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Montana’s first pilot Farm to School program was implemented in August 2005 in the Missoula County Public School district (MCPS), which consists of 12 elementary and 5 high schools. Farm to School efforts in Montana were initiated by the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition in collaboration with other local organizations interested in strengthening Montana’s food system and assuring that all citizens have access to affordable, healthy foods. Since then Farm to School has grown in scope significantly, with Child Nutrition Directors statewide taking the lead on their own as well as partnering with diverse coalitions including state agencies, community-based organizations, and concerned citizens. These programs vary across the state, and range from schools that highlight seasonal Montana foods through special meal events to school districts that contract with farmers to purchase large volumes of their harvest. In-class Farm to School activities as well as garden-based education are completing more and more of these programs, and include everything from local food taste tests, cooking demonstrations, and farmer classroom visits, to on-site orchards, composting, as well as numerous schools with heated greenhouses. Much like other states, it has been the collaborative nature of these programs that has allowed some of Montana’s larger districts as well as some smaller, rural schools to develop Farm to School programs with integrated local food purchasing and experiential education activities.
The majority of Montana’s schools are very small, which has proven to be an asset in developing Farm to School as many still have kitchens that can prepare whole, local food and require smaller purchasing volumes which local producers can more easily supply. In some of Montana’s larger school districts we have seen entrepreneurial food processors step up to help serve the school market, innovative fundraising projects, and extensive professional development around these programs. Still, Montanans face significant challenges in redeveloping our local food system. Sixty years ago, seventy percent of the food Montanans ate was produced in state; today that number is down to about ten percent. Our export-based agricultural system has removed much of the local infrastructure needed to serve the school market with local food. But the benefits of Farm to School are broad, and resonate deeply with most of us, which is why we continue to make strides towards developing Farm to School programs and growing a new generation of food conscious Montanans. |
