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A note from the Office of Community Food Systems' Director, Julie Brewer:
Here in the Office of Community Food Systems, we know that the heart of our farm to school work is in communities that incorporate local products into their school meal programs, integrate agricultural education into the classroom, cultivate and expand school gardens and celebrate local agriculture. On an annual basis, USDA awards competitive Farm to School Grants to be used for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships and more. We want to share with our readers how our farm to school grants are supporting the incredible people and programs making this work happen. Starting this month, we will be featuring Farm to School Grantees each month in the Dirt! We hope you find inspiration in the content and welcome your feedback and ideas for future stories.
Winning Winter Storage Crops Keep Menus Fresh
Seasonality can seem like a barrier to farm to school – this time of year, most fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden are but distant memories. But in the small, rural town of Clifton Hill, Missouri, the middle school Kitchen Manager Teresa McAdams creates delicious dishes for the 119 students served each day by using produce from crops we can store in the winter months. Her inspiration comes from the Missouri Culinary Skills Institute, a scratch-cooking training she attended thanks to a 2018 USDA Farm to School Grant with the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.
TURNIPS: Teresa says “fresh is best,” and she offers raw turnip sticks on the salad bar. But the crowd favorite is when she roasts them in the oven with a little oil, fresh thyme & rosemary from the school garden, some garlic, and a bit of salt & pepper.
BEETS: “I got them to eat beets!” How? Just shredded raw on the salad bar! When Teresa told a student what they were, he exclaimed, “Oh, I didn’t even know I liked them!”
PUMPKIN: Teresa roasts pumpkin and uses the purée in pumpkin bread and pumpkin bars - yum. Pumpkin hummus was a hit on Halloween, and roasted pumpkin seeds can be found on the salad bar; “students say they taste like buttered popcorn!”
SWEET POTATOES: Teresa wasn’t deterred when students told her, “You know, none of us like sweet potatoes.” When she cut them into wedges and offered a “sweet” cinnamon sugar version, and “savory” salt, pepper, garlic, chipotle and chili powder version for comparison, both were hits!
The 87% participation rate at lunch shows that Teresa’s willingness to be adventures in the kitchen is well-received by students. What’s next? This summer, for her Olympic themed menu, Teresa hopes to try recipes from around the world, like a Yakisoba noodle bar, bánh mì roll-up, and Indian curry. Who wants to join Teresa and her students for lunch in Clifton Hills?!
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Early Bird Registration Open: 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
April 21-23, 2020 | Albuquerque, NM
Calling all farm to school practitioners, local food leaders, and community health professionals! Early Bird registration is now open for the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, April 21-23 in Albuquerque, NM, hosted by the National Farm to School Network. Join more than 800 attendees from across the country for 40 skill-building workshops, inspiring keynote addresses, 10 local field trips supported by a USDA Farm to School Training Grant, poster presentations, open space talks and great networking opportunities that will help you bring real food solutions to your community. Register by February 28 to save on regular ticket prices and to secure a seat on your first choice field trip! Thanks to the support of a USDA Farm to School Training Grant, field trips at the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference are available to attendees at no additional cost. Field trip spots are limited and available on a first-come first-serve basis. Learn more and register at www.farmtocafeteriaconference.org.
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Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Nutrition Education (FDPNE) Grant Program RFA Open!
The FY2020 FDPNE Grant Program request for applications (RFA) is now open on Grants.gov, until March 30, 2020. Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and State agencies that administer the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) are eligible to apply for funds to conduct projects that provide nutrition education to existing FDPIR participants and/or FDPIR-eligible participants in their communities.
The FY2020 FDPNE Grant Program focus is on strengthening existing partnerships to improve nutrition-related skills (i.e. preparing fresh fruits and vegetables or using lower fat cooking methods) and behaviors (i.e. preparing healthy meals and modeling healthy choices for others) among FDPIR participants in tribal communities. To learn more about the FDPNE grant program, you can read the new FDPNE grant program factsheet and view technical assistance videos on the FNS website.
Funds for Schools via Fuel Up to Play 60
Looking for funding to improve healthy changes at your school? Up to $4,000 per year is available to qualified K-12 schools enrolled in Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60). To qualify for funding, schools must enroll in FUTP 60, have a registered FUTP 60 “Program Advisor” and participate in the National School Lunch Program. The application opens 2/26 and closes 4/8. The first step will be to select one Healthy Eating Play and one Physical Activity Play from the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook, for example the Farm to School – Know Your Foods Play. Learn more here!
New York State Celebrates Agricultural Literacy Week 2020
Beginning Monday March 16, New York Agriculture in the Classroom will kick off its 15th Year of Agriculture Literacy Week, bringing agriculturally themed books and resources to thousands of first through third grade classrooms across New York State. In 2019, over 75,000 students across 62 counties participated in Agricultural Literacy Week Start to Finish the program takes about 30 minutes per classroom.
- Literacy Volunteers work with their county coordinators to set up visits to their local schools.
- Volunteers read to students in first through third-grade classrooms.
- Following the reading, volunteers conduct an activity with students and share their experiences in agriculture.
New York Agricultural Literacy Week is organized by New York Agriculture in the Classroom. To connect with your State’s Agriculture in the Classroom contact, visit https://www.agclassroom.org/affiliates/contacts.cfm
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National Ag Day
March 24, 2020 is National Ag Day, a time when producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America gather to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by American agriculture.
To access helpful tools and resources to join in the effort to promote American agriculture, visit www.agday.org.
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