NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL PODCAST

New Episodes: We have new episodes of the Farm to School Podcast! Check out the latest Farm to School Podcast episodes below!

So You Have a School Garden.. Now What To Do With That Food? The Master Food Preserver Episode.

Many School Gardens are able to produce an abundance of food. Usually, they are able to bring the produce right into the cafeteria. But what if you have an overabundance of something? How can you save it? Can you can it SAFELY? What are the rules and regulations? Join us as we have a discussion with a Master Food Preserver Jared Hibbard-Swanson from Oregon State University Extension, as we discuss what to do and where to get help preserving garden produce.

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

It’s not "school lunch" it's “lunch at school!”

Chef. Innovator. Leader...Cranky parent? There are many words to describe Bertrand Weber. Join us as he shares his journey from an "angry parent" who was concerned about his kid's school meal to stepping up and doing something about it. He has transformed the meal experience at Minneapolis Public Schools, and is inspiring the country to rethink how we serve food to students.

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

Farm to School Month Recap

October was Farm to School Month in Oregon! Students across the state participated in many different Farm to School activities, from farm field trips, to local lunch week celebrations, and the Oregon Farm to School Month Crunch! More than 47,000 students in Oregon participated in the Crunch by biting into locally grown produce. This simple act celebrates Farm to School Programs, promotes healthy eating, and supports local agriculture. ODE representative, Rick Sherman (Farm to School Coordinator), got to join in on a Crunch celebration at Luckiamute Valley Charter Schools' Bridgeport campus. Students there crunched on quince and purple cabbage sourced from local farms. You can read more about this wonderful event at the article linked on the ODE Farm to School Website.

Earlier in October, AM Northwest did a feature in celebration of Farm to School Month! AM Northwest featured Michelle Markesteyn, PhD and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, who shared the successes of the Oregon Farm To School program and Oregon Harvest for Schools.

USDA Farm to School Census - 2023 Findings

The 2023 Farm to School Census is a periodic survey of all school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The 2023 Census is the fourth Farm to School Census conducted by USDA, with previous Censuses conducted in 2013, 2015, and 2019. 

As part of National Farm to School Month, USDA is celebrating the growth of farm to school nationwide, as confirmed by the Census. According to the Census, most schools in the U.S. are now participating in farm to school in some capacity. In school year (SY) 2022-23, 74 percent of School Food Authorities (SFAs) participated in farm to school, an increase of 9 percentage points from the 65 percent reported in SY 2018-19.

Farm to school is going strong in Oregon! 85% of SFAs participated in farm to school in SY 2022-2023. SFAs in Oregon reported a variety of positive outcomes from participating in farm to school, including increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, access to better quality foods, and an increased positive perception of the school food program.
If you’d like to learn more about farm to school or dig deeper into the Census data, visit https://farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov/.

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USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Opportunity

The fiscal year (FY) 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program requests for applications (RFAs) are now open. This grant program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals. Grants can launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts. Learn more and apply on the USDA website.

Do You Have a Bold Idea to Improve the School Food System?

Consider applying to join the USDA's second cohort of Project SCALES (Supporting Community Agriculture & Local Education Systems) grantees. Grants are available from $500,000-$1,000,000 for up to 3 years. Applicants should propose innovative and collaborative approaches that reimagine the school food system and that could be sustained and scaled elsewhere. Read more about eligibility requirements, review the Request for Applications, and apply on their website.

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 closed on August 31, 2024. The Claims Review period ended October 14, 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)

The 2024-2025 FFVP Awards have been announced. The grant period is October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. While we await funds to arrive from the USDA, awardees should continue to submit their claims for review.

New this year:
• To be eligible for rollover to the next FFVP grant period (SY 2025-2026), at least one FFVP claim must be submitted by the SY 2024-2025 March deadline. This will allow ODE sufficient time to calculate and announce the next SY’s FFVP award amounts. Monthly claim deadlines are available on the ODE FFVP webpage

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​.

Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant

All NSLP, CACFP and SFSP CNP sponsors were automatically opted in to receive a Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant for the 2023-2025 biennium (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025). The Farm to CNP team has recently communicated with you about the status of your grant.

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.

In past years, there has been a Progress Report required halfway through the grant biennium. This biennium a Progress Report is not being required, instead ODE is tracking purchases through reimbursement claims submitted. Instead of the hour you would have spent filling out a progress report, we encourage you all to make the time to find new connections with Oregon producers, and source new food to expand youths' palates! 

Curious what other schools are purchasing with their funds? Visit the Farm to CNP Reimbursement Grant webpage for grant resources. Visit the Oregon Harvest for Schools Portal for a directory of Oregon producers ready to sell to schools!

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. As of September 2024, all available Farm to CNP Competitive Reimbursement Grant (CRG) funds have been awarded. Applications are still open, and additional funding may become available.

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. 

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