The Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) School Nutrition Unit is gearing up for a bountiful summer alongside Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors across the State! This summer, sponsors can participate in the Farm to Summer Week Challenge. During the week of July 11, sponsors will commit to serving at least one local product, teaching a nutrition education activity, and connecting with the community by sharing their stories on social media.

Participating in this challenge provides an opportunity to celebrate local Colorado ingredients and receive local and national recognition for the high-quality meals being served. To encourage SFSP sponsors to participate in the Farm to Summer Week Challenge, the CDE School Nutrition Unit created this toolkit which highlights tasting, teaching, and connecting youth to local agriculture. Sponsors participating in the challenge may also be nominated for the USDA’s Turnip the Beet Award.

Boulder Valley School District, a 2019 USDA Farm to School Implementation grantee, is already spicing up summer with local foods, and recently launched a new BBQ trailer at the Boulder County Farmers Market to bring summer meals to where kids are. The school district and farmers market are collaborating to increase access to healthy foods for kids and families. The market also accepts Double Up Food Bucks and provides additional funds for City of Boulder WIC participants. The menu includes local smoked beef brisket sandwiches (from Buckner Family Farm in Boulder County), local applewood smoked pork spareribs (from Sky Pilot Farm in Longmont), scratch-cooked sweet potato cornbread, crispy cabbage slaw, oranges, and milk.

For more information about Colorado’s Farm to School program, visit their webpage.

New! Farm to School Topic Area added to the Institute of Child Nutrition Child Nutrition Sharing Site

The Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) has added a Farm to School topic area to the Resource Hub! In collaboration with the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), the USDA FNS Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS) is building the Farm to School Database and welcomes YOUR farm to school resource submissions! As farm to school continues to grow across the country, it is important for stakeholders to have the opportunity to share and access farm to school resources. The ICN CNSS Resource Hub is a one-stop-shop for Farm to School grantees, State agencies, and other partner organizations to host and promote these resources.

To submit resources to the Farm to School topic category in the CNSS Resource Hub, visit the Submission Form and under “Type of Program”, choose Farm to School and complete the form. OCFS will be choosing new resources to feature in upcoming issues of the Dirt, so submit today!

EPA Commits to Helping 13 Communities Revitalize Neighborhoods by Developing Local Food Systems

On June 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, announced new technical assistance to help 13 communities develop local food system and placemaking strategies. The assistance is provided through Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP), a federal initiative that helps communities reinvest in existing neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for all residents as they develop the local food economy.

At least one of the 13 communities selected this year (New Bedford, MA) has the creation of school gardens as an aspirational goal of its planning process. They plan to improve health outcomes in their neighborhood by identifying vacant spaces and brownfield sites to develop urban gardens. To learn more about the different ways these communities are actively promoting environmental protection efforts and supporting their local food system please read the EPA News Release.

USDA to Invest More Than $4 Billion to Strengthen Food System

Citing lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, on June 8, 2021, USDA announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. The new effort will strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support good-paying jobs throughout the supply chain. The announcement supports the Biden Administration’s broader work on strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains as directed by Executive Order 14017 America's Supply Chains. USDA will continue to make announcements through the Build Back Better initiative in the months to come. This announcement is in addition to the $1 billion announced on June 4, 2021 to purchase healthy food for food insecure Americans and build food bank capacity. For more information please read the press release here. 

State of Origin for USDA Foods FY 2018 and FY 2019 Summary Reports

The USDA FNS’s food distribution programs provide food and nutrition assistance to school children and families and support American agriculture by distributing high-quality, 100-percent American-grown USDA Foods.

If you are looking to support agricultural markets in your region, you can consider using the information from the State-of-Origin for USDA Foods newly published the FY 2018 and FY 2019 Summary Reports.

These summary reports capture the quantity and dollar value of USDA Foods purchased from each State. In addition, you can find out which products USDA often purchases from your state. We invite you to read the summary reports and learn where your USDA Foods are likely to come from, and what the top food produced in your state is!

Stay informed! Emerging Federal Funding Streams for Farm to Early Care and Education

The Food Research and Action Center, Policy Equity Group, and National Farm to School Network, hosted a webinar on May 12, 2021 that explores the diverse opportunities to access emerging federal funding streams that support stronger and more equitable food and early care education systems. The webinar demonstrates how Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) could be a part of the funding process. In addition, there is an accompanying fact sheet where you can learn more about Farm to ECE and various federal funding opportunities.

Creating a Cultural Shift- Implementing Plant-based Food Options in K-12 Schools

As part of their  Climate Friendly School Food Campaign, Friends of the Earth has published the Scaling Up Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Food report. The report provides resources and examples from 18 public school districts, including four in-depth case studies, showcasing the climate benefits and strategies that school food operators are deploying to serve more plant-forward lunches. Read the full report and access resources here.

Discover What Food Sovereignty looks like in the United States

The Narrative Collective of the US Food Sovereignty Alliance recently published a multimedia publication titled Food Sovereignty in the USA: A Selection of Stories. This publication highlights a series of stories that explores the concept of food sovereignty- a vision for democratic control over food and agricultural systems. The stories showcase food sovereignty in action, what the struggle looks like, and how it’s already taking shape.

Each of the chapters in this publication provides a short summary text and a link to an accompanying video. Together, the videos and text are intended to raise awareness and inspire conversations within and beyond the food sovereignty movement.