Iowa Media Coverage

Local officials combat rising obesity rates by BRITTANY TREVICK. The Daily Iowan. Published 07/15/2011.
Experts said childhood obesity can be avoided through exercising, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and attending programs that encourage children to not lead a sedentary lifestyles — something Iowa City has begun to focus on in recent years. And while the Iowa City School District has tackled children's eating habits through its Farm to School program — aimed at connecting students with local farmers to provide children with knowledge and experience with local, healthy food — the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert St., is spearheading a new youth exercise project. Read the entire article.

Students growing veggies they hope to eat in the fall by Jean Caspers-Simmet. AgriNews. Published 06/16/2011.
The dill has spread into a soft bed of green. The potatoes are unfurling, the tomatoes and peppers are reaching upward, and the spinach and lettuce are thick and luscious. Marigolds form orange and yellow borders. Mustangs Roots and Shoots, the Independence Community School District garden, has 13 raised beds in back of the school administration building. Elementary school students planted the beds, which are divided by classroom, on May 19. Read the entire article.

School gardens blossoming by Rob Daniel. Iowa City Press-Citizen. Published 06/02/2011.
The work of the dozen or so students at Kirkwood Elementary mirrored the efforts at seven other schools in the Iowa City School District that have had students, teachers and parent volunteers plant gardens on the school grounds. It is part of a movement by students and the district's Farm to School chapter to allow students to grow their own food and learn more about where it comes from, said Heather Widmayer, coordinator for the Farm to School chapter of the Johnson County Local Food Alliance. Read the entire article.

Schools Serve Fresh Iowa Lettuce For "Spring Greens Day" by Nadia Crow. KCRG-TV9. Published 06/01/2011.
More than 450 kids at Van Allen Elementary School in North Liberty got a taste of lettuce from the Hawkeye state. The greens didn't cost the students a dime to try. The goal: support local farmers while tackling childhood obesity. Read the entire article.

Farm to School initiative launches in Davenport by Kay Luna . Quad-City Times. Published 05/26/2011.
A pilot project of the new community-based Farm to School initiative in Davenport, the new raised-bed garden - filled with tiny green sprouts, just beginning to rise out of the earth - is the first of its kind in the Davenport Community School District. Read the entire article.

Produce to begin growing at four more schools by Rob Daniel . Iowa City Press-Citizen . Published 04/12/2011.
The number of gardens in the Iowa City School District is growing by four and the district is gaining a school greenhouse as well, district officials said Tuesday. Read the entire article.

Four new Farm to School chapters formed. Eastern Iowa Schools. Published 04/06/2011.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today welcomed four new Iowa Farm to School Chapters. With today’s announcement, there are now fifteen chapters located across Iowa dedicated to developing and implementing efforts to raise awareness and increase consumption of locally-grown Iowa food in schools. Read the entire article.

Food & Fitness: Active endeavor at How-Winn. Cresco-Times. Published 03/15/2011.
The northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative (FFI) is one of nine national sites funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation Food and Community Program. Many schools in northeast Iowa have started school gardens with support from FFI. Read the entire article.

Cross-age teaching: Decorah High School students helping kids eat healthier by Julie Berg-Raymond. Decorah Newspapers. Published 03/03/2011.
Not too long ago, a group of second grade students in Decorah could not answer the following question: "What sound does the animal make, that gives us hamburger?" It may be hard to believe this could happen in a town surrounded by farms and rooted in rural cultural traditions; but it's a measure of how far people -- even people living in largely rural areas -- have moved away from knowing the sources of the food they eat. That's changing, though -- thanks to the efforts of an organization committed to bringing, in essence, the farm back to the schools. Read the entire article.

Buyers want locally grown food by By Jean Caspers-Simmet. AgriNews. Published 02/24/2011.
Luther College buys 400 pounds of locally grown potatoes and 300 pounds of onions each week, said Wayne Tudor, general manager of Luther College dining services for SODEXO. Demand for fresh tomatoes is almost unlimited. Luther would like to buy locally produced dried beans and locally grown mushrooms. Read the entire article.

Despite success, local food looks to broaden reach by Phillip Brasher. Des Moines Register. Published 01/29/2011.
You know the local food movement has arrived when Walmart no less jumped into the market. But the movement is asking questions about how much impact its really having on consumers and how it can broaden its appeal. Read the entire article.

Despite success, local food looks to broaden reach by Philip Brasher. DesMoines Register . Published 01/29/2011.
Debra Eschmeyer with the National Farm to School Network, which seeks to locally grown foods into schools, says the movement needs to broaden its appeal in rural areas and to cross party lines. Eschmeyer, who grows heirloom produce in Ohio where her family has farmed for several generations, noted that a leading local Republican helped to from a farm-to-school program. “Invite your Republican friends, liberal friends. … Food is the one issue we should be at the same table together,” she said. Read the entire article.

Clarinda students benefit from state’s Farm to School program. Clarinda Herald-Journal. Published 01/28/2011.
The Clarinda Community School District is among the Iowa schools that have joined the Farm to School Program. Established by Iowa lawmakers in 2007, the program is designed to include fresh and minimally processed food that is grown locally in the meals and snacks served by the participating schools. Read the entire article.

Local foods production plan touted for jobs, ag diversity by Laura Bird. Globe Gazette. Published 01/23/2011.
A proposal to boost local food production in Iowa could create hundreds of jobs and bring in an estimated $62 million to the state, officials who drafted the plan said. The Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan, which outlines 34 recommendations, was developed by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, along with more than a dozen local food groups as part of a directive from the 2010 Legislature. Read the entire article.

Leopold Center presents local food report to Legislature by Laura Millsaps. The Tribune. Published 01/11/2011.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture presented the Iowa Legislature late Friday with a host of recommendations for promoting local food production in the state, including the creation of a local food and farm state coordinator position. Read the entire article.

College to host Iowa's first troop of FoodCorps members. Luther College Headlines. Published 12/15/2010.
The Luther College Environmental Studies Department, with the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, will host the first troop of FoodCorps members in Iowa as part of the initiative's 2011 launch. Luther is one of 10 FoodCorps sites selected from 108 applicants. FoodCorps is a new national AmeriCorps program that focuses on service in rural, urban and suburban school food systems that have children challenged with high rates of obesity and limited access to healthy foods. Read the entire article.

Schools team up to bring fresh produce to students by David Heitz. Quad-City Times. Published 10/18/2010.
Nolting, the food service director for the Pleasant Valley School District, has been experimenting with adding farm-fresh produce to the school lunch mix. Pleasant Valley teamed up with the Bettendorf, North Scott, Clinton and Northeast school districts to join the Northeast Iowa Farm to School chapter. Farm to School is a nationwide network that pairs schools with local and regional farmers to obtain high quality fruits and vegetables. Read the entire article.

Iowa students dig local-food push by Reid Forgrave. Des Moines Register. Published 10/05/2010.
What's happening in Independence illustrates a small but budding local-food movement in Iowa schools. In the past few years, this northeast Iowa district has cooked more lunch items from scratch with healthier ingredients, invited farmers to classrooms to explain where food comes from, and built gardens where students plant and harvest food used in lunches. Read the entire article.

Area school cooks go back to school by Meredith Hines-Dochterman. Gazette Online. Published 08/12/2010.
Some local school food service staff went back to school early this year to sharpen their cooking skills by attending a 5th Season Workshop hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program. Read the entire article.

More opportunities to eat fresh by Emily Christensen. WCF Courier. Published 07/06/2010.
The cafeteria was empty. The kids all gone for the summer. But inside the Independence High School kitchen Kelly Crossley, the district's food service director, was surrounded by a growing mound of strawberries. Cardboard cartons of the fruit were stashed in the cooler, on the countertops and still more were coming through the door. Read the entire article.

UNI appointed to lead Farm-to-School Network. Missouri Valley Times. Published 06/09/2010.
In a collaborative effort, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Northern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership (NIFFP) at the University of Northern Iowa and the Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) were appointed to co-leadership positions for the Midwest region of the National Farm to School Network (NFTSN). They will work with K-12 schools in seven states to help begin or continue farm-to-school connections. Read the entire article.

Getting the Cafeteria Connected to the Farm by Glen Gardner. Public News Service. Published 04/06/2010.
There are lots of schools in Iowa and lots of farms, and there is a lot to be gained for students and farmers when farm-to-school programs help fuel Iowa cafeteria lines. School food service directors across the state and nation are starting to take a more serious look at programs that connect local farmers to the process of feeding schoolchildren. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Team Teachers Trained by T.W.. Iowa State Online. Published 01/26/2010.
High school students from four school northeast Iowa school districts recently participated in a training coordinated by Iowa State University Extension at Luther College. The training prepared students for their role as cross-age teachers in the Farm to School program which will begin in January. The high school age team teachers will facilitate Farm to School lessons with second grade students once a month using folios developed specifically for northeast Iowa. The folios feature a different local food each month and provide information for parents and students. Read the entire article.

People on the Move for Jan. 14, 2010 by N/A. DesMoinesRegister.com. Published 01/14/2010.
Charlie Fazio has joined Re/Max Opportunities. Fazio had been with Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group. Lynn Fallon has joined the National Center for Appropriate Technology as the Midwest regional lead agency farm-to-school network coordinator. This is a project of the National Farm to School Network. Fallon has been working with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition as a statewide grassroots organizer in Iowa since May 2009. Read the entire article.

Economic development lies in agriculture, not away from it by Jordan Scheibel. Scarlet & Black. Published 12/10/2009.
Since I moved off campus in June I've started reading the Des Moines Register. Over the past six months I've gotten a sense of what passes for economic development in Iowa for the state government, and many municipal governments and citizens. One part of statewide economic development is offering tax credits to certain areas of industries such as renewable energy and scientific research. Read the entire article.

Northey Announces IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE's PLAN TO IMPLEMENT GOVERNORS 10 PERCENT ACROSS THE by N/A. KMEG. Published 12/02/2009.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today released the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's plan to respond to the 10 percent across the board budget cut announced by Governor Culver in October. The Department was able to avoid 36 layoffs due to the announcement this week that members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) voted to approve five furlough days and other concessions by contract covered employees this fiscal year. Read the entire article.

GOP may have primary for state treasurer by The Globe Gazette Des Moines Bureau. Globe Gazette. Published 12/02/2009.
A pair of Republicans has announced they may run for State Treasurer, a position Democrat Mike Fitzgerald has held since 1982. Story County Treasurer Dave Jamison has filed paperwork and assembled a campaign committee to explore entering the race and Dyersville Mayor Jim Heavens also announced plans to seek the Republican nomination. Read the entire article.

Allen, Kelley to be guests on Fallon Forum. Newton Daily News. Published 11/27/2009.
The Fallon Forum is co-hosted by Ed and Lynn Fallon. Lynn founded the Connection Café, a daily meal program for the homeless and working poor, has worked on several political campaigns, and currently works on the national Farm to School program. Read the entire article.

Law School administrator appointed to Farm Services Agency Committee under Obama by Tory Olson. Drake University. Published 11/24/2009.
Matt Russell, state food policy project coordinator at Drake University Law School, recently was appointed to the Iowa Farm Services Agency (FSA) Committee under the Obama administration. Russell will continue to work as state food policy coordinator at Drake. His projects include, institutional purchasing and research into Iowa's evolving pork industry, Farm-to-School programs and the nexus healthy eating and regional food systems. Read the entire article.

Home Grown School Lunch Week makes connections by Jean Caspers-Simmet. Agri-News. Published 10/22/2009.
Eleven northeast Iowa schools served local foods on school lunch menus and participated in nutrition education and fitness activities as part of Home Grown School Lunch Week. Coleslaw served for lunch will be made with cabbage and carrots grown by Oelwein FFA. The FFA, which manages a vegetable plot, will also provide food for a supper the district is hosting for third graders and their parents. Read the entire article.

Nationwide, there's a small movement to get local produce onto school lunch trays by Julie Anderson. Southwest Iowa News. Published 10/18/2009.
"The overall goal for us really is to be able to come to the point where farm-to-school is somewhat easy to institutionalize," said Marion Kalb, co-director of the National Farm to School Network. "Over the years, it's become more popular. Ultimately, we would like it to be the norm, not the exception." Read the entire article.

In Iowa, Vilsack touts local food, regulation by Mike Glover. Associated Press. Published 10/13/2009.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack returned to Iowa on Tuesday to promote locally grown food and urge that states be given a key role in tighter regulation of the financial services industry. Vilsack, the state's governor for eight years, spoke Tuesday morning at a food security conference, saying his agency supported local food production that keeps consumers closer to the food supply. Read the entire article.

Get local foods on the school menu by Lynn Fallon. Des Moines Register. Published 09/19/2009.
Providing schools with fresh, local food is a national priority that could ensure better health in our nation's children. Read the entire article.

School district serves up local food by Jill Kasparie. The Heartland Connection. Published 09/11/2009.
With lunch just hours away, workers are buzzing around the kitchen at Douds Elementary in Van Buren County. They're whipping up what looks like a typical school meal, but it includes an extra ingredient - local food. Read the entire article.

School tests local-foods lunch, kids eat it up by Mike Kilen. Des Moines Register. Published 09/07/2009.
So last week, the barf and canned corn were replaced. An effort led by parents, who had rallied for changes after tainted beef was sold to the school two years ago, helped launch a complete overhaul of lunch at the school. It's now the only one in Iowa to prepare meals from scratch each day with food primarily grown by local farmers. Read the entire article.

New menu has students, teachers excited at PLS by Emily Christensen. WCF Courier. Published 09/06/2009.
The Price Lab Grassroots Cafe opened this year, but parents, University of Northern Iowa educators and locally grown food expert Rob Stanley have worked for more than a year behind the scenes to make the program viable. Read the entire article.

Farm to School Program a big success in Indpendence district by Jean Caspers-Simmet. Agri-News. Published 08/25/2009.
It's all part of the Farm to School Program. The Independence Area Chapter formed last year and is doing great things, said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, who came with three Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship employees to help. About 15 volunteers -- teachers and other community members -- turned out to process veggies. Read the entire article.

Slow Food USA: Pushes to get real food into schools by Lynn Fallon. Iowa Politics. Published 08/25/2009.
Earlier this summer, Slow Food USA (www.slowfoodusa.org) launched Time for Lunch (www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch), a national campaign to tell Congress to provide America's children with real food at school. One of the major milestones for the campaign will be orchestrating more than 100 Eat-Ins in communities across the country on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009. The Eat-Ins will draw attention to the need for real, healthy food for the more than 30 million children who participate in the National School Lunch Program. The program is part of the Child Nutrition Act that Congress will reauthorize later this year. Read the entire article.

'Buy Fresh, Buy Local'. Independence Bulletin Journal. Published 08/10/2009.
For that purpose volunteers spent several hours preparing and freezing a variety of fresh vegetables. The effort is part of the district's Farm to School program, a state-wide initiative that is overseen by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship that has grown from four districts to nine districts for the coming year. Read the entire article.

'Buy Fresh, Buy Local'. Cedar Valley Daily Times. Published 08/10/2009.
For that purpose volunteers spent several hours preparing and freezing a variety of fresh vegetables. The effort is part of the district's Farm to School program, a state-wide initiative that is overseen by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship that has grown from four districts to nine districts for the coming year. Read the entire article.

Take Action to Support Healthy Foods by Julia Wasson. Blue Planet Green Living. Published 07/28/2009.
Actions You Can Take: The summer recess is coming up, and during their town hall meetings, we need to contact specific elected officials who serve on committees that deal with the Child Nutrition Act re-authorization. This is the legislation that contains funding for the Farm to School program. Read the entire article.

Bearing fruit by Michael Hohenbrink,. Independence Bulletin Journal. Published 02/17/2009.
A unique program in the Independence Community School District is bearing fruit. Literally. "Joe [Olsen] and I both have started our Independence Area Chapter of Farm to School," explained Kelly Duritsa, Food Service Director. "So far, we have 13 official members, five of those are teachers, three are growers, one is our superintendent, and the rest are enthusiastic community members." Read the entire article.

An apple a day by Matthew Wilde. WCF Courier. Published 11/10/2008.
Many of the youngsters ignored their bologna sandwiches, crackers and soup, and stuffed their faces with the fruit first. Some even said candy bars would play second fiddle to apples. That's music to Sue Burrack's ears. Starmont's food service coordinator said that means the district's healthy eating initiative is working, and the state's "A" is for Apple Initiative, part of the Farm to School Program, is a big part of it. Read the entire article.

Parents push for organic school lunches by Erin Jordan. Des Moines Register. Published 04/18/2008.
Nearly 300 Iowa City parents have signed a petition to get more organic, locally grown food into their youngsters' school lunches. The petition asks the board to implement a wellness policy requiring the district's schools to use fresh, locally grown and organic ingredients "to the extent possible." Read the entire article.

A harvest of patience by Kathy Hanson. The DesMoines Register. Published 03/27/2008.
The Berry Patch Farm and Storybook Orchard have been featured in Iowa State University Extension's Farm to School project. Sponsored by ISU's Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Program at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the project aimed to increase school foodservice directors', parents' and students' awareness of available locally grown foods and their benefits. Read the entire article.

Iowa farm-to-school program gets fresh foods to students by Elizabeth Ahlin. Omaha World Herald. Published 02/24/2008.
Iowa is now ramping up its own farm-to-school program, with the goal of getting fresh food to students and creating a new market for local farmers. Read the entire article.

New Site Connects Iowa Schools and Farms to Improve Nutrition. Url Wire. Published 02/06/2008.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recently announced a new website for the Iowa Farm-to-School program, which is designed to improve child nutrition and strengthen local and regional farm economies by partnering farmers with local schools. Read the entire article.

Ag Department website links food producers with schools by Darwin Danielson. Radio Iowa. Published 02/04/2008.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey has introduced a new website designed to increase the size of the Iowa Farm-to-School program. He says the purpose of the program is to get farmers who're producing fruits and vegetables locally to connect with schools to sell some of those products to schools. Northey says the website can help both sides in the program. Read the entire article.

IDALS Launches New Farm-To-School Program by Staff. Wallaces Farmer. Published 02/01/2008.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced last week a new Web site for the Iowa Farm-to-School program, which is designed to improve child nutrition and strengthen local and regional farm economies by partnering farmers with local schools. To learn more visit www.agriculture.state.ia.us/farmToSchool.htm. Read the entire article.

Northey launches new Farm-to-School program Web site by Associated Press. Oskaloosa Herald. Published 01/30/2008.
The Farm-to-School program will provide an increased opportunity for schools to connect with local farmers to provide children across the state with fresh, locally grown, seasonal fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, eggs and nuts in their lunches. In addition to including local foods in school meals, the program also helps build a connection between students and the farmers that grow and produce their food. Read the entire article.

Iowa's Northey unveils Farm-to-School web site by Peter Shinn. Brownfield Network. Published 01/25/2008.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is working to connect local schools with food produced by local farmers. Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey told Brownfield his Department is moving quickly to implement the farm-to-school law passed last year by the state legislature. Read the entire article.

Ag secretary launches Farm-to-School Web site. Sioux City Journal. Published 01/24/2008.
Iowa agriculture secretary Bill Northey this morning announced a new Web site for the Iowa Farm-to-School program, which is designed to improve school nutrition and strengthen farm economies by partnering farmers with local schools. The Web site is located at www.agriculture.state.ia.us/farmToSchool.htm. Read the entire article.

Ag Sec. Northey: Launches new farm-to-school program website by Tess Capps. Iowa Politics. Published 01/24/2008.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today announced a new website for the Iowa Farm-to-School program, which is designed to improve child nutrition and strengthen local and regional farm economies by partnering farmers with local schools. To learn more visit http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/farmToSchool.htm Read the entire article.

 Farm to School Council seeks "hands on approach" to food learning by Pat Curtis. Radio Iowa. Published 11/28/2007.
A former candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture is among the Governor's appointees to serve on the new Farm to School Council. Denise O'Brien, along with her husband Larry, raises fruits and vegetables near Atlantic. O'Brien is one of seven people that will help guide a new program approved by the legislature last year. The Farm to School program is designed to provide students with a more "hands-on approach" when it comes to learning about food production. Read the entire article.

Gov. Culver: Appoints four members to the Farm to School Council by Brad Anderson. Iowa Politics. Published 11/08/2007.
Function of the Farm to School Council: The program seeks to link elementary and secondary public and nonpublic schools in this state with Iowa farms to provide schools with fresh and minimally processed food for inclusion in school meals and snacks, encourage children to develop healthy eating habits, and provide Iowa farmers access to consumer markets. The Farm-to-School program may include activities that provide students with hands-on learning opportunities, such as farm visits, cooking demonstrations, and school gardening and composting programs. The program shall seek to establish with public agencies and nonprofit organizations, a structure to facilitate communication between farmers and schools. Read the entire article.

Naturally Iowa, Inc. Supplies Elementary School With Good Natured Family Farms Milk Products. CNN Money. Published 10/16/2007.
The dairy products supplied by Naturally Iowa are part of the "Farm 2 School Lunch Program," facilitated by Bistro Kids, LLC, Good Natured Family Farms, and Ball's Food Stores. The goal of the program is "to bring local, farm fresh or organic foods from the small family farm to your child's lunch tray." Read the entire article.

Leopold Center Releases Results of Consumer Food, Climate, and Health Survey. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Published 09/11/2007.
A recent survey shows that American consumers are skeptical about the safety of the global food system and many believe that local foods are safer and better for their health than foods from afar.
Read the entire article.

It's a Win-Win: From Farm to School by The Extension Connection. A Quarterly Publication of Iowa State University Extension. Published 12/01/2001.
"A movement is afoot to improve the economic stability of Iowa's small farmers while improving the long-term health of school children. It's a win-win initiative called "farm to school." "It makes sense for children, makes sense for farmers, yet has enormous challenges," said Robert Karp, of Practical Farmers of Iowa." Read the entire article.