Montana Beef to School Project Releases New Report
It can be done - schools across the country are serving up
local beef in their lunchrooms, providing fresh food for students, reducing
“food miles” and supporting local businesses. Discover how and why
schools in Montana are working with nearby ranchers and processors to procure
local beef in the case study report released by the Montana Beef to
School Project. The report explores six beef to school partnerships in
Montana. Lessons learned from the case studies are designed to highlight the
needs of all key stakeholders in the beef to school process and share
tested strategies with communities across the nation.
Welcome Erin!
We are excited to welcome Erin
Hysom to USDA’s Office of Community Food Systems!
Erin recently joined USDA as a Program Analyst
in the National Office. Prior to joining the team, Erin worked at the Maryland
State Department of Education where she collaborated with partners across the
region to enhance and expand Maryland’s Farm to School and Farm to Summer
Programs. During this time, Erin experienced the many benefits of farm to
school initiatives: from students eagerly harvesting crops in a school garden
to the positive press generated from serving local foods in school and summer
programs. Of all the many benefits though, supporting relationships
between child nutrition programs and their local communities remains Erin’s
favorite. As a New Jersey native and a lifelong Mid-Atlantic resident, Erin is
excited to discover the bountiful programs occurring across the country.
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Get your applications in!
Applications for the USDA Farm
to School Grant Program are due December 8, 2016.
The purpose of this
grant program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school
programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an annual basis,
USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting
operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens,
developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.
Visit our grant opportunities page to review the RFA for
complete application instructions, frequently asked questions (FAQ), and
additional application support materials. Check out the grant program page for an overview of past
grantees, program summary reports, and more.
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Apply to host AmeriCorps members
AmeriCorps operates several programs,
such as VISTA and FoodCorps, that can support community food systems. Another
opportunity is to host a team from the AmeriCorps NCCC (National
Civilian Community Corps). AmeriCorps NCCC teams provide direct, boots on the ground,
service to nonprofits, schools, municipalities, federal and state entities, and tribal governments. A few ideas for what service members could help with include building and maintaining school
gardens, preserving local foods, teaching youth about healthy eating, or offering cooking classes to kids at summer meal sites.
Application deadlines vary by region, and many
of the applications to host summer teams are due In December. You can find more
information for sponsoring a NCCC team here.
 Change Beyond the Plate
School Food Focus 2016 National Gathering, Change
Beyond the Plate is December 6-8 in Braselton, GA. School Food Focus is a national collaborative
that ignites change in our food system by working on both the demand and supply
sides of school food. Together, we're changing the way school food is produced
and purchased so that every child in the U.S. - regardless of income or race -
has access to delicious, nutritious school meals.
Now in its sixth
year, the National Gathering is a unique space for
attendees to share innovative procurement strategies, connect with supply chain
leaders and strengthen the school food movement.
By Andrea
Northup, USDA Farm to School Regional Lead for the Mountain Plains
Region and Helen Dombalis, Programs Director and Interim Policy Director
for the National Farm to School Network
A bin of acorn squash sits on a pallet at the Weld County School District 6
central kitchen, right next to a bin of yellow onions and a 1,000 pound
tote of russet potatoes – all locally-grown. A walk through the
facility is enough to convince anyone that Weld County School District 6
is committed to scratch-cooked, locally-grown food for its 22,000
students at 35 schools. In this rural Colorado school district, where
over 40 languages are spoken at home and 66 percent of students are
eligible for free or reduced price meals, fresh, tasty food is the norm –
even down to the green chili, a southwestern favorite roasted in-house,
using three varieties of local peppers.
About a quarter of the central kitchen is dedicated to processing
fresh fruits and vegetables. Mushrooms are sliced, carrots are shredded
and onions are diced. With funding from a USDA Farm to School Grant
in 2013, this food hub portion of the kitchen was furnished with
tables, wash stations and equipment to process local food for Weld
County’s own meals and for other districts in the area.
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