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Volume 9, Issue 14, August 2023
Back to School Essentials: Farm to School Edition!
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is winding down and schools, families, and communities are busy preparing for a new school year. With the new school year comes new opportunities to see where farm to school fits into your program. From conducting local food taste tests and strengthening food service staff capacity to installing school gardens and expanding agriculture education curriculum, there are many possibilities for incorporating farm to school activities into the school year. Check out these Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program grantees and activities, which aim to increase access to local produce and agricultural education activities with students throughout the school year:
Old Grove Orange, a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Farm to School Grantee and family farm in California, is a pioneer in the farm to school movement. Old Grove Orange works with local school districts to financially support small, local farmers and to provide students with the most nutritious, delicious produce. Their grant funds went towards developing experience-based farm field trips for approximately 2,000 students from nearby schools. Through this project, students are able to experience the full scope of the farm to school movement: they engage in agricultural education, have access to local, fresh, and nutritious produce, and experience the inner workings of a local farm and its farmers.
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Florida Impact, a 2022 Farm to School Grantee, worked with Fort Braden School to implement what they coined as their “Farm to Fort” program. The grant funds helped create a multi-faceted program for students to engage in activities throughout the school year. Some highlights included taste tests, featuring seasonal radishes and sweet potatoes from local farmers in the fall of 2022. Then, with the help of community partners in February 2023, an orchard of fruit trees was planted in the outdoor classroom space and three raised garden beds were installed to grow tomatoes, jalapenos, and crooked neck squash. Florida Impact is excited to watch the Farm to Fort program continue to expand and hopes to encourage other schools to bring farm to school activities into their classrooms.
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Federal Hocking Local Schools (FHLS), a 2018 and FY 2020 Farm to School Grantee, is located in rural southeast Ohio and serves 1,117 students, from preschool through twelfth grade. FHLS started their fschool program in 2010 with the goal of increasing fresh and frozen local produce in their cafeterias. In addition to nutrition education and local food taste tests, their farm to school journey has emphasized the importance of increasing the capacity of stakeholders at the core of their program: food service staff. Through a series of professional development opportunities, food service staff met with their regional farm to school partners, learned how to plan seasonal menus, practiced knife skills, and visited a nearby school garden to find ways to incorporate school garden produce into cafeterias. The food service staff continue to meet periodically for additional development and peer learning opportunities.
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While these are just a few examples of how to incorporate farm to school activities into your program, the possibilities are truly endless. That is the great thing about farm to school, you are able create a program that is unique to your students and community! The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program has a variety of resources to help implement, sustain, and maintain your farm to school program.
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Farm to School Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement Request for Applications
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USDA Invests Nearly $30 Million to Boost School Nutrition in Small & Rural Communities through Partnership with Action for Healthy Kids
As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids recently awarded nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 States and the District of Columbia, reaching students in some of our nation’s highest need schools. Each small and/or rural school district received up to $150,000 to enhance school meals in a variety of ways, including improving the nutritional quality of school meals; reducing sodium and added sugars; implementing innovative practices in scratch cooking and nutrition education; and providing meals that reflect the diverse cultures of our nation’s students. USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean said, “These grants are the largest targeted investment USDA has ever made for school meal programs in small and rural communities. We want to ensure every child in America has the opportunity to attend a school with high quality, nutritious meals, and this support is a step in that direction.”
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USDA Supply Chain Study Shows Increases in Local Food Purchases for School Meals
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently released the results of the SFA Survey II on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation, which gathered information from School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating Child Nutrition Programs in schools on the impacts of continued supply chain disruptions and the return to standard school meal program operations during school year 2022–2023. Related to local food purchases the survey showed:
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A relationship between increasing scratch cooking and increasing local food purchases; among all SFAs that increased local food purchases, 39 percent increased scratch cooking.
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Nearly one-quarter of SFAs reported increasing purchases of local foods to address supply chain challenges, while just three percent of SFAs decreased local food purchases.
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Among SFAs that increased purchase of local foods, 71 percent reported that local foods were easier to find.
Modernizing SNAP Transactions with Local Farmers
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to about 42 million Americans in need each month. Through a recent partnership between USDA and National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP), direct marketing farmers are now able to accept SNAP payment online and SNAP participants can now purchase produce online from participating local farmers for pick-up or delivery. This is a great opportunity to help connect local farmers and SNAP participants to provide better access to fresh, locally grown produce!
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USDA FNS Administrator Long Visits Colorado Summer Food Service Program Site
USDA FNS Administrator Cindy Long recently visited Colorado to participate in the School Nutrition Association Annual Nutrition Conference. During the visit, Administrator Long made a visit to Evans Early Childhood Center in Fort Morgan, Colorado. This was an opportunity to see a State leader doing great work in farm to early childhood education. The center was started by Rosie and Brian Evans, a husband-and-wife team, in their home with 12 children and has since expanded into a new facility in a beautiful campus that serves 150 children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. The center was also among the first in the State to offer the non-congregate Summer Food Service Program option this summer to better serve their rural community.
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USDA Announces Investments in Urban Agriculture
The Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of investments in urban agriculture that will increase market access and revenue streams for producers while strengthening the food system and giving consumers better access to locally grown foods and healthier choices. This includes but is not limited to:
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17 new Urban Service Centers where producers can meet face-to-face with Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service employees to discuss their vision and goals and learn ways USDA can help.
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10 new Urban County Committees that are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allows grassroot input and location administration of federal farm programs. This brings the total of Urban County Committees to 27.
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Partnerships for outreach, guidance, and training to support offices.
USDA’s Actions to Advance Food and Nutrition Security – New Video and Blog Post
The USDA FNS is working to ensure all communities have access to foods that support good health and well-being. This focus on nutrition security builds on and complements our longstanding efforts to address food insecurity and emphasizes the co-existence of food insecurity and diet related diseases. This new video highlights how FNS nutrition assistance programs help all Americans thrive. Additionally, Dr. Caree Cotwright, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, recently published a blog post which summarizes USDA’s progress to date on advancing food and nutrition security and supporting American’s health.
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USDA People's Garden Webinar Series
The next segment of the monthly USDA People’s Garden webinar series will focus on Climate-Smart Agriculture. See examples of how gardens across the country thrive in challenging environmental conditions and learn how to manage unwanted species in gardens. Register here and visit People’s Garden website to view past webinar recordings.
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If you get the chance to visit the flagship People’s Garden outside the USDA headquarters in Washington, DC, check out the new Farm to School sign, which outlines how USDA encourages serving local foods in schools and teaching kids about agriculture. |
Institute of Child Nutrition Webinar on Procuring Local Foods
Join the Institute of Child Nutrition on August 31 at 3:00 PM ET for a webinar on procuring local foods. The webinar aims to equip school nutrition professionals with effective procurement practices for incorporating locally sourced foods into the school meal programs. It will feature strategies for sourcing local foods, establishing community partnerships, and addressing procurement challenges.
School Garden Support Organization Network Open House
Join the School Garden Support Organization for a webinar on August 24 at 2:00 PM ET to learn more how they support school garden programming across the country. Attendees will get a taste of the network’s goals: to connect members with one another and continually gather feedback on what school garden stakeholders need to be successful in their programs. There will be time for networking and to engage in a listening session to share school garden challenges, needs, and solutions.
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Snapshot of Farm to ECE State Recognition Programs
Farm to early care and education (ECE) recognition programs can uplift ECE educators or food producers who are implementing Farm to ECE programs and creating healthy, nurturing ECE environments for young children. Association of State Public Health Nutritionists reviewed costs and benefits of four farm to ECE recognition programs and their respective logistics in this 2023 Snapshot of Farm to ECE State Recognition Programs.
Webinar on Farm to Early Childhood in New England: The Current Landscape and Collaborative Strategizing
Join Farm to Institution new England for a webinar on September 19 at 1:00 PM ET on the New England Farm to Early Childhood Project. Take a deeper dive into the recommendations and opportunities identified in a recently published ecosystem assessment and lead a group strategizing session about how to move farm to early childhood work forward.
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Impact Report on USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Program
The Wallace Center recently released a report detailing the impact of USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA). The report highlights the valuable insights provided by LFPA implementers such as farmers, food hubs, food banks, and other food distribution organizations. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the different models and approaches used by other LFPA initiatives across the country. Related to local foods in schools, one of the key drivers of success and impact identified in the report was: using LFPA to build capacity with farmers and regional value chains to serve other institutional markets such as schools and hospitals.
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USDA Releases Equipment Assistance Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity for Schools
USDA recently released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) announcing the distribution of $30 million provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (PL 117-328), to State agencies to competitively award Equipment Assistance Grants to eligible school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The Equipment Assistance Grants will be especially effective in supporting SFAs by enabling them to meet equipment needs, which can help them process, prepare, and serve, more healthy local foods in their meal programs.
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USDA Mobile Application Cooperative Agreement Connecting SNAP with Farmers and Markets
This cooperative agreement will enable direct marketing farmers and farmers markets that are authorized to accept SNAP benefits to determine whether adding SNAP to their business model has a positive cost-benefit value. The cooperative agreement also aims to provide SNAP recipients with greater access to farmers operating at physical farmers market and other direct marketing avenues (e.g., roadside stands, pick-your-own). The cooperator will assist farmers and markets in becoming SNAP authorized and support transaction processing through outreach, technical assistance, and a secure SNAP Mobile Transaction Processing Application. Applications are due September 5, 2023.
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USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program
The application period is now open for the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. Borrowers can apply online or through a paper-based form. Resources including an English and Spanish language application, e-filing portal, and information on how to receive in-person or virtual technical assistance are available at 22007apply.gov. Applicants can also call the free call center at 1-800-721-0970 or visit one of the brick-and-mortar offices the program has set up around the country. Filing an application is FREE and does not require a lawyer. Applications are due October 31, 2023.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).
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