NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL PODCAST

New Episodes: Check out the latest Farm to School Podcast episodes below!

Growing Gardens Summit: Part 1

Join Rick "on assignment" as he travels to the Growing School Gardens Summit in San Diego, California. Rick interviews a dozen people with amazing stories. This is one of a four-part series.

• Jessica Eves is a full-time Garden Educator; Darnall Charter School, San Diego, CA, Sage Garden Project 
• Daniel Barrera Ortega is with FRESHFARM Food Prints, SGSO Network, FoodCorps
• Hashim Bennett is a Health Teacher; Weequahic High School, Newark NJ, Greater Newark Conservancy

For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.

Growing Gardens Summit: Part 2

Join Rick "on assignment" as he travels to the Growing School Gardens Summit, in San Diego California. Rick interviews a dozen people with amazing stories. This is part two of a four-part series.

Guests include:

• Kaitlyn Scheuermann, MPP-D, RDN, LD; Waukee Community School District, Waukee, Iowa
• Selma Sims, Gardeneers, Chicago, Illinois
• Pam Hosimer, University of Maryland Extension, Derwood, Maryland

For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.

More bee book classroom sets available - expanded grades!

Calling all 4th grade classroom teachers or ANY OTHER grade classroom teachers who feel this resource would fit well in your lessons! 

This past fall, winter and now spring, the Oregon State University Food Hero Campaign team has been inviting all fourth-grade teachers in Oregon to test out the 2023/24 2nd edition of the Explore the Bees of Oregon educational activity book, for free! 

We still have some books remaining, so we are sending this out again and adding Oregon classroom teachers in other grades who feel they can use this resource in their teaching!  The alignment is 4^th grade, but we have received feedback that teachers have used it successfully with all grades – you can view the book and virtual accompanying toolkit (which is often updated) here. 

To sign-up: fill out a short order form here. 

Those who sign-up will be emailed a short survey in May to provide feedback/suggestions for ways to improve the book for a Volume 3 printing. Classroom teachers who provide feedback will be given early access to Version 3 printed books, a sneak peek at online printable V3 pages, and other great free mailed resources.

Local Food For Schools (LFS) Grant

The USDA Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, (or, the LFS Grant for short), is a Federal, one-time award that enables State Agencies to reimburse School Districts for local foods that meet certain criteria. All NSLP sponsors were automatically opted into this grant.

This grant begins March 1, 2023 and closes on August 31, 2024.

Allowable Items:

• Milk from either inside the Oregon border or up to 400 miles outside of the Oregon border (Fluid milk - half pints, flavored milk).
• Unprocessed or minimally processed food from up to 400 miles outside the Oregon border.
• Unprocessed or minimally processed food from inside of the Oregon border, only after your initial Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant award is exhausted.

The LFS Allowable/Unallowable document can be found here and the mandatory training for all grantees can be found on the Local Food for Schools Grant website under Training Resources. 

Any questions can be sent to us at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov​.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)

February claims must be submitted to FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov no later than Monday, April 29, 2024. The SY 2023-2024 FFVP claims deadlines can be found here. The updated FFVP claim form can be found here. 

PLEASE NOTE: There will not be an opportunity for FFVP supplements this year. We awarded everyone as close to the maximum award amount as possible to accommodate all sites that applied. 

Curious what other schools are purchasing with their FFVP funds? Here is a list of fruits and vegetables purchased during the 2022-2023 school year. 

Any questions can be sent to us at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov​.

Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant

All NSLP, CACFP and SFSP CNP sponsors were automatically opted in to receive a Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant for the 2023-2025 biennium (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025).

The Grant’s start date is retroactive and you will be able to submit claims for items purchased starting July 1, 2023 when your Grant Agreement has been signed and returned to ODE.

The following is due before Sponsors can submit claims in EGMS:

• View the Mandatory Training. After viewing is complete, each grantee must fill out a Reimbursement Grant Attestation Form. The link to the Reimbursement Grant Training Attestation Form can be found at the end of the Mandatory Training.
• Baseline report (for new Sponsors) New sponsors must complete this step before submitting their first claim.
• Final report from last biennium (for returning Sponsors). Returning sponsors must complete this step before submitting their first claim.
• Sign Grant agreement.
• If you do not plan to participate in this Grant during the entirety of the 23-25 biennium, please complete this brief form to indicate you would prefer to opt out. This form will be shared with our Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network. The Regional Farm to School Hubs may reach out to you to confirm.
• The 2023-2025 claim form can be found on the Farm to CNP Reimbursement Grant webpage. It is the first item under the "Resources for Claims" section.
• Nutrition Service Directors and Program Directors MUST sign up for the Farm to CNP listserv. ODE communicates its Grant Program updates predominantly through the listserv. Staff working on Farm to CNP activities, including purchasing and finance are encouraged to sign up as well. (Note: When you click on the link it will direct you to an "Oregon Department of Education email updates" sign-up page. It looks generic but you are in the right spot!).

Please let the Farm to CNP team know at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov if you have any questions.

Competitive Reimbursement Grant

The Competitive Reimbursement Grant is a separate sub-program that will be available again this biennium. A Request for Application (RFA) has been developed and will be available for applications in May 2024. The Competitive Reimbursement Grant is only available for Sponsors that use all their available Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant Funds.

Education Grant

Awards for the 2023-2025 ODE Farm to Child Nutrition Program Competitive Education Grants have been announced. A full list of awardees is now available on the Education Grant website.

Grant agreements will be sent as soon as grantees meet all insurance requirements.

All Grantees will need to complete the mandatory grant training and complete an attestation form saying they have done so before claims can be submitted. The attestation appears at the end of the training.  

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov.