Apple orchards, sweet potato fields, and diversified farms - school nutrition professionals gathered on farms across Vermont this past August for workshops focused on local procurement. Jointly hosted by Food Connects, VT FEED, and the School Nutrition Association of Vermont, and supported by a 2020 USDA Farm to School Implementation Grant, these workshops centered on local purchasing and new opportunities to incentivize buying Vermont products for their programs.
Generally, Vermont schools have incredibly low budgets for food - under $1.50 per meal - making it difficult for them to be able to buy high-quality, locally produced foods. A new local purchasing incentive recently passed by the Vermont legislature aims to help. This new State funding will assist schools by reimbursing those that use local ingredients in their meals.
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While attending the workshops at the farm, the attendees got an inside look into the operations and hurdles local farmers face and discussed ways to get more of their products into school meals. A common theme throughout each of the workshops was the similarities between both professions regarding the constant logistical details they have to consider, such as: what’s the best packaging option for food; the constant battle for cold storage space; and how you get your food to your customers.
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In addition to touring the host farm, participants prepared a menu item that met the school lunch meal pattern guidelines featuring local products grown on the farm. This meal preparation workshop was also a great time for the school nutrition specialists to connect with colleagues and share success stories with each other.
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“The past 18 months have been especially hard on school nutrition professionals,” noted Helen Rortvedt, Farm to School Program Director for NOFA-VT & VT FEED. “Working from home was never an option for them and the need for healthy meals has only increased. It’s vitally important to have the time to come together, share best practices, and plan for restoring or expanding their local purchasing plans for the coming school year with colleagues.”
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A leader in the growing farm to school movement in Vermont, Food Connects’ Farm to School Program works with school nutrition professionals, educators, and administrators to increase the amount of nutrition and farming education in classrooms, building interest in and demand for local foods by students. Food Connects works to increase wholesale access to locally produced food and develop new markets for local food producers while contributing to a vibrant local economy, through a Food Hub which operates under two place-based brands: Food Connects' Food Hub, serving VT, and Monadnock Menus, serving NH. The Food Hub is able to deliver food from over 150 producers right to the school, providing an easy and affordable way for schools to buy local products.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $50 million in cooperative agreements to support historically underserved farmers and ranchers with climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The Racial Justice and Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements are available to entities and individuals for two-year projects that expand the delivery of conservation assistance to farmers who are beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for two new grant programs - the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program - to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These grant programs will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers and processors, shellfish, aquaculture and other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, farmers markets, seafood facilities and processing vessels. USDA released grant forecasts for these new programs to help potential applicants determine their eligibility and to prepare to apply for funding. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants and $50 million is available for SPRS. All of these new programs are funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
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New Features for Farm to School Census Website are Here
The Farm to School Census Website now features new ways to review the 2019 Farm to School Census results in a variety of different ways:
- Set distance parameters to find out what school food authorities (SFAs) active in farm to school are nearest to where you are;
- Compare responses based on factors like State, SFA size, and free and reduced price school lunch eligibility;
- View new maps to see how some Census responses look geographically.
These tools can help you explore possible avenues for further investigation into the 2019 Farm to School Census and assist in developing dynamic informational materials for producers or other farm to school community stakeholders, or they can be utilized in funding applications or other planning materials.
For more information, contact farmtoschool@usda.gov.
Try Making School Breakfast Fresh and Local!
Offering Meats and Meat Alternates at School Breakfast Grades Kindergarten Through 12 (K-12) shows school nutrition professionals how they can offer meats and meat alternate as part of a reimbursable breakfast. This guide includes information on meal pattern requirements, tips for menu planning, sample menus, success stories and more! This publication is available in English and Spanish, online and in print. Print versions are available only for schools, CACFP operators, sponsoring organizations and State agencies that participate in or administer one of USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs.
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USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service
The USDA is interested in stakeholders’ recommendations to streamline application requirements and make other improvements to Rural Development’s Agriculture Innovation Center Program. Through this program, USDA awards grants of up to $1 million to eligible Agriculture Innovation Centers. The Centers may use the funds to provide technical assistance to help agricultural producers develop and market value-added agricultural products.
USDA will hold a virtual listening session on these topics on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested parties may register HERE. Written comments on proposed changes to the program must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Oct. 25, 2021. You can find additional information in the Federal Register or the Rural Development webpage.
School meals help fuel strong bodies and minds!
Learn more about school lunch and school breakfast during School Year 2021-2022 and download fun nutrition activity booklets and stickers from USDA’s Team Nutrition. Team Nutrition Schools will have the opportunity to order free printed copies of the Stronger with School Meals materials later this month. Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program can sign up at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/schools. #StrongerWithSchoolMeals
NEW EDITION! State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2020
National Farm to School Network and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School are pleased to announce the release of the updated State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2020! The Handbook summarizes and analyzes all 546 farm to school bills and resolutions introduced between 2002 and 2020 from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. It enables readers to search bills by both jurisdiction and topic, and includes analysis of state policy trends, case studies, advocacy resources and more.
In addition to highlighting policies that support the three core elements of farm to school and early care and education (ECE) – local procurement, school gardens, and food and agriculture education – this edition of the Handbook also spotlights policy opportunities for supporting universal school meals, supporting BIPOC producers, and those that supported farm to school responses to COVID-19. Read more about this new resource the National Farm to School Network blog, and dig in to start exploring the opportunities!
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This year marks the 10th anniversary of National Farm to School Network’s launch into farm to early care and education (farm to ECE)! Farm to ECE, like farm to school, is a set of strategies and activities that offer increased access to just, local foods to enhance the quality of educational experiences for young children in early care and education settings (e.g., preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start/Early Head Start, programs in K-12 school districts). In addition to promoting health, wellness, and high-quality educational opportunities, farm to ECE also expands healthy food access, encourages family and community engagement, provides additional market opportunities for farmers, and can support more equitable and resilient communities.
Join them in celebrating this milestone! Check out their two-part interview series with some of the original trailblazers of farm to ECE and new leaders in today’s movement, and find more farm to ECE resources, highlights, and opportunities.
Submit Farm to School Resources 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!
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