National Media Coverage

5 Farm-to-School Marketing Tips by Rachael Brugger. Hobby Farms. Published 10/19/2011.
This month, farmers and schools across the U.S. are celebrating the U.S.’s first National Farm to School Month. Thanks to a resolution approved by Congress in November 2010. Farm-to-school programs connect K-12 schools with local farms to provide farm-fresh foods for school meals. These programs not only aim to improve child nutrition and provide health and nutrition education Read the entire article.

Farm to School:Implementing Farm to School Activities School Food Service Professionals Working with by USDA. USDA. Published 10/13/2011.
Implementing Farm to School Activities School Food Service Professionals Working with Farmers Create a Farm to School Plan or Vision Establishing a plan or vision for your Farm to School efforts will help ensure success. There are many resources available to assist you in developing a Farm to School plan/vision. Read the entire article.

District 191 buying fresh, locally grown produce by Michael Ricci. Sun Newspapers. Published 09/28/2011.
Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191 officials have begun an effort to foster higher academic achievement, but the effort is not a classroom venture. Read the entire article.

Voices from the field: Charlotte Gamblin talks about starting a farm to school program by Admin. About Harvest. Published 09/26/2011.
Interest in Missouri around farm to school is catching on. Hear from a local food service director who is starting up a program for several schools in her district. Missouri Farm to School and Missouri Farm to Institution (FTS/FTI) are projects of the Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition (MoCAN). Missouri Farm to School seeks to increase access to locally grown foods in order to strengthen the health, well-being and economic security of all communities and family farmers. Read the entire article.

Celebrate Farm to School Month With the ‘Food, Inc.’ Book by Max Follmer. Take Part. Published 09/26/2011.
It’s hard to believe that October is right around the corner. And this October is pretty special, because it marks the first ever National Farm-to-School Month, celebrating the growing number of farms that are working to supply the schools in their area with fresh and local produce and food. Read the entire article.

Organic Valley Farm to School time at the Skagit Co-op by Jodie Buller. Skagit Co-op. Published 09/16/2011.
We were honored to host a Wednesday afternoon visit from Organic Valley friend Carlee, up from Portland with her husband and daughter to sample out some OV cheeses and talk about their September fundraiser - every OV cheese purchase at Co-ops this month sends $1 to the National Farm To School Program. Read the entire article.

October is National Farm to School Month! by Cornell University. Cornell University Farm to School Extension Research Program. Published 09/06/2011.
In November 2010, Congress approved a resolution introduced by Representative Rush Holt (NJ) to officially designate October as National Farm to School Month. To celebrate the first National Farm to School Month, schools across the country will be inviting farmers and chefs to visit their school during the month of October. Read the entire article.

Best Back-to-School Lunches by Miriam Kresh. Green Prophet. Published 08/29/2011.
In the U.S., efforts such as the Farm to School movement integrate food and nutrition education in the classroom. Through their efforts, more American children eat fresh local foods in school cafeterias, and local farmers benefit too. Read the entire article.

From Pears to Pumpkins, Schools offer more produce. by Tom Karst. THE PACKER. Published 08/29/2011.
More servings of fruits and vegetables are part of the back-to-school menu for U.S. school foodservice directors. More than 30% of schools already have “farm to school” programs and still increasing. Read the entire article.

A Closer Look at the 2012 Farm Bill by Aliza Wasserman. The Jew and the Carrot. Published 08/25/2011.
While headlines about the Farm Bill focus on the role of commodity subsidies in creating the ubiquity of processed foods in the U.S. (and increasingly in the global) food system, on the final day of the 2011 Hazon Food Conference, some of the most passionate and committed members of what some are calling the “new Jewish food movement” got a deeper look at the details of the policy landscape that shapes the way the U.S. food system functions and influences the rest of the globe. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Goes Direct - Wide by CB Staff. The PEAK online. Published 08/24/2011.
Factory food took over most American schools in a rolling, greasy wave of chicken nuggets and highly processed everything over the last few decades. Now obesity and childhood diabetes reach epidemic proportions across the United States and family farming is facing the greatest decline of all occupations in America. In response, Farm to School programs popped up to support healthier school lunches. Finally, real ingredients, fresh food, and spices like cumin, cilantro, and garlic are making their return to the cafeteria tray, and kids are learning about where their food comes from. Read the entire article.

Food’s New Foot Soldiers by Mark Bittman. New York Times: Opinionator . Published 08/23/2011.
FoodCorps, which started last week, is symbolic of just what we need: a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children, develop school gardening projects and change what’s being served on school lunch trays. Read the entire article.

FoodCorps Creates Jobs, Community, and Healthy Food. by Kelly McCartney. SHaReAaBLe. Published 08/22/2011.
When President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act into law in 1993, he introduced the concept of community service to a new generation of young people through the flagship AmeriCorps program. Now, in the same grand tradition, a new project has been launched: "FoodCorps," The goal, here, is to build “a nation of well-nourished children: children who know what healthy food is, how it grows and where it comes from, and who have access to it every day.” To that end, FoodCorps outlines three key tasks for its Service Members: 1) Deliver hands-on nutrition education 2) Build and tend school gardens 3) Bring high-quality local food into public school cafeterias This a sound investment in a healthy future and gives our kids a chance to beat back the painful and costly epidemic of diet related disease. Among the founding team members are Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, the two guys behind the Peabody-winning documentary King Corn. They are joined by: Eschmeyer: who have worked at Slow Food USA, the "National Farm to School Network," and the Montana FoodCorps. Combined, they bring a solid pedigree of food activism to the program. Read the entire article.

Goodbye, Mystery Meat? School Lunches Get More Healthful by Allison Aubrey. NPR. Published 08/18/2011.
Kids may claim that Tater Tots are the only edible food in the school cafeteria, but in reality, school lunches are getting more healthful. And where does this fresh food come from? Farm-to-school initiatives are in the works at 70 percent of school districts. Read the entire article.

Audio: Interview with Debra Eschmeyer by Jane Black. Smart Food / Edible Radio. Published 08/18/2011.
In this episode of Smart Food, hosted by Jane Black, Debra Eschmeyer who is the Founder of Food Core, speaks about her newest program that brings Farm-to-Schools starting in August 2011. The concept behind Food Core is to provide nutritional education, school gardens and high quality fresh food to local community schools. So far, 10 states are participating in this program. Listen here to this podcast by Edible Radio. Read the entire article.

First lady earns James Beard Leadership Award by Tim Carman. The Washinton Post. Published 08/10/2011.
First Lady Michelle Obama was one of 10 people selected today for the James Beard Foundation’s inaugural Leadership Awards, handed out to activists, educators and business leaders who help create a “healthier, safer and more sustainable food world,” according to a release. Read the entire article.

Farm-to-school programs teach Kentucky kids how to eat healthier by Jessie Halladay. USA Today. Published 07/26/2011.
Taylor is part of a group of students who participated in a farm-to-school program that started last year with help from a state grant that was awarded to three Kentucky counties. Ten more counties were awarded grants of $5,400 in June from federal stimulus funds to start programs that incorporate healthy foods into the classrooms and cafeteria through partnerships with local farmers. Read the entire article.

Start ’em early: Preschoolers to grow new gardening program by Dennis Fujimoto. The Garden Island. Published 07/20/2011.
18 schools are participating in the recently launched Farm to Preschool Program on Kaua'i Island. The program is one of four Communities Putting Prevention to Work projects being funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is coordinated by Malama Kaua'i. For more information, visit www.malamakauai.org. Read the entire article.

10 state budget cuts that might surprise you by Jake Ellison. KPIU. Published 07/15/2011.
The Domestic Marketing Program at the Department of Agriculture was eliminated. This includes the Farm-to-School Program, which was dedicated to fostering relationships between schools and agricultural producers in Washington State, and the Small Farm Direct Marketing Assistance Program. (Amount saved: $911,000) Read the entire article.

USDA launches pilot program aimed at getting more food from local farms into school cafeterias by STEVE KARNOWSKI . Newser. Published 07/13/2011.
The popularity of farm-to-school programs that put locally grown food on cafeteria trays has exploded in recent years _ so much so that the federal agency in charge of school lunches is giving them a new stamp of approval. Read the entire article.

USDA Seeks Ways to Boost Farm-to-School Programs by STEVE KARNOWSKI. ABC News. Published 07/13/2011.
The popularity of farm-to-school programs that put locally grown food on cafeteria trays has exploded in recent years — so much so that the federal agency in charge of school lunches is giving them a new stamp of approval. Read the entire article.

USDA Launches Fresh Produce Program for Florida, Michigan Schools. USDA. Published 07/12/2011.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will conduct a pilot for acquiring fresh fruits and vegetables to build on farm-to-school programs in Florida and Michigan. The pilot will use commercial distribution models already in place and allow schools to obtain locally grown produce. Read the entire article.

Organic Valley and National Cooperative Grocers Assocation Join Forces to Improve School Lunch. CROPP Cooperative. Published 06/30/2011.
Organic Valley, the nation’s oldest organic farmer-owned cooperative, and National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), a business services cooperative serving 120 consumer-owned food co-ops nationwide, today announced they are joining forces to improve school lunch. Read the entire article.

An interview with Stacey Sobell and Tracy Harding by Jeff Golden. Immense Possibilities. Published 06/15/2011.
An interview with Stacey Sobell and Tracy Harding Read the entire article.

Farm to School: Digging Up the Roots of Childhood Obesit. Living Green Magazine. Published 05/30/2011.
The childhood obesity rate has been on the rise since the 1970s, and current statistics indicate nearly one-third of American children are obese and overweight. The ever-increasing pace of modern life is partly to blame, with more and more of us relying on the convenience of fast food. But because the causes of childhood obesity stem from many different factors, the issue remains largely unsolved. Newly developing farm-to-fork school lunch programs across the country aim to change just that. Read the entire article.

Excerpts from the Future of Food conference. The Washinton Post. Published 05/10/2011.
They were among the 30 speakers at the Washington Post Live Future of Food conference last week, many of whom talked about a growing food movement, about rising demands that more Americans — especially the poor — have access to fresh food and that big commercial farmers should not be allowed to pollute the water system with pesticides or feed animals vast amounts of antibiotics.  Read the entire article.

Missoula Children. . Published 05/05/2011.
Celebrate local food with the Coyote Choir of Missoula, Montana! Read the entire article.

Kids dig (for) real food by Jenn Savedge. Mother Nature Network. Published 05/03/2011.
What's the best way to get kids to eat real food? Get them involved in the process of putting food on the table. The closer they are to the root of that process, the better chance they have of recognizing, trying and even liking the food on their plate. Cooking with kids is a great start. Even better: gardening with kids so they can see where their food is coming from. That's the general idea behind a new contest that aims to teach kids about real food by rewarding one lucky school with a Farm to School program or a school garden. The contest is called Root 4 Kids. Read the entire article.

Karst chat with USDA's Janey Thornton: how "geographic preference" will work with school meals by Tom Karst. The Packer. Published 04/27/2011.
A conversation with about the new geographic preference rule with Janey Thornton, Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Read the entire article.

Eating Fresh Here: Farm to School Systems Change by Deb Bentzel. Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Blog. Published 04/18/2011.
Food systems movers and shakers have long been stymied about how to make locally grown foods, especially fresh produce more accessible, available, and affordable for low-income city dwellers. At the heart of this challenge is fairness. Farmers cannot lower their prices if they want to remain in business and low-income communities should not have to forego food that is affordable, delicious, nutritious, and stimulates the local economy. Fair Food, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia, has spent the past 10 years working to better connect the region’s farmers with the wholesale marketplace. Read the entire article.

Farm to School? How About Farm to Summer Camp by Daniel Klein. The Huffington Post. Published 04/13/2011.
Youth farm isn't your typical summer camp playing basketball or swimming, instead, these kids learn how to garden, cook (and of course play games). It sounds a little strange, but its a unique program that kids love, it gets them outdoors and they learn where their food comes from and how to enjoy it. I filmed some of their activities over a couple months last summer, and did some cooking with the kids as well... this week's episode is a culmination of that. Kids and food are a great and entertaining combination so I hope you enjoy watching this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. Read the entire article.

Food Corps Gets Kids (and Recent Grads) Into Gardens by Sara Beladi. NBC Washington. Published 04/10/2011.
With growing public interest in locally raised food and garden based-education, FoodCorps -- an offshoot of AmeriCorps -- has captured the attention of hundreds of young adults, many of whom are recent graduates. Starting this summer, the organization will place young adults in high-obesity communities for a year-long term of service, during which they will work to develop farm-to-school chains, build and tend school gardens and implement nutrition education. Read the entire article.

Schools, Farmers Team Up With Fresh Foods by Shlomit Auciello. Heral Gazette. Published 04/08/2011.
A federal program designed to address childhood obesity by helping children learn more healthful eating habits, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is inspiring local schools to create a variety of programs. Read the entire article.

Ultimate Food Fight Erupts as Feds Recook School Lunch Rules by Nirvi Shah. Education Week. Published 04/05/2011.
Across the country, school cafeteria managers, farm lobbyists, food companies, celebrity chefs, students, and parents have started the ultimate food fight. The skirmish is over the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s efforts, prompted by the recent passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, to rewrite the rules about meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. At stake is what will and won’t be offered in the breakfasts and lunches schools serve millions of children every weekday. In the Burlington, Vt., schools, Food Service Director Doug Davis said his 4,000-student district has easily incorporated orange and dark-green vegetables into menus, in part because of a farm-to-school program that emphasizes local produce. Read the entire article.

Annie's Urges Support for USDA's Push for More Veggies in School Lunches. CNBC. Published 03/18/2011.
More servings of veggies for kids in school lunches? Yes, please! Now through April 11, Annie's is asking kids, parents and schools to respond to the USDA's recent call for a dramatic change in school lunches - including increasing the number of servings and variety of vegetables offered to students - by sharing letters and pictures of support. Read the entire article.

Vote for your favorite new school lunch recipe by Nanci Hellmich. USA Today. Published 03/09/2011.
You can vote for your favorite new school lunch recipe starting today at recipesforkidschallenge.com. As part of first lady Michelle Obama's Recipes for Healthy Kids competition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture challenged teams of school professionals, chefs, students and community members to come up with new recipes that would fit into the school lunch program. Read the entire article.

From Farm to Classroom. Yoga Journal. Published 03/05/2011.
Many of the nation's schoolchildren don't know where food comes from and don't get to see fresh foods in their raw form, says Anupama Joshi, the co-director of the National Farm to School Network, an organization that promotes relationships between elementary and high schools and local farms. Read the entire article.

Jan Poppendieck: Rethinking School Food for the 21st Century by Max Follmer. Take Part. Published 02/24/2011.
Jan Poppendieck teaches sociology at Hunter College, City University of New York. Her book Free for All: Fixing School Food in America (University of California Press, 2010) is a comprehensive overview of the mess our nation's school lunch program is in today. Free for All explores the history of school lunches in America, documents the financial and policy constraints that determine what kids eat, and presents her vision of a system that provides healthy, affordable and fresh food for the nation's students. Read the entire article.

Immigrants and food: Another way to shape the national conversation by Robert Gottlieb. Mercury News. Published 02/21/2011.
How do we get beyond the hostility and negative associations regarding immigrants and shine a light on their contributions to our economy and culture? One way is to see how immigrants provide for a healthier and more diverse food system. Read the entire article.

Professor Robert Gottlieb discusses his book, "Food Justice" . Food First. Published 02/15/2011.
Professor Robert Gottlieb discusses his book, "Food Justice" co-authored with Anupama Joshi, who is the co-director of the National Farm to School Network Read the entire article.

America by Lizzie Simon. The Huffington Post. Published 02/15/2011.
Ask a group of school kids about "mystery meat" and they may have no idea what you're talking about, not if they're on the feeding end of national and local efforts to transform school lunch programs. A genuine movement is afoot at schools to create better, more nutritional meals for kids using produce from local farmers, and in many cases, from gardens the students help create and maintain themselves. Read the entire article.

First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates the First Year of 'Let's Move!' by Honey Berk. Parent Dish. Published 02/09/2011.
Today marks the first anniversary of Let's Move!, the comprehensive initiative launched last year by first lady Michelle Obama with the goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation. Read the entire article.

Happy Anniversary Let's Move! FoodCorps Recruiting First Class of Service Members by Debra Eschmeyer . The Huffington Post. Published 02/08/2011.
When I was at the White House Childhood Obesity Forum in April 2010, one of the First Lady's statements truly resonated with me: "What we have done is start a national conversation. But we need your help to propel that conversation into a national response." Ask and ye shall receive. This week, FoodCorps, a brand new and much anticipated national service organization, opens applications for its first class of service members. Read the entire article.

Episode 69 Smart Food - Debra Eschmeyer . Edible Radio. Published 02/07/2011.
On this episode of Smart Food, Debra explains how Food Corps will help bring local food to schools and why spreading the good-food message beyond the farmers-market crowd is so important. Read the entire article.

So You Want to Find a Food Internship: A Job-Seeking Guide by Helene York. The Atlantic. Published 01/31/2011.
Besides volunteering to gain experience, participating in campus food issues and, of course, becoming a chef, what other thoughts could I share to help guide our next wave of food advocates? Here are some of my favorites: Read the entire article.

School Nutrition Update by Aliza Wasserman. The Jewish Daily Forward. Published 01/27/2011.
In December, President Obama signed the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR), known as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which helps fight child hunger through federally funded school meals and nutrition programs. Though the bill far from perfect, it is a major step in reversing the trend which has left American public school students being served some of the least healthy, most industrial, processed and frankly tasteless, food one can find in the US food system. Although these standards apply to public schools across the nation, the problem exists in private Jewish day schools as well. Read the entire article.

Bill calls for tax breaks to small produce operations by The Packer. Don Schrack . Published 01/27/2011.
Congressman Joe Baca, D-Calif., has introduced the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grower Tax Incentive Act, a bill that would provide a $10,000 tax credit for produce growers with less than $500,000 in farm income. The bill targets small farmers, especially those in more urban settings, Lowrey said, and “could mean among other things more urban farmers’ markets, which would make it easier for consumers to connect with existing Farm to School programs.” Read the entire article.

The Lunch Love Community . Mother Nature Network. Published 01/27/2011.
The Lunch Love Community Documentary Project is a series of short videos that chronicle Berkeley’s lunch program. Each three- to six-minute “bite-sized” video looks at a different aspect of how Berkeley continues to advance its school lunch program with healthy meals for all students in the district. Read the entire article.

The School Food Tour: Pedaling for School Nutrition by Imelda March. Daily Pelotron. Published 01/21/2011.
The School Food Tour (SFT) is a self-supported, coast-to-coast bicycle tour that aims to encourage students to advocate for more wholesome school meals. The organization plans to engage young individuals through classroom sessions, farm visits, and group bike rides along a 6,000-mile route. Read the entire article.

USDA Announces New Updates to the ''U.S. Food Environment Atlas'' . MMD Newswire. Published 01/19/2011.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted updates to an online mapping tool that compares U.S. counties in terms of their "food environment" - the set of factors that help determine and reflect a community's access to affordable, healthy food. Read the entire article.

How Will the New USDA Guidelines Improve School Lunch? by Brie Cadman . Change.org. Published 01/14/2011.
And end to french fries in the school lunch line? Probably not, but a yesterday, the United States Department of Agriculture announced it will upgrade nutritional standards for the National School Lunch and Breakfast program, for the first time in 15 years. Read the entire article.

Ag Department Looks to Cap Calories in School Meals, Impose New Standards . Fox News. Published 01/13/2011.
Instead of burritos, serve jicama. Instead of hot dogs, serve whole wheat spaghetti. Instead of tater tots, serve baked sweet potato fries. Those are just a few of the recommendations the U.S. Department of Agriculture made Thursday as it unveiled a new set of regulations for school meals, taking the first step toward implementing a sweeping child nutrition bill signed into law last month. The proposed rules would set a host of new standards for federally subsidized lunches and breakfasts, requiring more whole grains and far less salt, bringing more fruits and vegetables into the cafeteria and for the first time putting a cap on the caloric content in school food. Read the entire article.

From the Farm to Ferrisburgh School. . Published 01/11/2011.
A great video about Ferrisburgh Central School's farm to school program, which includes a school garden. Read the entire article.

The Growing Fresh Food Movement by Alexandra Gross. E Magazine. Published 01/11/2011.
Individuals and grassroots organizations in rural and urban areas are on a mission to provide good food to people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Read the entire article.

NC Farm To School Child Nutrition Director Survey Results. 2011.. NC Farm To School Child Nutrition Director Survey Results. 2011.. Published 00/01/2011.
NC Farm To School Child Nutrition Director Survey Results. 2011. This survey was conducted over a two-week period. Seventy surveys were completed... Most questions allowed for multiple answers. Responses are listed in order from highest response to lowest. Read the entire article.

New FoodCorps Will Get Food Into Kids and Kids Into Gardens by Laura Smith-Gary. care2. Published 12/29/2010.
Across the country, young people have been getting into the "real food" act, from advocating for sustainable, ethical, local food on their college campuses to fighting for justice for farmworkers to ditching their Williamsburg apartments and becoming farmers. Read the entire article.

Cooking up more healthful school meals by Chidinma Okparanta. Washington Post. Published 12/23/2010.
Eme Akonawe is one of 54 students at Laurel High who soon will get the opportunity to create healthier meals for Prince George's County schools by forming Culinary and Healthful Enhancement Food, or CHEF, teams as part of a countywide competition. The teams will follow U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which include limiting saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories. Read the entire article.

Featured: FOOD JUSTICE by Gottlieb and Joshi by Chris Smith. Englewood Review of Books. Published 12/23/2010.
Book Review - Offering a broad view of contemporary food issues, Food Justice is a superb introduction to thinking holistically about the food we eat. Although it spares no punches in illuminating the problems in the American food system and how these problems have developed over the last century (or more), it is ultimately hopeful in its belief that we can develop a more just and sustainable food system. Read the entire article.

Fixing School Lunch by Charles Stuart Platkin. WBAY Greenbay. Published 12/22/2010.
Part two of a two-part interview with Dr. Janet Poppendieck,an expert on school food. She is a sociologist, professor at Hunter College and author of a new book called Free for All: Fixing School Food in America (University of California Press, 2010). Read the entire article.

Angry About Bad School Lunches? You Can Go Help by Cecily Upton. MSN - GOOD. Published 12/22/2010.
This is not a story about the problem. It is a story about the solution. Because we’ve got to do something – something big – when one in three kids is obese or overweight and their life expectancy is less than that of their parents. Well, put on your Carharts and lace-up your Red Wings, because FoodCorps is coming to town. Read the entire article.

Five myths about school food by Janet Poppendieck. Washington Post. Published 12/17/2010.
The fight over how and what we feed our kids at school is a complex one; clear thinking about what we need is often hampered by persistent myths. Read the entire article.

The "How," "What" and "Why" of School Lunch by Charles Stuart Platkin. WBAY Greenbay. Published 12/15/2010.
Part one of a two-part interview with Dr. Janet Poppendieck,an expert on school food. She is a sociologist, professor at Hunter College and author of a new book called Free for All: Fixing School Food in America (University of California Press, 2010). Read the entire article.

School Lunch Victory by Anupama Joshi and Robert Gottlieb. Other Words. Published 12/13/2010.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of thousands of people who are working hard to get America's schools to serve healthier food, including First Lady Michelle Obama, the $4.5 billion "Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act 2010" prevailed in the lame-duck session of Congress. The new law marks a key step toward potentially transforming the food served in America's public schools. Read the entire article.

Congress Prioritizes Farm to School Connection by Lisa Kivirist. Hobby Farms. Published 12/11/2010.
In a part of the bill that provides particular interest to small-scale farmers, Congress also made a first-time investment in farm to school programs, which connect K-12 schools with farmers’ fresh, locally grown food. While grassroots organizations have made laudable efforts over the years to increase fresh, local food in schools, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will provide $40 million of funding to significantly expand farm to school efforts. Read the entire article.

National Farm to School Month Designated. Food Safety News . Published 12/07/2010.
Beginning in 2011, October will be National Farm to School Month. The designation, proposed in H. RES. 1655 and introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), was approved last month by the House of Representatives. The resolution aims to encourage direct farm to school programs nationally, which should in turn bolster local agricultural economies and improve school nutrition, explained Beth Feehan, director of the New Jersey Farm to School Network. Read the entire article.

Stick a Fork in It: Pass The Child Nutrition Act by Debra Eschmeyer. Huffington Post. Published 11/22/2010.
We are preparing for the most thoroughly planned meal in America, and it's not Thanksgiving dinner. It's school lunch. Read the entire article.

Yamaguchi, Okimoto highlight ‘Grow Hawaii Challenge’ by Joleen Oshiro. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Published 11/09/2010.
Read the entire article.

The Latest on Getting Healthy Munches in School Lunches by Meredith Barnett. National Education Association. Published 10/21/2010.
Mystery meat has left the building. In school lunchrooms across the country, students are filling their cafeteria trays with more fresh produce and award-winning nutritional entrees as schools change the way they approach nutrition. Chefs and community members are coming to the table — bolstered by national initiatives like Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign — giving more school administrators and cafeteria workers the necessary tools to help foster students’ healthy eating habits. Read the entire article.

Deploying an Army to Fix School Meals by Debra Eschmeyer. Zester Daily. Published 10/18/2010.
Two programs -- school gardens and Farm to School -- are particularly effective, and that's where FoodCorps comes in. Working in school districts suffering disproportionate rates of childhood obesity, FoodCorps service members will build and tend school gardens, conduct nutrition education and facilitate Farm to School programming that brings local, high-quality food into schools. The program will at once serve vulnerable children by improving access to healthy, affordable school meals, while also training a cadre of leaders for careers in food and agriculture. Read the entire article.

Better Beef, It’s What’s For Lunch? Kids in Four of the Nation’s Largest School Districts Are Served by Ralph Loglisci. Center for a Livable Future (blog). Published 10/18/2010.
California’s Oakland Unified School District, San Diego Public Schools, Portland Public Schools, and Denver Public Schools receive praise as four FOCUS districts that organized and participated in Better Beef Days by serving sustainably raised beef to students during National School Lunch Week, October 11-15, 2010. Read the entire article.

Presidential Proclamation--National School Lunch Week by President. The White House. Published 10/08/2010.
To provide more fruits, vegetables, and other fresh and nutritious foods for school meals, the USDA is also working to develop farm-to-school partnerships with local farmers, States, localities, tribal authorities, school districts, and community organizations. The USDA Farm to School Team is helping to provide quality foods in school menus, to increase markets for local farms, and to teach young people of all ages about the source of the food they enjoy. To enable school cafeterias across our Nation to prepare these healthy foods, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded the purchase of new food service equipment such as salad bars, and the replacement of aging or outdated appliances such as deep fryers. Read the entire article.

Rethinking School Lunch by Eatocracy. CNN. Published 09/27/2010.
Chef Todd Gray is taking on what he describes as "his toughest customers yet" - the students of Washington D.C. public schools. Gray is part of the "Chefs Move to School," a program in search of healthier school meals and pioneered by Assistant White House chef and Senior Policy Adviser For Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass. Read the entire article.

Local Teacher Publishes Holistic Food Curriculum by Joe Orso. LaCrosse Tribune. Published 08/29/2010.
Read the entire article.

Farm To School Program Part of New Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act by Richard Garcia. The Examiner. Published 08/09/2010.
The Senate passed legislation last week aimed at reducing childhood obesity and strengthening programs dedicated to improving children's' nutrition. The Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act will provide $4.5 billion to improving the National School Lunch Program and establish new national nutritional standards to help children eat healthier foods at school. One part of this bill is the Farm-to-School program which brings local foods into cafeterias and establish school gardens. Read the entire article.

Senate Passes Child Nutrition Bill. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Published 08/05/2010.
On Thursday, August 5, the Senate passed a child nutrition program re-authorization bill by unanimous consent. The bill provides a 6-cent per meal increase in school lunch reimbursements, expands school meal eligibility, and establishes stronger nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. It also includes $40 million in mandatory funding for the Farm to School competitive grants program, a measure that NSAC has helped champion. Read the entire article.

A conversation with Marion Kalb. Queens of Green. Published 07/31/2010.
Marion Kalb, Program Director, National Farm to School talks about the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and First Lady Michelle Obama. Read the entire article.

House committee passes 'Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act' by Krista Simmons. LA Times. Published 07/16/2010.
On Thursday the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act" was passed by the House Education and Labor Committee, bringing the nation's kids one bite closer to the possibility of more nutritious meals. Read the entire article.

Child Nutrition with Farm to School Passes House Committee. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Published 07/15/2010.
On Thursday, July 15, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the child nutrition reauthorization bill authored by Chairman George Miller (D-CA) (Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, H.R. 5504) by a vote of 32 -13 with Republicans Todd Platts (PA), Michael Castle (DE), and Vernon Ehlers (MI) joining all of the Democratic members of the committee in supporting the bill. The bill includes $50 million in mandatory funding over five years for farm to school programs nationwide and incorporates language very similar to Rep. Rush Holt’s (D-NJ) Farm to School Improvements Act that NSAC strongly supports. Read the entire article.

Senate Committee Adopts Ag Spending Bill. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Published 07/15/2010.
Read the entire article.

Briefing addresses methods to combat growing prediabetes incidence. Endocrine Today. Published 07/14/2010.
Julie Paradis, administrator for food and nutrition services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, outlined the agency’s current and future efforts. She said the passing of a robust childhood nutrition act is needed to improve the health and well-being of U.S. youth. She discussed several soon-to-be-implemented improvements in school nutrition, including the reduction of barriers preventing children from participating in nutrition programs; improving meal quality; increasing school reimbursement; expanding direct certification to make more children eligible for free or reduced-price meals; diversifying school breakfast and summer food service programs; providing school meal report card to parents to help them guide their child’s food choices; and forging a stronger farm-to-school link to help local produce providers. Read the entire article.

SNA Conference Opens with Guest from The White House by Bill Bailey. The Food Channel. Published 07/12/2010.
Chef Geraci talked about his experience with the Farm to School program. “It’s so important to connect kids to the origins of food,” Geraci said. In his Baltimore program he has students that plant, grow, harvest, cook and serve foods from a garden at Great Kids Farm. Read the entire article.

Celebrity Chef and Army General Urge Congress to Fix School Lunch by Christine Binder. Slow Food USA. Published 07/04/2010.
Most of the legislators present for a hearing on the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 seemed in favor of implementing Farm to School programs and removing junk food from schools. Those are great steps forward, but they’re only partial victories if the Child Nutrition Bill doesn’t receive full funding. Right now, the National School Lunch Program leaves schools with about $1.00 for each meal’s ingredients. This bill would add six cents – not enough to give every child access to a healthy meal. Read the entire article.

 Merrigan on Farm to School program by Beverley Kreul . Brownfield Ag News. Published 06/16/2010.
The USDA is increasing its efforts to educate students about where their food comes from through the agency’s Farm to School educational program. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan says educating youth is the first step to educating the public.

“Bringing it all together at that young age, so kids understand that food really doesn’t come from a grocery store, there is this connection to rural America that at a very young age is strong and that will then when they grow up will make a difference to them as voters and make a difference to where they decide to settle families,” said Merrigan. Read the entire article.

Michelle Obama's push to cut kids' obesity by Neil Peirce. Denver Post. Published 06/14/2010.
Can we really slim down the next generation of Americans, help our school children shed the extra pounds that could spell lifetimes with high prospects of type 2 diabetes or heart problems?

Michelle Obama is trying hard to reach parents with her "Let's Move" campaign. Scientific evidence is being mustered. The link to America's military preparedness is being made. As Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., wrote recently to the first lady, nearly a third of 17- to 24-year-olds are unfit for military service due to their weight or lack of fitness. Read the entire article.

School Nutrition Explores Farm-to-School Programs. School Nutrition Association News. Published 06/11/2010.
Are you considering working to implement a farm-to-school program in your district? The June/July issue of School Nutrition, SNA’s award-winning flagship publication, walks you through the steps for deciding whether such a program is right for your school meals operation, as well as for implementing best practices. Read the entire article.

Congressman proposes $8 billion for child nutrition by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 06/10/2010.
Many advocates cheered the proposed increase in funding. The sustainable agriculture lobby cheered $50 million in mandatory funding for farm-to-school programs. The School Nutrition Association applauded the new professional standards for cafeteria workers. Read the entire article.

 The NEW Farmer by Beverly & Sean Corvino. The NEW Farmer. Published 06/01/2010.
The NEW Farmer's Voice short is a documentary of a young couple's desire to sucessfully work a family farm in Scotland, CT. Erica and Chris Andrews have received enthusiastic support from their neighbors for their diverse products. They are using the CSA model (Community Supported Agriculture) to provide locally-produced food for their community--meat, vegetables, honey, eggs, maple syrup and more! With this follow-up to 'The Farmer's Voice' (2006), filmmakers Beverly and Sean Corvino follow the Andrews family as they describe how fulfilling it is to be NEW farmers, raising a family and working the land on Hurricane Farm. Read the entire article.

Bringing Better Food to Public Schools, One Farm at a Time by Chi Ewusi. Global Shift. Published 05/27/2010.
At the last Farm to Cafeteria Conference held in Detroit, Michigan last week, keynote speaker Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Agriculture reassured America that the health of our children is a top priority. Obesity prevention is a legitimate undertaking of the Obama Administration (specifically the cause of our First Lady) and it all starts with what you put on their plates in that multi-purpose room. Read the entire article.

Last week's National Farm to School conference draws 700, showcases city's food system innovations by Kelli B. Kavanaugh. Model D. Published 05/25/2010.
More than 700 food activists, farmers, school administrators and city officials packed the Renaissance Center from May 17 to 19 for the fifth annual National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Hosted by the National Farm to School Network, attendees were immersed in the politics and logistics of incorporating fresh, local food into school meals. Read the entire article.

A ripe market by Renee Stern. The Grower. Published 05/24/2010.
Opportunities in the expanding school food markets are ripe for growers to explore. “This is the peak era,” says Anupama Joshi, program director for the National Farm to School Program in Los Angeles. “It’s all hit a tipping point.”

Congress is weighing funding proposals and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to streamline its programs, she says. Attention from the Obama administration, including the first lady’s work with school gardens and nutrition, also helps. Read the entire article.

Detroit hosts "Farm to Cafeteria" conference by Associated Press. 6 WLNS. Published 05/17/2010.
This week's national "Farm to Cafeteria" conference in Detroit will include a look at area efforts to provide fresh, local food. The event titled "Taking Root" opens Monday and runs through Wednesday. It offers the chance for people to learn about initiatives involving food for schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, colleges and prisons. Read the entire article.

Rachel Ray by Kerry Trueman. Huffington Post. Published 05/14/2010.
A good article in the Huffington Post re Rachel Ray's support for better childhood nutrition in schools and her advocacy to Congress to support Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization legislation. Read the entire article.

Senators, Rachael Ray, first lady push for children's nutrition programs by Daniel Malloy. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10132/1057450-84.stm. Published 05/12/2010.
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has been an advocate for child nutrition programs for years, but Pennsylvania's soft-spoken Democrat will be the first to admit he doesn't have star power. So when first lady Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Rachael Ray both held events Tuesday to call for federal action on child obesity, Mr. Casey saw the benefits of the limelight. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10132/1057450-84.stm#ixzz0npXQ1SDi Read the entire article.

Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has been an advocate for child nutrition programs for years, but Pennsylvania's s. B4Tea. Published 05/12/2010.
Michelle Obama is the first lady who released childhood obesity action plan on Tuesday 11th may, 2010. In United States, the rate of childhood obesity has grown rapidly in recent years. There are plenty of data available that disclose the stunning fact that almost 60% of children in America are obesed children. In 2002, obesity statistics affirmed that 22% of US preschoolers were overweight. By showing this data, every one can imagine that childhood obesity is big problem right now. The number of children who are obese has tripled to 15% in last thirty years. Obesity is the easiest medical condition for recognition purpose but it is most difficult medical condition for treatment purpose. Read the entire article.

Know someone smart, green and/or growing? . The Baltimore Sun. Published 05/12/2010.
Gov. Martin O'Malley isn't done handing out the 2010 awards under the Smart, Green and Growing program, but he's already calling on residents to nominate next year's winners. Citizens can nominate their fellow citizens, local governments and organizations for recognition under the program. Read the entire article.

Willmar School Board raises lunch prices for ’10-11, talks about free breakfast program by Linda Vanderwerf. West Central Tribune. Published 05/12/2010.
The Willmar School Board has approved a nickel increase in the cost of students’ school meals for the 2010-11 school year. The increase, roughly $9 per student for the school year, came after a lengthy discussion at the board meeting Monday. One of the issues was whether the district should continue to provide breakfast free to all students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Read the entire article.

Groups seek $50 million for farm to school programs by Tom Karst. The Packer. Published 05/11/2010.
More than 40 organizations are urging Congress to set aside $50 million in mandatory funding for farm to school programs as part of the reauthorization of child nutrition programs. Read the entire article.

GSU professor finds link between obesity and federal school nutrition programs. by Georgia State University. Disabled World. Published 05/11/2010.
With obesity becoming an epidemic among school-aged children in this country, a Georgia State University professor has found a link between overweight children and federal school nutrition programs. Read the entire article.

U.S. schools add fresh food without busting budgets by Lisa Baertlein. Reuters. Published 05/06/2010.
Thousands of U.S. public school districts are teaming up with local farmers to put more fresh fruits and vegetables on lunchroom menus, without breaking budgets or getting any help from celebrity chefs. Read the entire article.

Governor Signs Farm-to-School Bill by Diana Haecker. . Published 05/05/2010.
Governor Sean Parnell on Tuesday signed into law the Farm-to-School Act at Palmer High School. Read the entire article.

41 ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO FUND FARM TO SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM by National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition . AgriMarketing. Published 05/04/2010.
Read the entire article.

41 ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO FUND FARM TO SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition . Published 05/04/2010.
41 national organizations delivered a letter to House and Senate Congressional leaders Monday urging them to include $50 million in mandatory funding for programs linking farmers with local schools as part of the 2010 Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. Farm to School programs have a proven track record of increasing farmers' incomes while also improving the nutrition and food literacy of school children. Read the entire article.

Introducing the Food Corps by Paula Crossfield. Mark Bittman's Posterous. Published 05/04/2010.
With one in three children (and one in two children of color) overweight or obese in this country, the health of America’s kids is under the microscope and, for the first time in our history, children born now will not live as long as their parents. Michelle Obama has launched her Let’s Move campaign and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution brought the school cafeteria to television. But as Oliver’s program showed, one of the biggest barriers to changing kids’ eating is a lack of labor and expertise. Read the entire article.

Will work for food? Try Food Corps by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 04/19/2010.
The problems with school food are well-established. There’s not enough money, not enough manpower and often not enough know-how to produce fresher, more healthful food. Now, a group of good-food advocates has a plan: Establish a national Food Corps to help to do the heavy lifting. The team, led by the National Farm to School Network, has raised $215,000 in grants from the Kellogg Foundation and AmeriCorps to get its program off the ground. If successful, the Food Corps will take on volunteers starting in 2011 for one-year placements at schools across the country. Read the entire article.

What I learned at Michelle Obama’s historic obesity summit by Debra Eschmeyer. Grist. Published 04/15/2010.
Joining the ranks of the 75 students who are Michelle Obama's most critical stakeholders in her Let's Move! campaign, I was fortunate enough to be on deck and participate as a representative for the National Farm to School Network at this meeting and make the point that connecting schools to their surrounding farmers is critical. Read the entire article.

We need a nanny to pester us about our nutrient-poor diets by Suzanne Havala Hobbs . Fresh Produce. Published 04/07/2010.
At the same time, Congress has reauthorized child nutrition programs and with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 has set in motion a series of new policies aimed at improving federal nutrition programs including the national school lunch program and the federal food assistance program for women and children. Once implemented, the legislation will, among other things, authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish stronger nutrition standards for all foods sold on school campuses throughout the school day, provide funds for local produce to be served in schools as part of the Farm-to-School Program, and provide funding for school gardens. These changes are long overdue and urgently needed. Read the entire article.

Healthy, and Safe, School Lunches by Editorial. The New York Times. Published 04/04/2010.
It is probably too much to hope that the more than 30 million school lunches served every day will taste absolutely fabulous. But Congress should at least make certain that whatever lands on those cafeteria trays is nutritious and safe to eat. Every day it delays doing so is another mealtime when millions of students are cheated of programs that could help relieve hunger and reduce obesity. Read the entire article.

A TV Show and Congress Tackle School Lunches by Kim Severson. The New York Times. Published 03/30/2010.
The Child Nutrition Act comes up for financing every five years. It pays for school food and other nutrition programs for lower-income children. It’s also the mechanism legislators can use to change the rules that govern those programs. The bill headed to the Senate floor would increase by about 6 cents the $2.68 that schools can get for each lunch — far less than the $1-a-lunch increase that a coalition of groups seeking to change school food programs have been campaigning for. Read the entire article.

Industry advisory group hears about numerous issues by Tom Karst. The Packer. Published 03/30/2010.
Lucas Knowles, special assistant to the office of the undersecretary, described the activities of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative. Meanwhile, Chuck Parrott, associate deputy administrator of USDA AMS fruit and vegetable programs and Loren LaCore, program analyst for the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, described the agency’s farm-to-school initiative. Read the entire article.

Senate Advances School Lunch Reform: Is A 6 Cent Increase Enough? by Mary Clare Jalonick . Huffington Post. Published 03/26/2010.
The legislation would also provide money for farm-to-school programs, encouraging schools to buy foods from local farms and grow food gardens on campus. It would be partly paid for by reducing conservation subsidies paid to farmers for using environmentally friendly farming practices. Read the entire article.

Jamie Oliver: Stirring Up a Food Fight by Debra Eschmeyer. Huffington Post. Published 03/26/2010.
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is cooking up more than home made meals from fresh ingredients. The show has already stirred up deeply seeded emotions about school food feeding systems...all before the first episode airs tonight! Read the entire article.

Jamie Oliver Turns the Spotlight on Our Own Homegrown Heroes by Kerry Trueman. Huffington Post. Published 03/26/2010.
It's local cooks, teaching local people, it's free cooking lessons in the main street...this is real, tangible change...around America, there's plenty of wonderful things going on, there are angels in America doing great things in schools: farm to school set-ups, garden set-ups, education. There are amazing people doing this already. Read the entire article.

Jamie Oliver’s ‘Food Revolution’ Stirs the Pot by Kim O'Donnel. True/Slant. Published 03/26/2010.
In her Civil Eats essay, Debra Eschmeyer, of the Farm to School Network, expresses her wish that Oliver “would bring to the surface the myriad obstacles to bring fresh local food to the lunch room, most of which can be overcome, but it can’t necessarily be done in a couple weeks even with star-studded British flavor.” Read the entire article.

Farm to Cafeteria Conference coming to Detroit. Indianapolis Organic Food Examiner. Published 03/26/2010.
This spring, the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference (hosted by the National Farm to School Network) will be taking place in Detroit, Michigan from May 17-19. The conference, entitled Taking Root, will offer workshops, speakers, short courses, movies, and field trips. Read the entire article.

Senate panel takes aim at unhealthy school lunches by Associated Press. Los Angeles Times. Published 03/24/2010.
The legislation approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee would allow the Agriculture Department to create uniform standards for all foods in schools, including vending machine items, to give students healthier meal options. The legislation allocates an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years for nutrition programs. Read the entire article.

MSU researchers endorse farm-to-school programs by Associated Press. Examiner. Published 03/20/2010.
Michigan State University scientists say schools that buy produce from local farmers can save money while giving students healthy food they enjoy. Read the entire article.

Senator Leahy introduces “farm to school” bill by Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy. Drovers. Published 03/19/2010.
Their "Growing Farm To School Programs Act" would provide $50 million in startup funds to local schools and districts, through competitive grants, for technical help in connecting school food service providers with local small- and medium-sized farms for efficient and cost-effective purchases of locally produced foods for school lunchrooms. Read the entire article.

Senator proposes $4.5 billion for child nutrition by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 03/17/2010.
For more than a year, advocates of school food reform have been calling for more money to improve school lunch. Today, they're one step closer to getting it, but some say the amount is far less than they had hoped. Read the entire article.

It Takes a Rocket Scientist? by Debra Eschmeyer. Huffington Post. Published 03/10/2010.
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), an actual rocket scientist and five-time Jeopardy winner, has introduced legislation that would create a Farm to School grant program to fight childhood obesity and support local farmers. Read the entire article.

Gettin Real with Sustainability by Anya Fernald. OrganicConnectMag.com. Published 03/01/2010.
There are challenges for anyone entering into a sustainable food business today. The titanic industrial agriculture machine that feeds the bulk of America provides cheap, assembly-line food that costs less to produce than nutritious food grown with consideration for the environment. The commercial media is largely supported by advertising revenues from this same machine and continues to entice consumers with the virtues of cheap, processed and “conventionally” produced food. The question becomes, how can a small-scale sustainable-food business survive in such an environment, bring their products to market, price them affordably, and effectively reach the consumer? Read the entire article.

Farm to School 'Real Food Is' Video Contest. Online Video Contests. Published 03/01/2010.
Due on March 29th, 2010 - Create a short video that completes the phrase "Real Food is..." and you can win $1,000 for your school food project. Produce a 30 second to 3 minute video that informs, inspires, and encourages student advocacy to restore connections to community, food, land, and place through Farm to Cafeteria programs. It’s recommended to include the following elements: 1. What does real food mean to you? 2. How does what we eat affect our culture, health, economy, or environment? 3. Why should your cafeteria start or continue buying local food? Read the entire article.

Federal grant to help put local food into N.E. schools, hospitals by Lisa Rathke. Boston Globe. Published 02/18/2010.
A new $250,000 federal grant is aimed at putting more locally raised food into New England’s schools, colleges, and hospitals. The Department of Agriculture grant, awarded this month to the northeast committee of the National Farm to School Network, will help pay for expanding processing of local food in Massachusetts, opening a new processing project in Maine and setting up a model distribution Read the entire article.

Farm to School program has third-graders scrambling to the salad bar by Lisa Rathke. Chistian Science Monitor. Published 02/17/2010.
The third- and fourth-graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions, and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm To School Program Changes Kids' Views On Food by Lisa Rathke. CBS News. Published 02/08/2010.
About 40 states have farm-to-school programs, but Vermont is a leader in incorporating all three missions into its programs. "Vermont has really taken it on in quite the most holistic way and not just in a couple of school districts but statewide," said Anupama Joshi, director of the Farm to School program, based at the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Vermont may be a step ahead of other states because a nonprofit partnership called Vermont FEED had already been working to get local foods into schools. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food by Associated Press. CBS News. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program Changes Kids' Views on Food by Lisa Rathke, Associated Press. ABC News. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food by Lisa Rathke, Associated Press. Newsday. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program plants seeds of healthy eating in kids by Lisa Rathke. Canadian Business Online. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food by Lisa Rathke. The Daily Caller. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they’ve visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they’ve studied them in class, and they know how they’re grown because they’ve nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids‘ views on food by Lisa Rathke . News One. Published 02/08/2010.
The 105-student school is part of the National Farm to School Network, aimed at getting healthier meals into school cafeterias, teaching kids about agriculture and nutrition and supporting local farmers. "Vermont has really taken it on in quite the most holistic way and not just in a couple of school districts but statewide," said Anupama Joshi, director of the Farm to School program, based at the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food by Lisa Rathke. WTOP. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program plants seeds of healthy eating in kids by Lisa Rathke. CulturalSignificance.com. Published 02/08/2010.
The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how they're grown because they've nurtured them in raised beds out back. Read the entire article.

Some schools opting for local, farm fresh lunches by Vivian Luu. Eat, Drink, and Be. Published 02/02/2010.
Some schools opting for local, farm fresh lunches By Vivian Luu February 2, 2010 More schools are stepping away from processed food and jumping into the Farm to School (FTS) program, which brings local food into lunchrooms and gets students in touch with where their food comes from. The program aims to boost students’ consumption of fruits and vegetables during lunch. Strengthening their understanding of agriculture, nutrition and the environment is also on the program’s agenda, in hopes of promoting lifelong healthy eating habits and environmental stewardship. Read the entire article.

Obama Budget Doesn’t Thrill School Lunch Advocates by Kim Severson. NY Times. Published 02/01/2010.
President Obama’s budget proposal is getting mixed reviews among the people watching over the quality of public school lunches. Some say it’s too little to make any meaningful change, while others are relieved school food programs are getting anything when other agricultural programs have been cut. Read the entire article.

State of the Union's School Lunch: Nutrition as National Defense and Fiscal Health by Debra Eschmeyer. Huffington Post. Published 01/27/2010.
Don't make us tighten our belts on child nutrition programs while the girth of the nation grows. The government spends $1 million per soldier in Afghanistan, yet barely spends $1 on the food in a school lunch. When President Obama addresses the nation in his State of the Union, he will outline his priorities for 2010: jobs, the deficit, and health care reform. The President will then call for a three-year freeze on domestic programs. Will a program created to "promote the health and well-being of the nation's children" survive the freeze? Read the entire article.

$25 MILLION FOR NEW SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT by USDA. USDA Online. Published 01/15/2010.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $25 million in grants to help schools operating a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) replace outdated equipment with new, energy efficient, appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, and other food service related equipment. The new funding, authorized in accordance with Section 7(a)(2) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(a)(2)), is a one-time fiscal year 2010 appropriation to State educational agencies. Read the entire article.

Call for Site Visits by USDA Farm to School Tactical Teams by USDA Food & Nutrition Services . . Published 01/08/2010.
Read the entire article.

Leaders of the Pack: Farm-to-School Programs Feed Kids Across the Country by Kathy Shorr. Simple Steps. Published 01/04/2010.
Quietly, whether in rural communities or large cities, schools are finding novel ways to feed kids healthier, locally grown food, often cultivated by the children themselves as part of the curriculum. You might picture this as the province of wealthy school districts only, but the hundreds of farm-to-school programs across the country include places like the Baltimore public schools, where over 83% of the students qualify for free- and reduced-rate meals. Read the entire article.

Christina’s a Lunchroom Hit — John Steward’s Next by Madie Murray. Orcas Issues. Published 12/23/2009.
Lunches like these, which are mostly made from scratch and from fresh, locally procured sources, take a considerable amount of preparation time over the pre-packaged, highly preserved items previously served in school cafeterias across the Country Read the entire article.

Soil & Water annual dinner and awards. Upper Rogue Independent. Published 12/21/2009.
The annual celebration and awards ceremony for Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District will be held in Eagle Point, Friday, Jan. 15. The catered dinner will feature local products in keeping with the event theme of "from Farm to School." Read the entire article.

Bill seeks more fresh produce in U.S. school meals by Charles Abbott. Rueters India. Published 12/17/2009.
The government would spend $150 million to put more fresh fruits and vegetables into school meals under a bill filed by 16 lawmakers on Wednesday with an eye to next year's overhaul of school food programs. Congress delayed work on child nutrition until 2010, partly to round up more funding. The administration backs a $1 billion a year increase but there is no agreement on how to pay for it. Read the entire article.

National Farm to School Network has exploded from simple beginnings by Bob Luder. The Packer. Published 12/09/2009.
Those were the humble beginnings of what today is the National Farm to School Network, a program that brings food - a vast majority of which is fresh produce - from local farms to school children nationwide. What started as a few pilot programs in California and Florida in 1996-97 grew to about 400 by 2004 and 1,000 by 2007. In 2009, there were more than 2,000 Farm to School programs in the U.S. Read the entire article.

The Top 20 Real Food Advocates To Follow On Twitter by Beth B.. care2. Published 12/01/2009.
Here are 20 Twitter Users (in no particular order) who have dedicated their lives, both on and offline, to changing the way we grow, purchase, and eat food. Farm to School is included in this list. Read the entire article.

School Lunches Go Back to the Land by Fran Smith. Edutopia. Published 11/29/2009.
One year ago, in a defunct orphanage on 33 weed-choked acres outside of Baltimore, Anthony Geraci found his field of dreams. Today, the Great Kids Farm is all that he imagined and more: the centerpiece of a focused effort to transform school food service into a more sustainable, healthy, and educational enterprise. And to change it fast. Read the entire article.

The New and Improved USDA Supports Local, Sustainable Food by Vanessa Barrington. EcoSalon. Published 11/25/2009.
Read the entire article.

'Evangelist' for Organics Going Against the Grain in Iowa by Allison Winter. New York Times. Published 11/25/2009.
This is a totally new direction for us," said Debi Durham, president and CEO of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. "We are an agribusiness economy, but there is room for an alternative lifestyle." Durham added, "Within the next 10 years, we will be known as the organic capital -- of the world." Such a prediction is almost mind-boggling, considering that the county had not one registered acre of organic farmland in the 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture census -- and this in a county with a total 450,000 acres of farmland. Read the entire article.

Princeton Student Wins Rhodes for Farm to School Study by Jason Jung. The Daily Princetonian. Published 11/23/2009.
Henry Barmeier '10, a Wilson School major earning certificates in environmental studies and Spanish, is the University's sole Rhodes Scholarship recipient for 2010. The Rhodes Trust announced this year's winners late Saturday evening. Read the entire article.

Food Safety: Another Benefit of Healthy School Lunch Programs' by Kim Ukura. Eatdrinkbetter.com. Published 11/20/2009.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I'd like to add to the growing list of the benefits for healthy school lunches and school lunch reform that we blogged about yesterday. On Tuesday, USA TODAY ran an investigative story about tainted school lunches that shows how safety lapses in food production or distribution can put children at risk. The lead of the piece is a story of almost 70 students at a Wisconsin elementary school who got sick two years ago after eating tainted tortillas. A subsequent investigation discovered that flour tortillas from the providing company were responsible for outbreaks at "more than a dozen schools in two other states" over five years. The FDA issued a warning about the tortillas, but the article says the warning never made it to school officials. Read the entire article.

Obama's chef and policy wonk by E. B. Solomont. Mother Nature Network. Published 11/05/2009.
On any given day, White House chef Sam Kass can be found grilling fish for the Obama family, tending the first lady's organic garden or hashing out food policy ideas with senior administration advisers. Indeed, it is a unique role for a 29-year-old chef described as "part chef and part policy wonk," by the New York Times. But for Kass, his affinity for healthy eating has propelled him from the kitchen and into the spotlight, as a vocal advocate for Michelle Obama's healthy eating and healthy living agenda. Read the entire article.

A White House Chef Who Wears Two Hats by Rachel L. Swarns. The New York Times. Published 11/03/2009.
Indeed, Obama administration officials describe him as a vital conduit to the first family. "How do I get to the first lady, how do I try to transmit ideas and messages to her" Sam Kass, said Kathleen Merrigan, the deputy agriculture secretary. "He's been a real ally when we talk about farm to school." Read the entire article.

To Cut Global Warming, Swedes Study Their Plates by Elizabeth Rosenthal. New York Times. Published 10/22/2009.
But if a new experiment here succeeds, she and millions of other Swedes will soon find out. New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food burgers, are appearing on some grocery items and restaurant menus around the country. People who live to eat might dismiss this as silly. But changing one's diet can be as effective in reducing emissions of climate-changing gases as changing the car one drives or doing away with the clothes dryer, scientific experts say. Read the entire article.

 School Lunch Revolution Blossoms in Baltimore by Ralph Loglisci. Civil Eats Blog. Published 10/13/2009.
Ralph Loglisci with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future wrote up a fabulous summary on Civil Eats of the Baltimore City Schools cafeteria accomplishments highlighting: -Students' Cafeteria Bill of Rights -Great factoids, i.e.:A case of Maryland apples costs the Baltimore City Public Schools about $6, while a case of government-approved apples costs them about $56. --Coverage of the House Hearing where Tony Geraci and students testified : http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=EdLaborDemocrats#p/u/1/eZwBFN5HlYA Excerpt: Sometimes change happens in the most unexpected places. When I learned that Baltimore City Public Schools was on a mission to change the way its more than 80,000 students thought about food, I have to admit, I was surprised. The cash strapped school system has long faced difficult challenges and the last place I expected to see noticeable reform was with its food services department. To top that off, you could have bowled me over when I heard that the City Schools' new chef/dietitian, Melissa Mahoney, convinced her boss, Tony Geraci, to let her develop her own Meatless Monday lunch menus. To be honest, I doubt that Mahoney needed to do a lot of convincing. When it comes to dreaming up innovative and cost effective ways to feed kids healthy, tasty, whole foods, Geraci isn't shy about pushing the envelope. It's Geraci's bold and sometimes brash entrepreneur spirit that has captured the attention of food policy experts across the country, including the White House. Read the entire article.

Food Policy and Security: from Farm to Table and Classroom. Progressive State Network Blog. Published 10/13/2009.
Food is at the center of our lives - the average American spends 1 of every 8 dollars on food and public policy plays a crucial role in whether that food is healthy and safe for our families. Disease outbreaks due to unsafe food, rising obesity rates and environmental concerns about wasteful agricultural practices have all focused attention on advancing new policies to improve both food safety and better nutrition in our communities. Read the entire article.

Vilsack: For locally grown food, not against GMOs by Dan Looker. Agriculture Online. Published 10/13/2009.
Speaking to a group of food activists in Des Moines, Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack got a standing ovation after describing the Obama administration's efforts to promote farmers markets and expand locally-grown foods into schools, hospitals and other government institutions. But when he refused to agree with a questioner that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are ineffective and dangerous, he was greeted by a smattering of boos. Read the entire article.

The South's fruit and vegetable crisis by Sue Strugis. Institution for Southern Studies. Published 10/09/2009.
You might not think it could happen in the region noted for a cuisine featuring sweet potatoes, greens, okra and watermelon, but a groundbreaking new federal report shows that no U.S. state is meeting national goals for consumption of fruit and vegetables -- and the situation is especially dire in the South. Read the entire article.

Micro eco-farming and organic small farming: New school markets opening up. www.MicroEcoFarming.com. Published 10/03/2009.
The micro and small farming community knows that to make money farming, it isn't about growing more corn, it's about connecting directly to great markets. A brand new initiative will give $50 million for schools to buy local produce. Previous to this, the 2008 Farm Bill already allowed more flexibility and help for farm to school programs. Read the entire article.

Halton: Farm to School program expands. halton.ca. Published 10/01/2009.
Representatives from the Farm to School Steering Committee, of which Halton Region is a member, joined students, staff, community representatives at a school barbeque yesterday at Gardiner Public School in Georgetown to launch the expansion of the Farm to School program. Attendees at the event enjoyed fresh corn that was delivered to the school by Allison's Farm Market. After a successful pilot last year with St. John's Catholic School in Burlington, the initiative has expanded to include 10 schools in Halton for the 2009-2010 school year. The program provides participating Halton elementary schools with links to a local food supplier, $400 for the purchase of locally grown vegetable and fruit, menu ideas, and healthy eating curriculum supports. Read the entire article.

School-Lunch Staff Bring Nutrition to the Table by Brooke Lea Foster. Edutopia Magazine. Published 10/01/2009.
From Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, school menus are being redone with health in mind, even as budgets shrink and parents tighten their wallets. Managers are finding more appealing types of food to serve and more appetizing ways to serve it. And part of that appeal is education. So, along with their fruits and veggies, many students are now getting a serving of nutrition smarts. Read the entire article.

Eating in America Still Unhealthy: CDC. U.S. News and World Report. Published 09/29/2009.
The goal for the Healthy People 2010 program is to get at least 75 percent of Americans to eat the recommended two or more daily servings of fruit and for at least 50 percent of Americans to consume three or more daily servings of vegetables. Read the entire article.

Thinking Outside The School Lunchbox by Jenna Johnson. Washington Post. Published 09/24/2009.
Lunch menus at several local schools are getting a makeover: Less mystery meat, canned fruit and sad-looking green beans. More fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, cheese and meat from farms just down the road. Read the entire article.

School Lunch Punch by Editorial Board. Washington Post. Published 09/21/2009.
CHILDREN ARE back in school. For many, that means regular meals as part of the federally subsidized school lunch program. Unfortunately, it also means, too often, food that isn't good for them. We're encouraged that there is a growing movement to do something about that. Read the entire article.

Green Report Card: Is Your Child's School Flunking the Environment? by Adria Vasil. RaisingThemGreen.com. Published 09/19/2009.
You’d think schools would be role models for good behavior now wouldn’t you? Oh sure they might talk a good game about the importance of recycling paper and protecting polar bears, but are they walking the walk? Not if they’re leaving the lights on day and night, spraying the school grounds with toxic pesticides and mopping up with hormone-disrupting chemicals! Here’s a subject-by-subject breakdown on how your kid’s school might be failing the planet, as well as some pointers for helping them boost those grades. Read the entire article.

Farm to School effort launched. Mandan News. Published 09/17/2009.
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring announced on Monday that 11 North Dakota communities will be assessed for the possibility of establishing a direct link between local agricultural producers and school lunch programs. Read the entire article.

New USDA Farm to School Tactical Teams by Kathleen Merrigan. USDA Office of Communications. Published 09/15/2009.
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced a new initiative to better connect children to their food and create opportunities for local farmers to provide their harvest to schools in their communities as part of USDA's 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative. Read the entire article.

USDA promises to help school districts buy locally grown produce by Tom Karst. The Packer. Published 09/15/2009.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said new farm-to-school initiatives will help school administrators? transition to purchasing more locally grown foods in remarks about the just-launched "Know your farmer, know your food" initiative. Read the entire article.

Big Plans for Small Farmers by Kim Severson. The New York Times. Published 09/15/2009.
"Americans are more interested in food and agriculture than at any other time since most families left the farm," said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan in a statement announcing the initiative. The U.S.D.A.'s new "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" campaign which includes a series of programs to help farmers better market their food and the people who run large institutions buy it. Read the entire article.

Many regions have declared September Local Food Month' by Robin Shreeves. The Bradenton Herald. Published 09/14/2009.
Local restaurants featuring local foods and a fundraiser that will benefit the counties Farm-to-School program are two of many events that will take place in Humboldt County this September. Read the entire article.

School Lunch: Where the Real Weapons of Mass Destruction Lie by Hesh Goldstein. Natural News. Published 09/14/2009.
The USDA needs to realize that there needs to be a sound program to deliver food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, from farm to school. Read the entire article.

11 NORTH DAKOTA Communities Considered for Farm to School by Associated Press. KX News. Published 09/14/2009.
Surveys will be conducted next month in the communities of Bowdon, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Grant County, Hazen, Jamestown, Mandan, Minot, Napoleon and Valley City to consider whether they can be part of the program. He says the surveys also will measure the growth of area food production. Read the entire article.

Eleven NORTH DAKOTA Communities Considered for Farm to School by Associated Press. KFYR-TV News. Published 09/14/2009.
North Dakota`s agriculture commissioner says 11 communities will considered for a program to bring food from area farms to school lunches. Commissioner Doug Goehring said the Farm to School program teaches healthy eating habits while providing farmers with a direct market. He says Farm to School programs already are in 40 states. Read the entire article.

 Close Encounters of the School Lunch Kind by Robin Shreeves. Mother Nature Network. Published 09/14/2009.
Onetray.org has put out short, to the point video about the changes that need to be made to school lunches. I don't know if the kids in the video get the reference to the mashed potato mountain, but most of us will. Read the entire article.

The Farm to School Program for School Lunches: Sowing Seeds of a Healthier Future for Children by Beverly Bright. suite101.com. Published 09/12/2009.
There are 30 million children eating school lunches, 5 days a week, 180 days a year in the United States. Schools participating in the Farm to School Programs purchase fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, honey, meat, and beans for use in the school cafeterias. Read the entire article.

Minestrone, and Three Other Things That Will Save American School Lunch by Deborah Lehmann. Huffington Post. Published 09/09/2009.
For some, the prospect of reforming American school lunch is dauntingly complex. But for one feisty Italian old woman, the solution was simple: "Minestrone!" she cried out in her heavy accent, interrupting a speech at the Slow Food USA Eat-In I attended today in Tiverton, Rhode Island. "So cheap, so good, and you have the beans, and the vegetables. And you put in the chard, and it makes it so sweet, and they like it." Read the entire article.

Group promotes better lunches for America's school kids by Amit Pathania. TopNews. Published 09/08/2009.
30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program therefore Eat-Ins are an effort to draw attention to the need for more nutritious food. The program is part of the Child Nutrition Act that Congress will reauthorize later this year. Read the entire article.

Slow Food Eats In for School Lunch Reform by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 09/03/2009.
With Congress set to reauthorize childhood nutrition programs, Slow Food is asking Washington to allocate $1 more per student per day for lunch. The organization also wants Congress to establish nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, fund farm-to-school programs and school gardens and offer incentives for schools to buy local. Read the entire article.

Local Food Month by Robin Shreeves. Mother Nature Network. Published 09/03/2009.
As far as I can see it's not a national month long celebration, yet, but, I've been seeing lots of news articles about September being declared "Local Food Month." Here are a few places that are celebrating local foods this month. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Activist. MiBiz.com. Published 08/31/2009.
As an activist and organizer for much of his life, Chris Bedford spent a great deal of time highlighting problems. Meeting and filming famed architect William McDonough helped him see the value in talking about solutions and in making transfor-mational, sustainable change instead of just doing an action less bad. "Food is the doorway. People and small producers have a lot of power." His latest effort has gone into the Muskegon County-based Farm-to-School movement to feed schoolchildren healthy, locally produced food to benefit their scholastic performance. It's an uphill battle against years of flawed federal policy and a monolithic conventional food industry, but he's learned to focus on the positives -feeding children healthy meals can improve their academic achievement. "That's not a partisan issue. It's about our children and our future." Read the entire article.

The Push to Get Locally Grown Food to American Children by Jenn Escalona. Bright Hub. Published 08/31/2009.
Farm to School programs can simultaneously fight the childhood obesity epidemic and preserve the livelihoods of local farmers all the while saving taxpayer money. Read the entire article.

North Dakota Farming News. KX News. Published 08/28/2009.
Backyard Farming and Sharing in North Dakota. Read the entire article.

Obama to set up a White House farmer's market by Bryan Nelson. Mother Nature Network. Published 08/21/2009.
Not long ago, the first lady planted the first seeds for the White House's own organic garden. Now the Obamas want to expand the idea to set up a farmers market just outside the White House. One aim of the market will be to help local farmers deliver fresh produce to D.C. school cafeterias, to encourage kids to make healthier choices in their diet. Read the entire article.

A White House Farmers Market? by Jane Black. The Washington Post. Published 08/20/2009.
Obama also stressed the importance of creating distribution systems that could link small, local farmers to public schools who want more fresh fruits and vegetables on their menus. Read the entire article.

Heirlooms With Taste by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 08/19/2009.
My article on heirloom tomato snobbery created quite a stir. My electronic in-box was flooded by heirlooms' angry defenders. And by snail mail, I received letters with photos of their successful backyard beauties. It was even worse on Facebook, where one farm-to-school advocate commented that I'd entirely missed the point: They are "grown for flavor, not shelf-life," she said. Writing them off is "like giving up on marriage because you had one bad date." Read the entire article.

Stars Aligning on School Lunches by Kim Severson. The New York Times. Published 08/18/2009.
The Department of Agriculture is expected to upgrade school food nutrition standards this year, many of which haven't been changed for nearly 15 years. And because many Obama U.S.D.A. appointees are focusing on improving student health through better food, the department has started an aggressive effort to study reform efforts big and small. These include the national farm-to-school program, which is in nearly 9,000 schools. Read the entire article.

Farm-To-School Programs Featured On New NCAT Radio Show by Holly Michels and Jef Birkby. ATTRA and NCAT. Published 08/18/2009.
Sustainable Agriculture Spotlight airs Thursdays at 11 a.m. MDT from July to October. This week's program discusses techniques to bring local food to lunch trays in school and college cafeterias. Read the entire article.

Progressive Eaters, Unite! by Courtney Helgoe. Experience Life. Published 08/15/2009.
America's food industry is in the midst of a dramatic culture shift that's challenging everything we've been taught about eating. Here's how to take advantage of this exciting new movement and eat more healthfully than ever before. Read the entire article.

Community Garden Meeting Held by Stacie Gruntman. Tumbler Ridge News. Published 08/12/2009.
The garden was also part of the "farm to school salad bar project" where a local high school would prepare salads with the fresh vegetables and sell to students twice weekly. All the money goes back into the garden to produce more food. Read the entire article.

How Design Can Help farmer's markets Feed a Growing Demand by Alissa Walker. GOOD. Published 08/10/2009.
How will these local farmers continue to supply our urban demands- And there are many farm-to-school programs like the one in Santa Monica, California where the public school district has bought farmers' market produce for their salad bars for 11 years. Read the entire article.

Cooking The Books: Why We Need Home Economics (back) in Schools by Sarah Sliwa. The Faster Times. Published 08/07/2009.
While there is significant and laudable momentum around school gardening, farm-to-school procurement, school wellness policy implementation, and improved nutrition for school food offerings, there are several unique reasons to advocate for home economics for both genders. Read the entire article.

Time for Lunch campaign promotes slow food movement by Abby Chou. Examiner.com. Published 08/06/2009.
Slow food is a way of eating and living that focuses on whole foods and local farming. One major supporter of slow food is the National Farm to School network. Read the entire article.

Local Food for Local Schools by Jonathan Pitts. District Administration/Baltimore Sun. Published 08/03/2009.
The Jane Lawton Farm to School Conference in Crownsville, a joint production of the state's agriculture and education departments, was a success once again this year. Last year, the Maryland General Assembly charged the divisions with promoting fresh and local school food by passing Senate Bill 158, a measure that created the Jane Lawton Farm to School Program. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed it into law in May 2008. "Farm to school is a complex mission with many working parts," Stew Eidel, a Maryland State Department of Education official, told nearly 200 farmers, educators, food-service directors and parents at an Anne Arundel County workshop last week. "But it has one simple goal: to produce healthy kids." Read the entire article.

NH schools are learning to offer healthier foods by Denise Brewitt. NashuaTelegraph.com. Published 08/02/2009.
High-sugar items are being nixed from menus. Tasting events are offering students unusual fruits like plantains and kumquats. And communities are becoming involved with programs such as New Hampshire Farm to School, which helps connect schools with local farms to bring fresh, local foods into cafeterias. Ask the students who attend schools participating in the New Hampshire Farm to School program, and they're sure to tell you how much better-tasting produce from a local farm is. Read the entire article.

Insights by Goldie by Goldie Caughlan. PCC Natural Markets. Published 08/01/2009.
The National Farm to School Network, the Community Food Security Coalition, and School Food FOCUS are collaborating to implement programs that provide fresh, nutritious food to schools and a profitable, stable market for local farmers. Their project, "One Tray at a Time," will launch officially this fall when Congress is back in session. Read the entire article.

Podcast #16. OurNakedFood: The Farm to School Program. Our Naked Food. Published 07/30/2009.
Our Naked Foods interviews Debra Eschmeyer, Program Media & Marketing Director of the Farm To School Network, via skype. This podcast opens by emphasizing the climbing obesity rates in New Zealand, as is currently the 3rd most obese nation in the developed world according to the newly released OECD Health Data Report for 2009. Read the entire article.

School Lunch Program: A Prime Opportunity to Serve Up Improvements by Aimee Witteman. Natural Awakenings. Published 07/28/2009.
This year, Congress plans to reconsider the Child Nutrition Act - federal legislation that authorizes the school lunch program - and a grassroots effort is underway to improve the state of affairs in school cafeterias. Specifically, good food advocates would like to see $50 million in mandatory funding for Farm to School programs. Read the entire article.

The Next Course by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 07/15/2009.
The garden has been an unqualified success; on the first family's trip to Moscow last week, Russians were far more interested in Obama's garden than in her fashion sense. The challenge now is to craft a strategy to capitalize on Obama's newfound clout to improve school lunches and access to fresh fruits and vegetables and to make how we eat an integral part of the national health-care debate. Read the entire article.

Is your state fit or fat? by Catherine Holecko. About.com Guide to Family Fitness. Published 07/06/2009.
The "F as in Fat" report shows how states are reacting to the climbing obesity percentages. For laws enacted between June 2008 and June 2009, the report says that 19 states have passed legislation regarding farm-to-school programs, which can improve nutrition at schools as well as increase sales for farmers. Read the entire article.

Obama Administration Begins Naming State Executive Directors for the Farm Service Agency. USDA.gov. Published 06/29/2009.
Obama appoints Jim Barber as the NY Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency at the USDA. Barber is very active on agricultural organizations and co-founded NY Farms!, an organization that developed the Farm-to-School program which was later adopted by the State. Read the entire article.

From Farm to School: The Push to Get Locally Grown Food to American School Children by Jenn Escalona. Bright Hub. Published 06/24/2009.
Farm to School programs can simultaneously fight the childhood obesity epidemic and preserve the livelihoods of local farmers all the while saving taxpayer money. Read the entire article.

Local Promotes Program by Angela Weaver. The Evening Leader. Published 06/23/2009.
Farm to school programs ensure that our children eat the highest-quality food available. These programs deliver food that not only nourishes children's bodies immediately, but also knowledge that enhances their educational experience and cultivates long-term healthy eating habits. They are a win-win for kids, farmers, communities, educators, parents and the environment. Read the entire article.

It's Time for Lunch: Slow Food USA Pushes to Get Real Food into Schools by Slow Food USA. PRWEB. Published 06/23/2009.
Slow Food USA launches a national campaign to get real food into schools highlighted by a national day of action on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009. The national day of action will consist of more than 100 local Eat-Ins across the country. As part of the campaign, Slow Food USA has created a platform outlining specific "asks" for Congress in updating the Child Nutrition Act due for reauthorization in September. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Opportunities by Lauren Ware. About.com. Published 06/17/2009.
The national Farm to School program is taking off in many parts of the United States! More and more schools are setting up programs. Read the entire article.

Attacking Hunger at Its Roots by Hillary Clinton. The Huffington Post. Published 06/11/2009.
"The Obama Administration is committed to providing leadership in developing a new global approach to hunger. We will look to 7 guiding principles to support the creation of effective, sustainable farming systems in regions around the world where the current methods aren't working." Read the entire article.

Cartwright family art in Waldoboro. Village Soup. Published 06/10/2009.
Chelsea graduated from Finger Lakes School of Massage in 2006 and has worked with young children and for the Flannel Shirt Fund, established in memory of Joel. Through small grants the fund encourages children to grown their own food and foster farm-to-school projects. Read the entire article.

The school lunchroom grows green by Yvonne Zipp. The Christian Science Monitor. Published 05/29/2009.
At a private school in Newark, N.J., students dine daily on ingredients grown on the building's roof. In Baltimore, city schools have their own 33-acre organic farm, while in Riverside, Calif., elementary school students trundle wheelbarrows of lettuce and buckets of strawberries from a community garden behind the playground directly to their own salad bar. Across the United States, efforts to make school lunches more environmentally friendly have paired with the local food movement, as educators try to reconnect children with the growing season. School lunchrooms are also getting revamped to cut water and energy use and lessen food waste. Read the entire article.

New College Announces Seven 2009 Fulbright Scholars. New College of Florida. Published 05/18/2009.
Fulbright Teaching Assistantship to Germany A double major in German studies and anthropology, Lee Ellen plans to further develop her abilities as a language teacher while also completing a collaborative photograph-centered project in a German Eco-School (Umweltschule). The goal of her project is to compare and contrast the German Umweltschule movement with the American Farm-to-School movement. Upon returning to the U.S, Lee Ellen plans to apply to a graduate school with a Ph.D. program in German culture and language, with an emphasis on alternative cultural movements. She hopes to teach all levels of German language classes at a small liberal arts college, integrating her specialty of alternative cultural movements. Read the entire article.

Baltimore's Geraci Grows a Hands-On Program by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 05/06/2009.
Nationwide, there have been years of discussion about how to improve school lunches; this summer, the debate heats up again as Congress takes up the reauthorization of child nutrition programs that President Obama has made a centerpiece of his domestic agenda. Over the years, Congress has mandated federal nutrition standards, funded fresh fruit and vegetable programs and debated, but never acted on, banning various "junk foods" from schools. Sustainable-food advocates have called for schools to serve more local food, a tactic they say would not only improve flavor but also help support small farms and renew rural communities. Read the entire article.

Green is the new black by Catherine Traywick. State Press Magazine. Published 04/29/2009.
Washington is going green. From Michelle Obama's White House vegetable patch to the organic "people's garden" that will soon span the lawn of the Department of Agriculture, our nation's capitol has jumped aboard the sustainability bandwagon and affirmed the onset of what is now being hailed as a "Sustainable Food Movement." Read the entire article.

Reconnecting Schools to Real Food by Tom French. YES! Magazine. Published 04/27/2009.
Chef Tom French, director of the Experience Food Project, has a broad vision of a new school food system that provides students with healthy food, reconnects them with the source of their meals, and builds bridges between the classroom and the kitchen. Read the entire article.

From Field to Plate: Farm to School Programs Take Root by Tim Weldon. State News - The Council of State Governments. Published 04/24/2009.
Farm to School article in State News, a publication of The Council of State Governments, Vol. 52, No.4, April 2009 Read the entire article.

Food for Everyone :: Resource Guide by Anna Stern. World Change Cafe. Published 04/11/2009.
People across the country and throughout the world are realizing that to confront the climate crisis and create secure and healthy communities, we'll need vibrant regional food systems. National Farm to School Network brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. Learn more about programs in your state at http://www.farmtoschool.org/ Read the entire article.

School Lunch Crunch by Sarah Mirk. Portland Mercury. Published 04/09/2009.
At a sustainable chili factory on the outskirts of Salem, several dozen school lunch ladies and local food activists are witnessing the creation of what they hope will be the cafeteria food of the future. Forget meatloaf trucked in from 1,000 miles away. That state investment of roughly $20 million over two years will create over $108 million in economic activity for Oregon's farms and 477 jobs. Read the entire article.

Healthful Food by Diane Rehm. The Diane Rehm Show. Published 03/26/2009.
Baltimore schools nutrition director Tony Geraci was on The Diane Rehm Show as part of a panel on sustainable food and Michelle Obama's vegetable garden. He talked about the city schools' 33-acre organic farm, where schools can have their own gardens, as well as plans for "farm to fork" vocational programs and three kid-run cafes. He said more than 1,000 Maryland farmers responded to an RFP to serve locally grown produce in city schools, and the city is trying to identify plots of land for urban agriculture projects. Read the entire article.

Study: Local Purchasing Pays Dividends. Food Management. Published 03/26/2009.
A recent economic impact analysis indicates that Oregon's investment in purchasing locally produced foods for school lunchrooms fortifies the state's economy with dollars previously spent elsewhere. The study by Ecotrust examines the impact of investing school food dollars in the local food economy and was released as part of a review of the local buying practices currently underway in two public school districts in Oregon, Gervais and Portland. Read the entire article.

Where Policy Grows by Jane Black. Washington Post. Published 03/25/2009.
Take the school lunch program, which Congress will review this year. Food activists have long argued that more fruits and vegetables from local producers should be included to help improve childhood nutrition. Read the entire article.

Gardening Grows More than Flowers and Food by Dr. Nedley. Nedley Health Report. Published 03/23/2009.
Getting youngsters to eat what they grow is only one of the benefits attributed to the gardening programs springing up around the country. Leaders of programs such as the "Edible Schoolyard" in California and "National Farm-to-School Program" report positive benefit in a wide range of characteristics among youth, including improved environmental attitudes, community spirit, social skills, self-confidence, leadership skills, volunteerism, motor skills, scholastic achievement, and nutritional attitudes. Read the entire article.

Rural ag forum tackles local buying by Shannon Sollinger. Fauquier Weekend. Published 03/20/2009.
Farmers are growing crops. Ranchers are raising beef and lamb. Shoppers are buying food. But they are not buying locally in great numbers. The fifth annual Forum for Rural Innovation, held March 13 in Winchester, focused on how to get the local buyer and the local farmer together. Read the entire article.

Minnesota School Food Survey by Sam Hurst. Gourmet.com. Published 03/13/2009.
A new commitment to childhood nutrition, coupled with the re-authorization of the School Lunch Program this year, will increase the opportunity to implement a little-known provision in the Farm Bill that encourages schools to use "local preference" to purchase fresh food from local farmers rather than relying on huge national commodity-distribution companies. It seems like a win-win proposition. What could be healthier for students or more economically sensible for farmers than connecting farmers directly to local schools? Read the entire article.

Advocates brief Congress on food program by Ben Goad. The Press Enterprise. Published 02/26/2009.
Rodney Taylor traveled thousands of miles this week so that the fruits and veggies headed to school cafeterias around the country wouldn't have to. Taylor, nutrition services director for the Riverside Unified School District, helped pioneer a national program that supports the use of produce from local farms on school menus. On Thursday, he and other advocates of the Farm to School Network gave a congressional briefing in Washington in hopes of finding federal funds to expand the program. Read the entire article.

Small, Green and Good: The role of neglected cities in a sustainable future by Catherine Tumber. Post Carbon Cities. Published 02/23/2009.
One of MLUI's highly successful programs is Farm to School, which is part of a growing nationwide movement that connects local farm products with school cafeterias. MLUI links the program to a larger state initiative based on a study showing that helping farmers sell to local supermarkets and farmer's markets could increase net farm income in Michigan by nearly 16 percent and generate up to 1,889 new jobs. Read the entire article.

The School Lunch Revolution by Kristen DeLeo. Health News. Published 02/16/2009.
By spending so much time on elementary and middle school campuses, I'm privy to the world of school lunches. Yes, tater tots are still being served. Ketchup is still deemed a vegetable at some schools. Change is good - but there needs to be a revolution. Read the entire article.

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb-part 3. Cooking Up A Story. Published 02/09/2009.
In this final segment, Marion Kalb, director of the Farm To School program, suggests practical ways to work with food service directors, and others, to bring fresh, locally produced foods, into the school cafeteria lunchroom. Kalb shares success stories of schools in different areas of the country that have offered kids fresh vegetables and fruits, demonstrating that they will develop wider tastes for these foods when given a proper chance. Read the entire article.

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb 2. Cooking Up A Story. Published 02/04/2009.
Marion Kalb continues the conversation around the Farm To School program, acknowledging that added costs for fresh foods are a challenge, but also explaining practical ways to overcome some of those obstacles. Pointing out, in some cases, the cost of fresh, locally supplied foods are less expensive than their out of state counterparts. Read the entire article.

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb. Cooking Up A Story. Published 02/02/2009.
Marion Kalb, director of the Farm to School program, part of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), talks about the benefits to school kids, farmers, and rural communities when fresh, and local food is brought into the school lunch program for K-12 kids. Read the entire article.

Thornhill Elementary "shining" example of program's success. Terrace Standard. Published 01/27/2009.
Joanne Bays, the provincial coordinator for the Farm to School initiative undertaken by the Public Health Association of BC, visited with school staff and others involved in the program as part of her road trip to the three Northwest schools with salad bars this week. Read the entire article.

How to fight America's obesity epidemic by Richard A. Daynard and Mark Gottlieb. The Boston Globe. Published 01/08/2009.
Public health, unlike the banking, insurance, or automobile industries, cannot be rescued or bailed out. Prevention is the only viable option. A sophisticated and aggressive federal approach to obesity is needed. Promote and fund innovative farm-to-schools and farm-to-community programs to support local farmers and increase access to locally grown food. Read the entire article.

Aramark's Cool*Caf draws kids to healthy eating by Ashley Bentley. The Packer. Published 12/30/2008.
A new cafeteria format designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and encourage healthy choices by children is set to be introduced in hundreds of schools in 2009. Read the entire article.

Mr. Diabetes(R) Completes 10,000+ Mile Walk of U.S. Perimeter by Defeat Diabetes Foundation. The Earth Times. Published 12/18/2008.
Programs that focus on diabetes, nutrition and obesity are critical. Access to healthy food through farmer's markets, community and school gardens, farm-to-school programs and food cooperatives are just a few of the components to reducing the rates of diabetes. Read the entire article.

Weak economy puts more kids in line for free meals, report says. CNN. Published 12/11/2008.
The sagging economy is taking a bite out of federal school-meal subsidies as more students take advantage of free or low-price breakfasts and lunches, nutritionists say in a report released Thursday. About 425,000 more students are participating in the National School Lunch Program, a group reports. The School Nutrition Association surveyed more than 130 school nutrition directors from 38 states to produce its report, "Saved by the Lunch Bell: As Economy Sinks, School Nutrition Program Participation Rises." Read the entire article.

Choices 4 Health at work to promote healthy living. Oakville Beaver. Published 12/05/2008.
These will include a Farm to School program to promote eating more local fresh fruit and vegetables Read the entire article.

Halton program brings produce to local school by Tim Whitnell. Burlington Post. Published 11/19/2008.
Halton Region wants to bring fresh, locally-grown produce into the area's elementary schools, and it plans to do so through the Farm to School Committee. Read the entire article.

Improve School Lunches with Locally Grown Food by Laura Weldon. Natural News. Published 11/14/2008.
Connecting school lunch programs directly to local farms is good for everyone. Schools save money, farmers find nearby buyers and student health improves. Read the entire article.

Local, healthy eating program launches for lunch by Steve Arstad. Keremeos Review. Published 11/11/2008.
The Public Health Association of BC launched the "Farm to School Salad Bar" initiative last Tuesday in a two day celebration. Read the entire article.

Homegrown helpings by Lauren M. Whaley. Jackson Hole News & Guide. Published 11/05/2008.
The best response to an increasingly dire financial crisis is to take a deep breath and return to our communities, says the founder of Slow Food in the Tetons. Read the entire article.

Cultivating Minds: Food-Related Curricula Take Root Nationwide by Bernice Yeung. Edutopia. Published 11/05/2008.
Rochester Roots is one of many public school programs nationwide that uses food as a pathway to learning. The concept, popularized by chef Alice Waters's Edible Schoolyard and the Community Food Security Coalition's Farm to School programs, has been quietly gaining momentum over the past decade. As Americans sharpen their focus on education, health, and climate change, more states and school districts are embracing food-related curricula to teach topics as varied as chemistry, nutrition, and environmentalism. Many believe the vegetable's time as a teaching tool has finally come. Read the entire article.

School to open salad bar. Terrace Standard. Published 10/28/2008.
Mom may have told you to eat your vegetables at mealtimes and even maybe served fruit for dessert to raise healthy children. Now mom's advice is moving into the classroom for lunch. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program by Barbara Howard. The Recipe Box. Published 10/23/2008.
Interview segment from Blog Action Day broadcast featuring Anupama Joshi of the National Farm to School Network. Their programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers. Read the entire article.

Farm-To-School Programs Grow Students' Appreciation for Locally Grown Food by Diane Raymond. Natural News. Published 10/20/2008.
As farmers struggle to mitigate the increasing cost of transporting produce from farm to store and schools face smaller budgets and increasing concerns over the nutritional content of school lunches, some schools opt to bring the farm to the lunch table. There is more good news: The National Farm to School program, a national network of community-based food systems that assist farmers and improve student health, estimates that more than 2,000 Farm to School Programs are currently underway in the U.S., with more than 8,700 schools actively participating. Read the entire article.

Educators Hungry for Farm-to-School Programs by Isabel Cowles. Finding Dulcinea. Published 10/15/2008.
Rising food costs and increasing requests by parents have encouraged many schools across the country to adopt farm-to-school programs so that kids can get fresh, local produce, and see how it is grown and prepared. Read the entire article.

Lunches go organic in some schools by Associated Press. CNN. Published 10/07/2008.
The Academy is one of three Kansas City-area private schools that participate in Bistro Kids' Farm 2 School program, which is committed to improving students' health by offering lunches from organic, natural, locally-grown food. "It's really, really good," said sixth-grader Peter Imel, while chomping away on pizza. "When I first heard about it, I thought, 'OK, maybe, maybe not.' But it's better than any restaurant I've been to." Read the entire article.

Learning About State's Growth Industry by Jenna Johnson and Lori Aratani. Washington Post. Published 09/28/2008.
The farm-to-school program was created during the last legislative session to honor Jane Lawton, 63, a Maryland House of Delegates member from Montgomery County who died in November. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Raskin, (D-Montgomery) is called the Jane Lawton Farm to School Program and was signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) in May. In addition to incorporating Maryland produce into school lunches, the program teaches children about the state's agricultural heritage. In St. Mary's, local farmers are speaking at four schools. Read the entire article.

National Farm To School Movement. Cooking Up A Story. Published 09/19/2008.
If you're not familiar with the farm to school movement, it's all about getting fresh, clean, good food to our kids in school and help create new markets for local farmers. It started as a grassroots movement and has spread across the country. Get in on the conversation with Deb Eschmeyer of the National Farm to School Network, and hear just how far our food system has strayed. Read the entire article.

School Foodservice: Get Smart - US Food Trends by Cheryl Sternman Rul. Restaurants & Institutions. Published 09/10/2008.
As another academic year unfolds, school foodservice directors are bracing for what's in store: calls for more-healthful fare, climbing food costs and requests for more excitement and variety in the cafeteria. None of the challenges is new, but each is more acute this fall. Fortunately, many K-12 operators are now a step ahead of the game, having crafted strategies to both meet their young customers' evolving needs and cut costs without sacrificing nutrition or quality. Read the entire article.

Getting Children to Eat Fruits and Vegetables at School by Gayle Trent. Examiner. Published 09/10/2008.
Researchers at the University of Maryland have announced initial data that shows school-based intervention efforts help kids buck a national trend by increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables. To the researchers' knowledge, these results are the first for Maryland, and on the leading edge nationally and internationally. Read the entire article.

Eat Up, Kids, This Spud's for You by Anne Marie Chaker. Wall Street Journal. Published 08/28/2008.
With the dawn of the 2008-09 school year, districts across the country are signing on to the burgeoning "farm-to-school" movement. As a result, a number of school districts have cut back on fruits and vegetables purchased from large distributors in favor of working individually with local farmers. While that can be more expensive and may involve more work -- from procurement to preparation -- food directors say it pays dividends in fresher, better-tasting produce that more kids eat. Read the entire article.

Farm bill funds bulk up fruit and vegetable programs by Elizabeth Larsen. Capital Press. Published 08/22/2008.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that nearly $49 million will be provided in fresh fruits and vegetables for elementary school children during the school day this year, in addition to school lunch programs. The farm bill amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act by adding the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, according to the USDA. The program, launched in 2002, initially served 14 states, and now offers funds for fresh fruit and vegetables to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Read the entire article.

USDA Ready to Listen About School Lunch. Earth Day Network. Published 08/15/2008.
The best way to ensure that kids get food that is safe, healthy, and economical is by expanding farm-to-school programs. Schools are linked with local farmers who provide food for meals and teach children how it is grown. Children learn to appreciate the joys of eating juicy apples and fresh, crisp green beans, developing a taste for healthy food that can last a healthy, vibrant lifetime. At the listening session, a farmer from Delaware pointed out that safety is guaranteed in farm-to-school programs because the farmers themselves usually have children or grandchildren in the school they serve. You know your food is safe when Grandma picked it fresh that morning. Read the entire article.

From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals by Stacy Kish. USDA: CSREES. Published 07/29/2008.
Improving the nutritional value of school meals is a growing priority among school systems across the United States. In an effort to provide a solution for school administrators, the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) funded a coalition of school districts and farmers from four states to participate in a new program called "From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals." Read the entire article.

Using Our Kids to Destroy the Family Farm by Judith McGreary. OpEd News. Published 07/14/2008.
Some school districts are taking action to provide better food for our kids. The rapidly-growing farm-to-school movement has been working to bring local, healthy, and sustainably-raised foods into the schools and reconnect children with the source of their food. As the evidence mounts about the nutrition and safety of grass-fed meats, some schools have started to integrate these animal products into their farm-to-school programs or source organic meats. Read the entire article.

Report Tracks Anti-Obesity Efforts. Nurse Week. Published 07/08/2008.
Lawmakers in 16 states enacted legislation to increase farm-to-school programs or to improve the nutritional quality of school breakfasts, lunches, á la carte selections or vending machine offerings. Read the entire article.

Chef Proves School Lunch Can Be Healthy, Cheap by Eleanor Beardsley. National Public Radio. Published 07/02/2008.
At the school, he prepares meals for about 800 students, using all fresh, local ingredients. The introduction of healthy school lunch programs, like this one, is one major reason France has been able to curb childhood obesity rates after two decades on the rise, according to two recent studies. Read the entire article.

Let Them Eat Kale by Debra Lau Whelan. School Library Journal. Published 06/01/2008.
Schools Get Serious about Nutrition: With America's kids in danger of becoming obese, a growing number of schools are thinking outside the lunchbox. Read the entire article.

Talking farm and food politics with the candidate by Ari LeVaux. The Northcoast Journal. Published 05/29/2008.
As president, I would implement USDA policies that promote local and regional food systems, including assisting states to develop programs aimed at community supported farms. I also support a national farm-to-school program and am pleased that the Farm Bill provides more than $1 billion to expand healthy snacks in our schools. Read the entire article.

The Rise of the 'Locavore' by Pallavi Gogoi. Business Week. Published 05/20/2008.
As many as 1,200 school districts around the country, from Alabama to Iowa, have linked up with local farms to serve fresh vegetables and fruit to children. Read the entire article.

Lawmakers Push For Better School Nutrition by Amy Winterfeld. National Conference for State Legislatures. Published 05/03/2008.
Kids and local farmers all benefit when states support farm-to- school programs that make it easier to bring local produce to cafeteria tables. Making healthy food choices available to school kids is a priority for many lawmakers. You are what you eat, they say - and plenty of school kids are testing that theory every day. To keep kids healthy, legislators are taking a look at how to help them with nutritious choices at school. From 2005 through 2007, state lawmakers enacted about 46 bills related to school nutrition standards. Read the entire article.

Grant to promote local produce by John Arendt. Summerland Review. Published 05/01/2008.
A local organization would like to see Summerland-grown produce served at the high school's salad bar. The Summerland Food Action Coalition is applying for a $20,000 grant for its proposed Farm to School Salad Bar Program. Read the entire article.

D is for Dirt by Julie Flaherty. Tufts Journal. Published 05/01/2008.
School gardens are springing up like daffodils. But will they make children enjoy science, respect the earth and occasionally eat their veggies? An overview of school garden programs around the country and the work of Tufts' graduates to further the school garden movement. Read the entire article.

Thinking Outside the Lunchbox for Healthy School Food by California Endowment Videos. . Published 04/21/2008.
About 29 million children eat school lunches every day. The five foods those kids are most likely to see on their plates are pizza, chocolate chip cookies, corn, French fries or chicken nuggets, according to the American School Food Service Association. School food is a major part of many children's diets, and right now it's not doing their health many favors. A panel discussion (with Rodney Taylor, director of nutrition services at the Riverside Unified School District; Matt Sharp, director of the Los Angeles office of California Food Policy Advocates; Elizabeth Medrano, parent and community organizer for the Healthy School Food Coalition; and moderator Moira Berry, program manager of the Farm to Institution project at the Center for Food and Justice) examined innovative ways to transform the school food system. Read the entire article.

Md. joins Oklahoma in movement to put local food in schools by Associated Press. KTen. Published 04/20/2008.
A bill in Maryland would allow that state to join Oklahoma and others in establishing a Farm-To-School program. The goal of such programs is to encourage the placement of more local produce on cafeteria trays. The program has twin missions of boosting local farmers while trimming fuel costs for shipping food long distances. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Food Program. Channel 9 WSYR. Published 04/04/2008.
School districts are trying to save money, boost the economy, and avoid food recalls by doing one thing: buying local. They're participating in the national Farm to School program. In 1997, only six school districts participated. Now, there are nearly 2,000 programs in 39 states. Read the entire article.

Fresh Food Program Promotes Healthy Eating Habits Among Children by Stacy Kish. USDA: CSREES. Published 04/03/2008.
Gary Cuneen founded the advocacy group Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) in 2001, located in Oak Park, Ill., to find local solutions to global environmental problems. The group offers a comprehensive "farm-to-school" program called Fresh from the Farm. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Lunch Table by Annie Bell Muzaurieta. The Daily Green. Published 03/28/2008.
The National Farm to School Program, a non-profit that aims to connect farmers with nearby school cafeterias, has emerged to address the growing effort to get kids to eat fresh produce. The program provides schools with produce, meats, and dairy products from area farmers who have it fresh, according to the article. In 1997, only six local programs existed, but now there are nearly 2,000 programs in 39 states. Read the entire article.

Gross School Cafeteria Food- Go Organic! by Whole Earth Generation. You Tube. Published 03/26/2008.
Mike Botticello meets with kids from Hawthorne Elementary, where the school cafeteria food is provided by local organic farmers. The program is provided by 'Farm to School' a organization committed to making sure kids eat healthy, organically grown meals. Mike visits the local farms to see where all this great food comes from. Read the entire article.

Food program brings together schools, farmers by G. Jeffrey MacDonald. USA Today. Published 03/24/2008.
The National Farm to School Program, a non-profit effort to connect farmers with nearby school cafeterias, is going strong. In 1997, only six local programs existed, but now nearly 2,000 programs operate in 39 states. That means about 9% (11,000) of the nation's 124,000 public and private K-12 schools incorporate their neighbors' bounty into their menus. Read the entire article.

Mystery meat for our kids? by Rebecca Clarren. High Country News. Published 03/13/2008.
The Farm to School Movement has been around for over a decade now and according to the Farm to School network, 38 states now host such programs, involving more than 10,000 schools. Read the entire article.

We chow down on a diet salted with mystery by Julie Deardorff. Chicago Tribune. Published 02/24/2008.
One of the most important outgrowths of farmers markets, however, is the growing popularity of farm-to-school programs, which are popping up all over the country, including Chicago, Oak Park, Grayslake and the northwest suburbs. Some of the efforts link local growers to school food-service companies so fresh food can be used in school lunches. It's a timely idea, given that the Agriculture Department recalled 143 million pounds of factory-farmed beef, after some of it had already been eaten in school lunch programs. Read the entire article.

Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Meals. Nurse.com. Published 01/10/2008.
A University of Minnesota study that appeared in the Review of Agricultural Economics shows school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served and that more nutritious foods don't necessarily cost schools more to produce. The study contradicts the findings of previous studies, which showed students preferred fatty foods and that healthier meals cost more to make, the authors said. The researchers analyzed five years of data for 330 Minnesota public school districts and found the schools that served the healthiest lunches did not see a drop in demand. The study looked at compliance with federal standards for calories, nutrients, and fats. Read the entire article.

Renegade lunch lady saving kids' lives, one plate at a time by Fran Fifis. CNN. Published 01/09/2008.
Ann Cooper is on a whirlwind campaign to change the way kids eat in schools. "We're killing our kids with food," she says. Half of all the Hispanic and African-American kids born in 2000 and one-third of Caucasian kids will have diabetes in their lifetime, many before they graduate college, Cooper says, citing U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. "It's all because of what we are feeding them," she says. "It's all preventable." Read the entire article.

Farmers Going Back to School by Debra Eschmeyer. Touch the Soil. Published 01/01/2008.
The move underway in America, to connect schools to local farms, will be the best educational and nutritional enhancement to public health and education in this century. By virtue of their educational missions, community-building potential, and purchasing power, K-12 schools have a unique responsibility to act as models for social responsibility, which includes the food served to students at school. Farm to School is a school-based program that connects K-12 schools and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting small and medium-sized local and regional farmers. Read the entire article.

Things you can do now at your school by Tara Roberts. Cosmo Girl. Published 12/11/2007.
Eat locally and healthfully. Farm to School connects school cafeterias to local farms. Instead of shipping frozen foods across the nation in huge trucks, which uses tons of fuel, you can eat fresh produce and meat from around the corner. More than 700 school districts across the nation participate. Contact Farm to School for more info. Read the entire article.

Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Food by Associated Press. NY Times. Published 11/26/2007.
Maybe getting schoolchildren to eat healthy foods isn't a hopeless struggle. Bucking some common notions, a University of Minnesota study has found that school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don't necessarily cost schools more to produce. Read the entire article.

Stirring up nutrition goals for farm bill by Nicole Gaouette. Los Angeles Times. Published 11/25/2007.
Parents, nutritionists and physicians want Congress to overhaul the legislation, which they say promotes fatty school lunches, in an effort to fight obesity. Those changes would have a direct impact on Los Angeles children, said Elizabeth Medrano, an organizer for the Healthy School Food Coalition, which has worked for the last six years to improve school lunches. "We see access to healthy food, daily, as a health benefit, a prevention program," she said. Read the entire article.

Community Food Projects and the Farm Bill by Debra Eschmeyer. KPFK: Uprising. Published 11/05/2007.
Anyone who eats has an interest and stake in the farm bill. Passed by Congress approximately every five years, the farm bill is a giant piece of legislation that forms the foundation of our food system. It sets policies and budgets for everything from crop subsidies and country-of-origin labeling to food stamps and conservation programs. The farm bill directly impacts everything you eat and as a tax payer, you are footing the bill. Read the entire article.

Weed It and Reap by Michael Pollan. NY Times. Published 11/04/2007.
There's an important provision in both bills that will make it easier for schools to buy food from local farmers. And there's money to promote farmer's markets and otherwise support the local food movement. Read the entire article.

EPA Announces First-Ever Ag Advisory Committee. USAgNet. Published 10/18/2007.
"Continuing efforts to strengthen relations with the agriculture community, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the establishment of the first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. The panel is being formed under the guidelines of the National Strategy for Agriculture, and it will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues impacting farms, ranches and rural communities and operate under the rules of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Read the entire article.

Oral Health America Celebrates National School Lunch Week. Oral Health America. Published 10/01/2007.
Good oral health and good nutrition go hand-in-hand, and National School Lunch Week (October 15-19) is a great opportunity to ensure that children are eating healthy foods for lunch. Read the entire article.

A Tamer of Schools Has Plan in New Orleans by Adam Nossiter. The New York Times. Published 09/24/2007.
Despite the two year anniversary this August of Hurricane Katrina, it is safe to say that the emotional and social impacts far outweighs the physical devastation caused by this natural disaster. As the new year starts in New Orleans, vocal school administrators voice the need for the school systems to be a second family to the students by not only providing a strong structural foundation but also addressing the poverty issue as well, which would require providing three meals a day and health and dental care. Read the entire article.

Tory Pledge: Schools, Hospitals to Buy Local by GLORIA GALLOWAY AND DAVID ANDREATTA. The Globe and Mail. Published 09/19/2007.
Hospital patients, school children, civil servants and provincial prisoners would eat Ontario broccoli, apples, pork and everything else grown and raised on the rich farmland of the province where John Tory would be premier. Read the entire article.

The School Cafeteria, on a Diet by Andrew Martin. The New York Times. Published 09/05/2007.
Due to Senate Bill 965, there are now tighter limitations as to what good food is and what junk food is. Ever since the banning of deep fryers in school cafeterias, schools have replaced formerly deep fried food for its baked counterpart, lowering meals? fat and sugar content...the staggering statistics of children with obesity is enough to justify why certain foods must be restricted in schools. Read the entire article.

Family Meals during Adolescence Are Associated with Higher Diet Quality and Healthful Meal Patterns by Nicole I. Larson, MPH, RD, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Peter J. Hannan, MStat, Mary Story. Family Meals during Adolescence Are Associated with Higher Diet Quality and Healthful Meal Patterns. Published 09/01/2007.

An interesting study proving that "Family meals during adolescence may have a lasting positive influence on dietary quality and meal patterns in young adulthood."

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Green Food in the School Cafeteria: Is it Healthy? by Earth Talk. PoliticalAffairs.net. Published 08/19/2007.
Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria food is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators. And luckily for the environment, healthier food usually means greener food. Read the entire article.

Fresh Food Nation by Cathe Olson. Mothering. Published 08/01/2007.
Some US schools now make it a priority to feed students fresh, wholesome food, and are turning to farm-to-school programs to improve the quality of school meals and the effectiveness of nutrition education. Farm-to-school programs not only offer healthy, tasty, fresh food to students, but also provide hands-on educational experiences to connect children with the sources of their food. Local farmers benefit from direct sales of their products, which helps the community as well. Read the entire article.

Program to Improve School Nutrition, Support Local Farms to Go National With $2.3 Million Kellogg Gr by Public Interest Newswire. Ascribe. Published 07/13/2007.
Building on previous success in several states, a $2.34 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will make it possible for the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College to establish and coordinate - in collaboration with the Community Food Security Coalition - the National Farm to School Network. The effort will link local farmers with school cafeterias across the country, improving student nutrition while giving small farmers access to a multi-billion dollar market. Read the entire article.

How does your garden grow?. The Mississauga News. Published 06/14/2007.
Students from Mississauga's Thomas Street Middle School will get their hands dirty next Monday when they travel to a working farm to plant tomatoes.  About 30 Grades 6-8 students will visit farmer Lorenz Eppinger to help him plant his tomato crop at Greenfields Organic Farm in Campbellville.
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School Food Should Lead to Help by Jennifer Wilkins. The Times Union. Published 04/01/2007.
A familiar proverb claims "all roads lead to Rome." Well-engineered roads were a key strategy for the Roman Empire's military, commercial and political expansion. At the Community Food Security Coalition's National Farm to School Conference last month, Roberta Sonnino of Cardiff University in Wales captivated more than 400 listeners with hope of a very different kind of expansion from the Eternal City. Read the entire article.

 Federal Rule Kills Proposal On Farm Sales to Schools by Daniel de Vise. Washington Post. Published 03/01/2007.
State Del. Jane E. Lawton (D-Montgomery) abruptly withdrew a bill yesterday that would have allowed Maryland school systems to give farmers a small competitive advantage in selling food for consumption in schools and other facilities. Read the entire article.

Mayor Hazel McCallion and Mississauga middle school students to harvest healthy "local food" snack by Diana Crosbie. CNW Group. Published 03/01/2007.

Children and families in Greater Toronto urban communities such as Mississauga are missing a strong sense that local farms are a big source of healthy food. They are separated from nearby Greenbelt farms, not only by miles of highways and roads but also by a lack of awareness of how food grows. Most have no opportunity for hands-on experience at local farms.

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Schumer outlines plans for Farm Bill 2007 by Eric Monnat. The Evening Telegram. Published 03/01/2007.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer proposes farm bill for 2007 that gives farmers a voice. Read the entire article.

Local Food Program Focuses on Schools by Dale Rodebaugh. The Durango Herald. Published 02/15/2007.
Southwest Coloroda tries to create a connection between farm and plate in their community. Read the entire article.

We get to eat the food! by Ali Bay. Capital Press. Published 07/08/2005.
In the morning shade that surrounds Birch Lane Elementary School in Davis, Calif., the chirping of birds is replaced with the quiet clanking of hoes and shovels. A handful of eager fifth-graders has attacked a few pesky weeds and withering crops that have outlasted the spring season. Read the entire article.

Environment Grants Awarded by The Republican. The Republican. Published 11/19/2004.
The New England Grassroots Environment Fund in Montpelier, Vt., has awarded $32,000 in grants to 20 community groups across the Bay State. Read the entire article.

Food Fight by Jerry L. Van Marter. PCUSA News. Published 11/14/2003.
At it's Nov. 10 annual meeting in Boston, the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) urged passage of The Farm to Cafeteria Projects Act, which is designed to help schools create a healthy menu through grants to school districts to buy local food from regional farms. Read the entire article.

Fresh, local food for kids will have long-term benefits by Margaret Krome. The Capital Times. Published 07/10/2003.
Given the chance, children gobble freshly picked fruit. My favorite volunteer role at my daughter's urban elementary school is accompanying children to the outdoor classroom during lunch recess. Kids enjoy planting and weeding, but no activity compares to picking sweet cherry tomatoes or fresh raspberries and plopping them right in their mouths. Fresh fruits and vegetables have gone out of children's diets, replaced by processed and fried foods. The national Community Food Security Coalition reports that on a typical day, 45 percent of children eat ... Read the entire article.

Eat Your Vegetables- Only at a Few Schools by Elizabeth Becker and Marian Burros. NY Times. Published 01/13/2003.
A school lunch often looks like an exercise in fat loading, with a supersize soft drink from a vending machine, followed by a candy bar from another machine. The meal is more in keeping with one from a fast-food outlet than what the Department of Agriculture says is a nutritious meal.This yawning discrepancy between what students should eat and what most of them actually pile onto their trays has become a central issue in the national debate over why Americans are growing obese. Read the entire article.

Empty bellies -- the real issue in homeland security by Andrew Fisher and Mary Embleton. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Published 10/27/2002.
At first glance, America's food system may seem exemplary, at least for those of us with access to stores and who can afford grocery prices. We can visit a local supermarket almost anywhere in the country and buy Mexican mangoes in May, Chilean grapes in March or even organic cherry tomatoes in January. Upon closer scrutiny serious problems lurk behind the grocery aisles. Despite the image of cornucopia, the alarming truth is that America cannot sufficiently support a food system that feeds its own people. At a time when the importance of national security is at an all-time high, our country is in a state of food insecurity. Increasingly, on the most basic level, food is not produced or available locally and affordably. Small and medium-size farmers are regularly squeezed out of business by the high cost of business, low prices for their products and poor access to markets. Read the entire article.

School lunch with more local touches. The Spokesman Review. Published 07/31/2002.
Last week I took my two kids with me to a farmers' market. That in itself is nothing new. But for whatever reason - alignment of planets or phase of the moon - this time they were filled with excitement over the bounty before them. "Do you want to have corn with dinner, mom?" my 5-year-old asked. "Is this a zucchini?" "Strawberries!" my 2-year-old squealed. Read the entire article.

How a School Salad Bar Can Be a Learning Experience, Too. by Robert Gottlieb and Michelle Mascarenhas. The Los Angeles Times. Published 11/28/1999.
"Picture this: Lunchtime for 900 students at Castelar Street Elementary in Chinatown, one of L.A. Unified's 430 elementary schools.  Less than half the students grab fried tacos, while more than half line up for the farmers' market fruit and salad bar. These students get to choose from 10 different fruits and vegetables, including sliced Fuji apples, mandarin oranges, carrot sticks, broccoli spears, a combination of red leaf, romaine and iceberg lettuce and Fuyu persimmons. Some of the salad-bar lines are so long during lunch period that several students have to be sent to the hot-meal window where there are no lines." Read the entire article.

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The school lunchroom grows green by Yvonne Zipp. CSMoniter.com. Published 00/01/0000.
From kindergarten to college, school cafeterias become ecofriendly by banishing trays, growing veggies, and composting waste. Read the entire article.

USDA Announces More Funding for Beginning Farmers by Paula Mohr. The Farmer. Published 00/01/0000.
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Childhood Obesity Task Force Unveils Action Plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a . Article Ant. Published 00/01/0000.
Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes and members of the Childhood Obesity Task Force to unveil the Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. In conjunction with the release of the action plan, Cabinet Members and Administration Officials will hold events across the country to highlight the importance of addressing childhood obesity. Read the entire article.

School Food: How to Take Action by Marion Nestle. The Atlantic. Published 00/01/0000.
A guide for getting involved on the front lines of the war on processed, chicken tender-filled school food, from do-it-yourself meetings to national initiatives Read the entire article.

USDA Publishes Findings on National Farm to School Effort that Provides New Economic Opportunities . USDA. Published 00/01/0000.
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today highlighted the importance of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and announced the findings of USDA's first Farm to School report during the 2011 School Nutrition Association national convention. Read the entire article.

Media That Matters: Good Food by Arts Engine Inc.. Film Festival. Published 00/00/0000.
A number of short documentaries about food, farming, gardening, youth involvement, soda in schools and more! Read the entire article.