As kids across the country prepare to go back to school, we're putting the finishing touches on the fiscal year 2017 Request for Applications for the USDA Farm to School Grant Program (coming in September!). To prepare, we're looking back at the first four years of the program to understand the impact and trends. The Fiscal Year 2013-2016 Summary of Grant Awards synthesizes data from the 300 projects funded by the Farm to School Grant Program.
Here's a summary of FY 2013–2016 grants by the numbers:
- 1,338 applicants requested a total of $98 million.
- 300 projects were awarded a total of $20.4 million.
- 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands received at least one award.
- 51 percent of awards were made to schools and school districts.
- 80 percent of all awards support schools or school districts with free or reduced price meal eligibility rates greater than 50 percent.
- 18,136 schools and 10.2 million students have been reached by the grants.
Welcome Andrea Northup and Rachel Spencer!
We are excited to welcome Rachel and Andrea to USDA’s Office of Community Food Systems as the Farm to School Regional Leads in the Southwest and Mountain Plains!
Andrea was drawn to farm to school because it makes sense
for our farmers, kids, environment and communities. She has been working
in the farm to school realm since 2008, when she founded the DC Farm to School
Network in Washington, DC. After four years in the nonprofit sector
there, Andrea moved to the Midwest to become the Farm to School Coordinator for
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). Andrea and the MPS team built a national
model for how farm to school can work in a large, urban district.
Moving farther west still, Andrea is now the Farm to School Regional Lead in USDA's Mountain Plains Region, based in Denver, CO. She looks forward to
exploring the area and supporting its farm to school stakeholders!
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Rachel
Spencer recently joined the Office of Community Food Systems as the Farm to
School Regional Lead in the Southwest Regional Office. With a background in
public health and agricultural economics, Rachel firmly believes that the two
are inextricably linked and loves drawing connections between supporting local
communities and building healthy futures for our kids. FoodCorps originally
brought Rachel to Arkansas, where she spent the past five years
serving both on the ground as a garden educator and at the state level
building coalitions in support of farm to school activities. Rachel’s
work with nonprofits and state agencies in Arkansas and beyond has enabled her
to grow deep roots and form relationships with farm to school champions across
the south.
As a proud Georgia peach and adopted native of the Natural State, Rachel is
thrilled to continue working in the region she
already considers home. She cannot wait to help advance farm to school
in the southwest!
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The Census Scoop: Three
Cheers for the Mountain Plains & Southwest Regions
According to the 2015 Farm to School Census,
there are 1,090 public school districts, private schools, and charter schools engaged
in farm to school throughout the Mountain Plains and Southwest regions. These
schools and districts are cultivating more than 1,750 edible schools gardens
and contributing over $130 million to the local economy by purchasing local
foods for school meals. There are also almost 600 schools and districts that
want to start a farm to school program in these two regions. That’s why we’re
so excited to have both Andrea and Rachel join the USDA Team. These
two farm to school superstars can’t wait to help expand farm to school in these
regions by strengthening existing programs and starting new ones.
To dig into the rest of the Farm to School Census numbers, click here.
Spotlight on Summer: Greeley-Evans, Colorado
Our friends at Greeley-Evans School District 6 would like to share their recipe for farm to summer
success – literally!
All summer, they’ve been sourcing tomatoes locally from
Rocky Mountain Fresh in nearby Longmont, CO, and featuring them daily alongside
local lettuce on the salad bar at their Summer
Food Service Program meal sites, as well as on sandwiches on their food
truck, El Fuego, which uses
75 pounds/week of the fresh in season tomatoes!
In addition to sourcing from local farms, this program also
features school garden produce in summer meals. Alongside these fresh, seasonal
plates, they’ve been doing quick cooking demonstrations and taste tests of
radish greens and roots, cucumbers, and summer squash sautéed with garlic. The
squash with garlic was a hit with elementary students this summer- most asked
for seconds and even thirds! Here’s the recipe that kept kids coming back for
more:
Local Summer Squash Sautéed with
Garlic
Serves 4-6
- 1-2 summer squash, any variety
(yellow, zucchini, patty pan)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- Vegetable oil (we use sunflower)
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
To Prepare: Slice summer squash
into small pieces, mince garlic. Heat pan over medium-high heat and add a small
amount of oil, about ½ tablespoon. When oil is hot, add garlic, stir and cook
for about 30 seconds, then add summer squash; stir well. Cook over medium to
medium-high heat until squash becomes tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly
with salt and pepper.
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What's your summer story?
Send us a photo or two and a description of your farm
to summer program, and we’ll feature model programs through our E-letter to
shine a national spotlight on your programming.
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By Danielle Fleury, USDA Farm to School Regional Lead
This National Farmers Market Week,
we celebrate a growing national trend that exemplifies the power of
partnership in achieving common goals. Across the country, sponsors of USDA’s Summer Meals Programs
are joining forces with their local farmers markets, realizing a
multitude of shared benefits. These partnerships increase access to the
local seasonal bounty the summer months have to offer and help keep
kids and their families nourished and active while school is out. Check
out how three communities are taking full advantage of all that farmers
markets during the summer months!
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