signs, and farmer trading cards used in schools throughout the state. The MD Department
of Education recently transferred the MD Department
of Agriculture State Administrative Expense (SAE) funds
to continue developing and
distributing the
promotional
materials.
- Erin and Karen work closely
with School Food Authorities to explore funding opportunities that may
allow districts to process the local foods available during the summer
months into products that appear on school breakfast and lunch menus.
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On the producer side, the MD Department of Agriculture’s
Food Quality Assurance program trains farmers who sell to schools on food
safety and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification.
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If that isn’t enough, they are
expanding outside of schools to include farm to summer and farm to childcare activities!
Hungry for more? Follow Maryland’s Farm to School Program on Twitter and Facebook!
 Don’t miss
these great articles celebrating farm to school success in Maryland!
Maryland Public Television’s Farm
& Harvest Program visits Caroline County cafeterias – December 1,
2015
“Join host
Joanne Clendining as she explores local Maryland farms. Learn how a farm is growing tomatoes year
round. Visit a school cafeteria that gets its produce from a local farm.
Discover how beef cattle genetics help make the perfect burger. Also,
greenhouses on Then & Now, and American bread on The Buy Local.” The Farm to
School segment starts at 8:00. View on Web
Bel Air High students learn about
fish, plant farming in new aquaponics lab The Baltimore Sun – December 31, 2015
“Students in teacher Glen Hedelson's Environmental Science II Class at Bel Air
High School are learning alternative methods of food production in their new
aquaponics lab. Hedelson was able to convert the school's conventional
greenhouse into a fully operational aquaponics facility that raises fish and
produce. ‘This is an incredible opportunity for students to learn about modern
agricultural practices,’ Hedelson said.” View on Web
Farm to school: Connecting the
classroom, cafeteria, and community to the local agricultural economy has
proven to be a winning proposition for all involved Hagerstown Magazine – January 5,
2016
“Within Maryland’s 24 school districts, there are close to 810,000 children in
1,334 schools. That equates to 24 million cafeteria breakfasts and 70 million
lunches served each school year. Considering government dietary regulations,
strict budgets, and high volume, schools have to find the best way to serve
cost-effective, healthy, fresh meals to their students.” View on Web
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Webinars:
Planning for Farm to School Success
Join us for
these upcoming webinars, which are part of our 11-part webinar series devoted
to starting or growing a farm to school program. Guest speakers will join the
webinars to share their hands-on farm to school experiences. Plan ahead for the
whole series by visiting our Videos and Webinars page. Can’t make it? Don’t
worry, we’re recording all the webinars and will add them to our website as
soon as they are available.
Setting Goals and Establishing an Evaluation Baseline: January
28, 2:00 PM EST
How
do you know if your activities are helping local farmers and improving student
health? Learn how to integrate program planning/evaluation tools and techniques
that will document outcomes and show the impacts of farm to school
programs.
Finding and Buying
Local Foods: February 4, 2:00 PM EST
USDA Farm to School local food procurement guru, Christina
Conell, breaks down the how to’s of finding and buying local food. We’ll cover
a few procurement basics and then focus on where the opportunities are to
target local products in the purchasing process. Join to gain insights on how
to start making change in your process, big or small.
 Scholarship Opportunity Announced for Farm to Cafeteria Conference
The National
Farm to School Network is preparing for their 8th National Farm to
Cafeteria Conference, which will be in Madison, Wisconsin June 2-4, 2016. To
keep the conference accessible and diverse, scholarships are being offered. Don’t
delay! The scholarship application period is open until February 29, 2016.
Please visit
the conference website for more details. Questions
about scholarships or the application process should be directed to scholarships@farmtoschool.org.
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Georgia School Gardens Nourish Healthy Habits
Posted by Sean Monahan, Food and Nutrition Service Southeast Regional Team Lead for School Nutrition Programs
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010 celebrated
its fifth anniversary last month, and I can tell you it has made a difference!
I think back on the past five years and am proud of the strides we’ve
made in giving students access to more local and healthy food in our schools.
Accompanied by FNS Administrator
Audrey Rowe, I had a wonderful visit with two Georgia elementary schools this
fall. Our trip to Alexander II Magnet School in Bibb County and Westside
Elementary School in Houston County highlighted 2015 National School Lunch Week celebrations (October 12-16) and
offered a great example of progress on the school meals front.
Our visit also gave us the chance
to celebrate Farm to School month. Both schools are among the
40,000 schools nationwide that participate in the Farm to School program. The two also
participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows all students to eat breakfast and
lunch for free.
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