Vermont Media Coverage

Schools Take Aim at Growing Farm to School Initiative. WCAX.com. Published 09/19/2011.
Video Read the entire article.

Shumlin plan would trade USDA staples to local foods by Andrea Suozzo. Addison County Independent . Published 08/01/2011.
Local administrators are welcoming a move by Gov. Peter Shumlin’s campaign to free up federal funding for fresh, local foods in schools by allowing states to receive cash vouchers from the USDA instead of commodity food. Read the entire article.

Farm to school is flourishing in Vermont by Megan Camp. Burlington Free Press. Published 06/17/2011.
Thirteen years ago, the directors from three organizations dedicated to supporting a sustainable food system — Food Works at Two Rivers, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and Shelburne Farms — gathered around a picnic table on a sunny day for one of our frequent brainstorming sessions. Those first conversations evolved into a collaborative project we named Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED) Read the entire article.

Program Aims To Build Healthy Eating Habits by Jane Lindholm. Vermont Public Radio. Published 05/24/2011.
The Farm to School program has been instituted in 200 Vermont schools, uniting the classroom, the cafeteria and the community. A recent study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows promising statistical results on how this program changes behaviors. Linda Berlin, of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Abbie Nelson, director of VT Food Education Every Day, talk about the program that has been working to build healthy eating habits among Vermont school kids by connecting them with local agriculture. Listen to Jane Lindholm's interview with Linda Berlin and Abbie Nelson. Read the entire article.

Kids Will Eat Beets: Bring More Whole Foods to the Table by Angela Berkfield and Katherine Gillespie. Sentinel Source. Published 03/22/2011.
Vermont is a leader in the national Farm to School movement. Farm to School connects 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 local and regional farmers. Read the entire article.

Recipes for success by JAIME CONE. Battleboro Reformer. Published 03/19/2011.
Zeman’s Zing Zang took home Best in Show at the Third Annual Twin Valley Jr. Iron Chef Cook-off at Whitingham Elementary School Thursday, with Most Creative going to Team Murdock and J-Lee Crew Stackmasters coming in as the runner-up. The cookoff has enjoyed enormous popularity at Twin Valley, especially among the middle schoolchildren, and the thrill of competition has lured many young chefs-in-the-making back to the stove year after year. Read the entire article.

Ferrisburgh Central School Wins Farm To School Video Contest . The Valley Voice. Published 03/01/2011.
As the camera scanned the salad bar filled with fresh local vegetables at Hartland Elementary School, one student said, “The salad bar is healthy and awesome.” This was a scene in one of three winning videos for The Reel Farm to School: Vermont Farm to School Video Contest. Read the entire article.

Grant aims for new markets for New England food by Lisa Rathke. Burlington Free Press. Published 02/18/2011.
A new $250,000 federal grant is aimed at putting more locally raised food into New England's schools, colleges and hospitals. The U.S. 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 system. Read the entire article.

Growing good habits by HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN. Battleboro Reformer. Published 01/26/2011.
This week, on the coldest day of the year, Windham Southeast Supervisory Union's new Farm to School coordinator began talking about the upcoming growing season. Katherine Gillespie, who was hired by the supervisory union last year to increase the amount of local food served in the school cafeterias, brought together teachers, farmers, food service workers, parents and other supporters to look back over the past year and think about ways to strengthen the connections between farmers and the students in the schools. Read the entire article.

Fed money could be used to connect farms to schools by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 12/11/2010.
Farm to school programs across Vermont could receive financial help after the U.S. Congress included money for the programs in the school nutrition bill that passed last week. Read the entire article.

I Believe: 'We have the power to change, improve and reclaim our food systems' by Dana Hudson. Burlington Free Press. Published 10/31/2010.
Individually and collectively we have the power to change, improve and reclaim our food systems. Farm to School shows us that this not only strengthens our health but also our local economy, our environment and our communities. That is a lot of responsibility when you are standing at the store trying to decide between whole local blueberries or artificially flavored blueberry Popsicles. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program Seeks Funding. Parent Express. Published 08/09/2010.
Composed of volunteer teachers and parents, plus organizers from Post Oil Solutions Community Food Security Project, the Brattleboro Farm to School Committee recently announced its program will have a full-time coordinator beginning this August to work in all of the town's elementary schools and Brattleboro Area Middle School. Read the entire article.

Senate Votes To Revamp School Lunch Program To Counter Child Obesity And Promote Healthier Meals. Senator Patrick Leahy press release. Published 08/06/2010.
Before ending its summer session, the U.S. Senate on Aug. 5 unanimously approved sweeping changes in the school lunch program, including an expansion of an effort led by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to multiply links between local farms and school lunch counters. The bill includes support for Leahy’s Farm to School program, which encourages community-based efforts to link local farms to school lunchrooms. Read the entire article.

Brattleboro Food Co-op’s Education Outreach Program supports Farm to School projects. Commons News. Published 07/12/2010.
This summer, education outreach coordinators from the Brattleboro Food Co-op are involved with a variety of programs that have grown from Farm to School initiatives. These collaborative projects are providing learning opportunities on gardening and healthy food for youth in our community. The Co-op provides free nutrition education programs like these as a part of their community outreach effort. Read the entire article.

Bringing kids to the land, and good food to the table by Bella English. The Boston Globe. Published 06/27/2010.
“The local food movement is about bringing good, nutritious food to all despite the income,’’ says Katherine Sims, who was in Milton last weekend for a fund-raiser. The program draws a third of its budget from individual and corporate donations, a third from grants and foundations, and a third from the schools. Another component of the program is getting produce from local farms into the schools, which benefits both the farmers and the children, who, she says, suffer from “nature deficit disorder.’’ Read the entire article.

Vergennes education takes root in school garden by Erin Cummings. Addison County Independent. Published 06/21/2010.
As Lisa Sprague enters a classroom at Vergennes Union Elementary School carrying a bundle of freshly harvested vegetables, she is confronted with a throng of students hoping to help her do whatever is necessary to make the food ready to eat.

VUES started its garden last year after the school received a $14,000 grant from the Farm-to-School program, led by Vermont Food Education Every Day, a nonprofit collaborative project of the Food Works, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and Shelburne Farms. Its goal is to teach students about their food, where it comes from, and how choices they make regarding food can effect their lives and their environment. Read the entire article.

From the farm to students' plates by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 06/12/2010.
Hans Estrin wants to change the world, one head of lettuce at a time. Just over a year ago, Estrin had a pretty good job teaching science at The Putney School. Each semester he would get frustrated and depressed, learning how little local schools were accessing the produce that Vermont is famous for. Schools were serving apples from Washington, frozen carrots from who-knows-where, and prepared lettuce from California, while local farmers harvested the same crops less than a mile up the road. So Estrin decided to try to change that. Read the entire article.

Sanders finds federal funds for school gardens statewide by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 06/05/2010.
As the Brattleboro School District moves ahead with its plan to hire a full-time farm to school coordinator, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Friday that he has secured $120,000 in federal funding for community gardens at up to 40 schools around the state.

"The Brattleboro Farm to School Program is one of the most progressive forces in developing the local food movement in our area," Post Oil Solutions Executive Director Tim Stevenson said. "It is second to none in advancing an awareness amongst children and their families about the importance of locally produced food." Read the entire article.

Vt. city school food program is recognized by USDA by Associated Press. Bennington Banner. Published 04/04/2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is going to study the Burlington school district’s farm-to-school program. Read the entire article.

Table Talk: Ferrisburgh wins farm to school video contest. Addison County Independent. Published 03/09/2010.
Last year, fifth-grade students at Ferrisburgh Central School made a video showcasing their school's local, healthy food initiatives. In January, the video won the grand prize in “The Reel Farm to School,” a statewide school video contest sponsored by Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED), the Orton Family Foundation, Vermont Public Television and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Hartland Elementary and Randolph Elementary won second and third place in the contest. Read the entire article.

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food by Lisa Rathke . The Boston Globe. 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. 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. Read the entire article.

Eleven Schools receive Farm to School Grants. VT Digger. Published 01/22/2010.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture in partnership with the Vermont Farm to School Network, recently announced the recipients of the 2010 Farm to School grants at a special ceremony at the Statehouse cafeteria. The Vermont Farm to School grant program is in its fourth year and works to improve kids’ diets by linking local producers and schools. The grant program encourages schools to engage students in their local food system by incorporating local food and farm education in their cafeterias, classrooms and communities. Read the entire article.

Farm to School at Lakeview Union School in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom by Lauren Ware. Civil Eats. Published 11/10/2009.
Several years ago, a movement began with students and has grown into a revamping of the school lunch program, with direct-farm purchasing, a school garden, and even a whole-school composting system. It started when two fourth-grade students accompanied Lakeview's principal, Linda Aiken, to a Vermont Rural Partnership conference and returned with an enthusiastic plan to start a salad bar. With the help of their teacher, they surveyed the students to find out which foods they would want and with food service staff support they set up and began offering it one day a week. Read the entire article.

Grant to help school food program expand by N/A. Rutland Herald. Published 11/04/2009.
Read the entire article.

Vermont FEED receives $476,000 from the Centers for Disease Control to Advance Farm to School progr by Koi Boynton. Market Watch. Published 10/12/2009.
Centers for Disease Control awards Shelburne Farms, partner and fiscal agent for VT FEED, $476,000 for Farm to School efforts in Vermont. This award comes on the heels of a U.S. government study released last week showing that most Americans don't eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. As a senior member of both the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was instrumental in securing this funding. Leahy said, "The funding I secured through the CDC will allow VT FEED to continue and expand Farm to School efforts throughout the state, giving kids the opportunity to eat more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. With obesity prevention a national health priority, it is encouraging to see Vermont doing so much for childhood nutrition." Read the entire article.

Barre to honor 5 at 28th annual Community Service Recognition Night. Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Published 10/12/2009.
A group of outstanding community volunteers will be honored this Thursday when the Knights of Columbus Hall hosts the 28th annual Community Service Recognition Night. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a social hour, cash bar and hors d'oeuvres. The recipients of this year's awards will be welcomed into the hall at 6:45 p.m. by piper Ian Gauthier, accompanied by representatives of the four Barre service clubs, the Altrusa, Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary. At 7 p.m., a dinner of mostaccioli and chicken will be served. Read the entire article.

Program gets kids in the garden by Charlotte Albright. Vermont Public Radio. Published 09/17/2009.
The Green Mountain Farm to School project took root about four years ago in Jay. Since then, another 14 Northeast Kingdom schools have signed on, giving elementary students year-round hands-on lessons in planning, growing, and harvesting vegetable gardens. Katherine Sims directs the outreach program from her office above a health food store in Newport. She says northeastern Vermont is a perfect place to grow this program, which gets both public funding and private donations. Read the entire article.

Burlington schools' food staff visit farm by Lynn Monty. Burlington Free Press. Published 08/26/2009.
Doug Davis, director of food service for the Burlington School District, said the reason he wanted to bring the staff to the farm was to acknowledge the partnerships that have formed between Burlington schools, Shelburne Farms and Vermont FEED, a nonprofit organization working to connect children and families with their food and local farms. FEED is an acronym for "Food Education Every Day." Read the entire article.

Real food, local food. CommonsNews.org. Published 08/08/2009.
On Friday, Aug. 14, a reception will benefit the Farm to School Committee of the Brattleboro Town Elementary Schools. Read the entire article.

Governor Douglas on healthcare: federal plan stresses coverage, not prevention by John Flowers. Addison Independent. Published 08/03/2009.
Governor Douglas discusses health care, the budget shortfall, and agricultural policy. He says he is a big fan of the Farm to School program, through which fresh local farm produce is made available at public schools. Read the entire article.

Farm to Plate empowers ag-related businesses by Kathryn Flagg. Addison County Independent. Published 07/16/2009.
The Farm to Plate bill aims to map the state's local food system, draft a development plan growing the local foods industry, and create an "overall framework" for putting local foods into the hands of Vermonters and Vermont schools and businesses. Read the entire article.

Leduc Farm legacy secured by Joel Banner Baird. The Burlington Free Press. Published 07/04/2009.
The Vermont Land Trust will consider the Common Roots proposal among others, but Common Roots's mission to combine farm-to-school food production with an educational facility perfectly satisfies one of the Vermont Land Trust's provisions--to provide the community with additional opportunities or services. Read the entire article.

State ranks in top 10 for obesity prevention by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 07/02/2009.
Vermont and Connecticut were among the leaders in preventing obesity in children. Vermont was credited in the report for the work it has done in the schools to address the issue. Read the entire article.

Volunteers sought by Extension by Bob Audette. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 06/11/2009.
In the past seven years, the UVM Extension Youth Horticulture Project has worked with more than 1,600 youth, grown more than 24,500 pounds of produce, raised more than $6,000 through various youth-run enterprises and donated more than 15,000 pounds of produce to local hunger relief programs and schools. Read the entire article.

Grow it local by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 06/09/2009.
School garden programs have been blooming all over Windham County during the past few years...Now a parent at Putney Central School wants to supersize the amount of local fruits and vegetables that are served in regional cafeterias during the school year. Read the entire article.

Cash cow: Strolling of the Heifers has delivered on its promise to help farmers by Howard Weiss-Tisman. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 06/06/2009.
Munzing started the Strolling of the Heifers in 2002 to help raise awareness of local agriculture and money for struggling farmers. As The Stroll enters its eighth year, its reach has extended from the farm, to the schools and into social service agencies. Read the entire article.

Ag, education in spotlight at fair by Associated Press. Rutland Herald. Published 05/31/2009.
All proceeds from the raffle, rides and donations will benefit the Hartland Farm to School Program, which helps children make connections between the food they eat and where it comes from. Read the entire article.

Children plant carrots and democracy by Margaret Krome. Revista Amauta. Published 05/28/2009.
At the Northeast Farm-to-School conference last week, children, teachers, farmers and school food administrators described every kind of project imaginable linking children directly with food production. Read the entire article.

Conference Focuses on Local Food. WCAX News. Published 05/17/2009.
A regional conference on locally-grown food is got under way in Burlington Sunday. The Farm to School program is the product of three nonprofits that have been promoting the use of local produce in schools and institutions. The conference brings representatives from all over New England and New York State. It includes workshops and panels, and runs through Monday at Champlain College. Read the entire article.

May 2009 Conferences. Vermont Biz. Published 05/14/2009.
The Northeast Region Farm to School Conference The Northeast Farm to School Conference will be held at Champlain College in Burlington on May 17 and 18, 2009. Vermont Feed Education Every Day (FEED), National Farm to School, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture are hosting the conference entitled Cooking Up Connections. May 17th will consist of half day short courses on Farm to School coordination, evaluation and integration of farm and food education into curriculum as well as field trips to the Intervale, City Market and Burlington's Community Gardens. On Monday, May 18th, participants choose from 25 workshops and panel presentations from the Northeast's Farm to School leaders. Registration is now open online at www.shelburnefarms.org Read the entire article.

Localvor agriculture leads to wave of entrepreneurs by Art Edelstein. Vermont Biz. Published 05/14/2009.
Vermont's newest business startups are coming from a surprising sector of the economy not related to technology, manufacturing or tourism. The state, which boasts the highest percentage of people who buy locally grown food, is seeing a surge in small farmers. They say the growing cost of food shipped from California and elsewhere, coupled with concern about America's use of gasoline and an overall concern for food safety is spurring local agriculture. Read the entire article.

School gardens planted in Northeast Kingdom. Burlington Free Press. Published 05/06/2009.
Ten new school gardens will be planted in the Northeast Kingdom through the Green Mountain Farm-to-School program, a nonprofit based in Newport. Read the entire article.

Spring crops up at South Burlington development by Joel Banner Baird. Burlington Free Press. Published 04/24/2009.
A young veteran of the Intervale Center Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and coordinator of Burlington's farm-to-school produce program, Young said developments such as South Village might offer more young Vermonters a chance to dig in. He's already signed up 23 of 30 subscribers needed for the South Village CSA this season. Does he think there's a future in farm-bound communities? "The best way to bring people to the table is food," he said. Read the entire article.

Cooking Up Connections - The Northeast Region Farm to School Conference. Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Published 04/20/2009.
The Northeast Farm to School Conference will be held at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont on May 17 and 18, 2009. Vermont Feed Education Every Day (FEED), National Farm to School, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture are hosting the conference entitled Cooking Up Connections! Read the entire article.

Harwood wins farm to school grant by Celia Cadwell. The Valley Reporter. Published 04/16/2009.
In place of junk food, a large emphasis has been placed on selling local products and lunches. Starting in the 2007-2008 school year, once a month there was a localvore day, where the hot lunch being served consisted entirely of local produce. This past summer, the cafeteria itself was repainted, creating a more comfortable environment for students and teachers alike. Read the entire article.

Dover school wins state grant by Howard Weiss. Brattleboro Reformer. Published 02/07/2009.
The garden program at the Dover Elementary School is going to grow this year thanks to a Farm to School grant that was given out recently. The Dover school was one of 11 in the state to win the grant, which is awarded through a joint partnership of the Agency of Agriculture, the health and education departments and Vermont Food Education Every Day. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Awareness Day Celebrated. Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Published 01/29/2009.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED), in partnership with the Department of Health, and the Department of Education, recently announced the recipients of the 2009 Farm to School grants at a special ceremony at the Statehouse cafeteria. This year, grants were awarded to eleven schools. Read the entire article.

More schools will feast on fresh food. The Herald. Published 01/29/2009.
The recipients of the 2009 Farm to School grants were announced at a special ceremony at the Statehouse cafeteria. Read the entire article.

What I'm Into: Katharine Monstream: Artist, mother, soccer fan by Myra Mathis-Flynn. Burlington Free Press. Published 11/14/2008.
We are also supporting Farm to School where local farmers bring local food to our cafeterias. So we will be raffling off original paintings to support them. Read the entire article.

Greg Clark Q and A. Addison Independent. Published 11/03/2008.
The Vermont-made label means something in many parts of the world so I'm supportive of the marketing of Vermont farm products. I will continue to support the current use program, the farm viability program, the buy locally and farm to school programs. Read the entire article.

Two farm-to-school efforts receive awards. Burlington Free Press. Published 10/21/2008.
Two Vermont initiatives are among 25 nationally to receive Victory Against Hunger Awards from Congressional Hunger Center, Victory Wholesale Group and National Farm to School Network. Hartland's Farm to School program and Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day) will receive national recognition and $1,000 awards. Read the entire article.

Center for Rural Studies Receives Funding for Community Projects. University Communications. Published 10/02/2008.
Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day) Farm to School, a project of Shelburne Farms, Northeast Organic Farmers Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) and Foodworks, will receive $15,000 to help to provide sustained technical support to teachers, food service staff and farmers in a variety of areas. Activities include developing curriculum activities and integrated learning units with teachers, working with school food service directors and students in menu planning and taste testing using locally grown produce, and linking students, teachers and food service personnel directly with area farms to foster ongoing farm-to-school partnerships, including purchasing agreements with school breakfast and lunch programs. These trainings will benefit at least 12 Vermont public schools in the 2008-09 school year, affecting a minimum of 30 teachers, 500 students and 15 small family farms. Read the entire article.

UVM, Center for an Agricultural Economy Announce Partnership by Jeffrey R. Wakefield. The University of Vermont. Published 09/24/2008.
The University of Vermont and the Center for an Agricultural Economy, a non-profit that seeks to promote a healthy food system through a network of food-based companies in the Hardwick, Vt. area, announced a formal partnership today, signaling an expansion of the university's commitment to investigating and advancing local food systems. Read the entire article.

Quick-Freezing Crops by Darren Perron. WCAX News. Published 08/29/2008.
Bushes loaded with blueberries are no match for kids from Jay-Westfield Joint School. Students hunted for the tastiest fruit on Blueberry Ridge in North Troy. Busloads of kids picked the berries to bring them back to their school's cafeteria as part of the Green Mountain Farm to School Program. Area schools and farms partner, and kids help harvest. Now local fruits and veggies will be served to the students all year long. Read the entire article.

School bells are ready to toll again by Linda Maness. The Manchester Journal. Published 08/21/2008.
Schools ready to begin the 2008-2009 school year, including the farm to school program. Read the entire article.

Kale is Cool by Eva Sollberger. Seven Days. Published 07/30/2008.
When did kale become so cool? Down at Burlington's Intervale Center, the Healthy City kids are growing vegetables, becoming farmers, volunteering in their community, working a summer job and changing the world, weed by weed. Read the entire article.

Teens pick strawberries for city schools by Connor Boals. Burlington Free Press. Published 07/05/2008.
The farm provides local produce for the Burlington school district and all of the strawberries the teens picked will be sent straight to the schools they attend. Read the entire article.

Students connecting with their roots by Linda Maness. The Times Argus. Published 06/15/2008.
Vermont's schools are growing green. "Growing" is the word being emphasized at school these days, as many are planting their own gardens or contributing to a community garden. Focusing on whole, natural foods - their production, harvest and preparation - is one way that Vermont schools are responding to the deterioration of the eating habits and growing obesity rates of its children. Enter the farm-to-school program. Read the entire article.

Tainted tomatoes hit Vt. by Daniel Barlow. Rutland Herald. Published 06/14/2008.
Many schools still purchase their produce wholesale from corporations in California and Mexico because it is cheaper, he added. Twinfield will be part of the state's farm to school food program starting in the fall, he said, which should put more local, fresh food on the plates of students. Read the entire article.

"Strolling of the Heifers" Celebrates Dairy Farming by Tracy Sutton. Lancaster Farming. Published 06/13/2008.
The epicenter of heifer funkiness - or the "cow-nter culture" if you will -was on exuberant, flower-draped display last Saturday at Brattleboro, Vermont's seventh annual "Strolling of the Heifers." The theme for the parade this year was "Live Green." School kids dressed as strawberries promoted their local farm to school program and held placards praising compost. Read the entire article.

Café Services donation benefits local Farm to School program. Reformer.com. Published 06/02/2008.
Café Services, the food service provider for the Brattleboro Town Schools, has made a donation of $1,200 to help fund the Farm to School Program at Academy, Green Street and Oak Grove schools. Read the entire article.

Keep it in Vermont by Carol Tashie. The Times Argus. Published 06/01/2008.
What could your town do with $5 million? Or $1 million? Picture more farm-to-school partnerships, where our children are fed healthy, whole foods straight from our neighboring farmers. Read the entire article.

Heifer grants keep it green by Bob Audette. The Reformer. Published 05/06/2008.
Since its inception in 2001, the Heifer Educational Fund has awarded more than $125,000 to area schools for projects such as farm-to-school food initiatives, the creation of school gardens and greenhouses, soil conservation and forestry work. Read the entire article.

Farm to School by Keagan Harsha. WCAX News. Published 04/16/2008.
These kids are learning the ins and outs of agriculture thanks to a $12,000 grant from the agriculture agency. It's all part of a national farm-to-school program that brings farmers and their products into the classroom. Read the entire article.

Junior Iron Chef by Melissa Pasanen. Burlington Free Press. Published 04/15/2008.
On Saturday, the Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Expo filled in for kitchen stadium and the not-so-secret challenge ingredient was a previously provided list of seasonally available Vermont ingredients, including dairy and eggs, maple syrup and honey, apples, root vegetables, winter squash, sprouts, and some grains. The road to victory was to impress the panel of judges (which included this reporter) by using at least five of these ingredients to make tasty and nutritious dishes that might be recreated affordably and served successfully in a school cafeteria. Read the entire article.

Students reinvent their lunch at Jr. Iron Chef by Matt Ryan. Burlington Free Press. Published 04/14/2008.
Students hungering for better school lunches have taken matters into their own hands. Twenty-three middle school and 12 high school teams, each with five students, prepared potential school lunches at Vermont's first Jr. Iron Chefs, held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction on Saturday. Judges graded the dishes on taste, use of Vermont products and ability to be replicated for mass consumption. The students' recipes will be featured in a cookbook and could soon be served at their schools. Read the entire article.

Jr Iron Chef. Stuck in Vermont. Published 04/12/2008.
Mmm, something smells good. Middle and high school students from all over the state of Vermont compete in Jr Iron Chef which aims to celebrate local food, showcase VT seasonal produce and promote healthy local-food dishes in schools. Read the entire article.

Vt. students compete for top chef status. Burlington Free Press. Published 03/28/2008.
Thirty five teams of Middle and High School students from across the state compete for the title of Vermont's first Jr. Iron Chefs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 12 at the Champlain Valley Exposition. The teams of 3-5 students each have 90 minutes to create 1-2 delicious dishes using seasonal, local foods, which can be easily prepared for school food service menus.Celebrity judges then sample each dish, judging them on taste, best/greatest use of local ingredients, creativity, and feasibility of using the recipes as part of school food menus. Read the entire article.

Teachers find their lesson in kids' food by Mel Huff. Times Argus. Published 03/21/2008.
Since 2000, FEED (Vermont Food Education Every Day) has been developing solutions to hunger by connecting the "classroom, community and cafeteria." The farm-to-school program was developed by Food Works, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and Shelburne Farms. Read the entire article.

From farm to foodbank by Mel Huff. The Times Argus. Published 03/16/2008.
Gleaning project brings fresh veggies to low-income tables through Salvation Farms, program of the Vermont Foodbank. Read the entire article.

Restore the 'buy local' mandate by Senator Ginny Lyons. The Times Argus. Published 03/02/2008.
Congress must resist the USDA's undermining of the farm-to-school program. This local food initiative helps children develop eating habits that defend against diet-related disease. It supports all farmers, not just those who grow fruits and vegetables. Read the entire article.

Getting local foods into schools by Jane Lindholm. Vermont Public Radio. Published 02/27/2008.
The recent recall of beef from school cafeterias raised questions about where schools' food comes from. School lunch programs rely on federally subsidized foods that are trucked in from out of state, but schools are also turning to local farmers to provide more of what they serve. We examine the challenges of putting more local food in school cafeterias and how the effort also involves educating students about where their food comes from. Read the entire article.

Jr. Iron Chef Competition to be held at the Expo. Burlington Free Press. Published 01/14/2008.
Vermont middle and high school students are invited to participate in the Jr. Iron Chef Competition on April 12 at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, a fundraiser for the Burlington School Food Project and VT FEED's farm-to-school programs. Teams of three to five students in the middle school and high school competitions will create one or two dishes that could be prepared for school food service menus using seasonal, local foods. Teams must be chaperoned by a parent or school employee. Application deadline is Feb. 8. Applications and more information at 864-8415, www.JrIronChefVT.org or www.vtfeed.org. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program is a Hit with Students. Country Folks. Published 12/17/2007.
Article highlights one community's successful Farm to School Project that was a product of a state funded Farm to School grant. Read the entire article.

Mettawee Holiday Feast Goes Localvore by Sarah Hinkley. Rutland Herald. Published 11/20/2007.
While fifth-graders of Mettawee Community School in West Pawlet gave a slew of red potatoes a final scrub, second-graders in Brook Debonis's class broke bread for stuffing. Everyone was pitching in to put together the first "Eat Local Challenge" Thanksgiving feast at the West Pawlet school. At noon today, the pupils, staff and senior guests " close to 450 people " are expected to be served a feast made of as much local produce and poultry as possible... Read the entire article.

Leahy, Sanders And Welch Slam Bush For Targeting MILC Program In White House's New Veto Threat To Th. All American Patriots. Published 11/09/2007.
Welch said, "The President is once again demonstrating his reckless and out-of-touch priorities. We are working hard to assure fairer milk prices, cut commodity payments for wealthy Western farmers, support farm-to-school programs, and fund food stamps. President Bush is yet again a roadblock to progress." Read the entire article.

Burlington School Food Project: A recipe for school and community partnership by Susan H. Stafford. The Center for Public Education. Published 10/17/2007.
This city-wide, community-driven initiative has incorporated local farming practices into the classroom through science, math, literacy, and nutrition curriculum and brought fresh produce and healthy eating practices into this district's lunchrooms. Read the entire article.

Making Use of Local Produce by Dana Hudson. Rutland Herald. Published 10/04/2007.
In the past few years, Vermont-grown tomatoes, zucchini, and basil have started showing up in the school cafeteria meals of Vermont children. This is no coincidence. This new development required a great deal of coordination between public schools, nonprofit organizations, area farmers and school food service staff. Read the entire article.

Farm-to-college program a national model by Nancy Remsen. Burlington Free Press. Published 07/10/2007.
University of Vermont students ate 10,000 Vermont apples from Shoreham orchards; munched organic carrots and mesclun lettuce grown in fields in the Intervale in Burlington; drank milk from Vermont cows; and consumed local honey, maple syrup, chicken and cheese. Read the entire article.

Farm To School by Beth Parent. WCAX News. Published 06/01/2007.

From dairy farmers to vegetable growers, Vermont has a wide variety of home grown products. And today, Ferrisburgh students showcased producers in their community by bringing the farm to school.

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Local Food Donated to Burlington Schools. WCAX. Published 03/24/2007.
Farm to School Food Project Coordinator Rachel Daley said, "The schools feed all the school kids breakfast and lunch meals every day on a shoestring budget. And they're still trying to incorporate local produce, fresh, local, healthy produce, into the daily diet of Vermont school kids." Read the entire article.

Schools think globally, snack locally by Molly Walsh. Burlington Free Press. Published 03/16/2007.
When Alison Forrest wanted students at Brewster Pierce Elementary School in Huntington to eat Vermont-grown parsnips, she brought the pale white root vegetables into classrooms for a taste test before she introduced them in the lunch room. Read the entire article.

Locally Healthier Food by Andy Kirkaldy. The Addison Independent. Published 01/25/2007.
FERRISBURGH CENTRAL SCHOOL students dig into their hot lunches Tuesday afternoon. The school is working with Vergennes Union High School Walden Project students to bring more local food into school lunches and raise the younger children’s awareness of local farming. Read the entire article.

Home-grown options weighed by Jenn Smith. Berkshire Eagle. Published 11/19/2006.
Munoz, the Get Fit program manager for the Northern Berkshire REACH Community Health program, was one of more than 40 people from across the state who attended the first Farm to School conference sponsored by local nonprofit Berkshire Grown. The event was held yesterday afternoon at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School. Read the entire article.

Middle schoolers taste-test farm-fresh menu by Julia Melloni. Burlington Free Press. Published 10/13/2005.
The cafeteria at Lyman C. Hunt Middle School in Burlington was bustling with the usual high energy associated with school lunchtime. A bowl of cream of broccoli soup was innocently overturned off a table and splattered all over the floor while a few seventh-graders were busy eating jalapeño peppers in an effort to see how many peppers it took to produce a sweat. Read the entire article.

Fresh Gets Invited to the Cool Table by Marian Burros. New York Times. Published 08/30/2005.
YOU don't usually find a college tour guide showing off the school cafeteria to prospective applicants. But at Middlebury College in Vermont this summer, that was where a student guide made her four-star sales pitch. ''The food here is amazing,'' she said. Read the entire article.

Farm to school. Burlington Free Press. Published 06/28/2005.
Mitzi Johnson was frustrated knowing children in South Hero were passing local apple orchards on their way to school, but were being served apples shipped from Washington in the cafeteria. Read the entire article.

Farm to school. Innovative effort cooking up nutritional ties. St. Albans Messenger. Published 07/07/2002.
To a person they agree that the health and nutrition of Vermont children is among the most important issues currently facing the state. But the question remains – what can be done to improve it?
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