Broadcast Yourself for Farm to School
As the farm to school movement grows, this newsletter highlights pivotal policies, news, publications, and events. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions.
When is the next Farm to Cafeteria Conference?
March 19-21st, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. Learn more.
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Program Manager, Farm to Preschool Program, UEPI, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE
POLICY
Child Nutrition Act National Farm to School Network
Updated farm to school priorities for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization are available here.
January 16-17, 2009:CASA--Connect Locally: Food, Farms, and Communities, Frederick, MARYLAND
February 21-22, 2009:OEFFA--The Changing Climate of Agriculture, Granville, OHIO
February 26-28, 2009:MOSES--The 20th Annual Organic Farming Conference, La Crosse, WISCONSIN
March 19-21, 2009:Going the Distance and Shortening It: From Farm to Cafeteria, Portland, OREGON
March 28, 2009:2nd Annual Jr. Iron Chef Competition, Essex Junction, VERMONT
Helpful Links
www.FarmtoSchool.org
Join Now
Contact Us
Spotlight
Real Food Is...video contest for youth
Win $1,000 For a School Food Project!
Create a short video that completes the phrase "Real Food is..." and you can win $1,000 for your school food project.
The National Farm to School Network YouTube video contest is open to K-12 and college students to inspire and encourage student advocacy around school food programs.
Our friendly food service professionals do a great job with the limited funds and resources they have to produce a healthy balanced meal. Did you know that on average only $1.00 is available to spend on the actual food in your school lunch? What can you do to help?
Two winners, one K-12 video entry and one college entry, will receive $1,000 for a cafeteria food project. Winners will also receive an all-expense paid trip to the 4th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland, OR.
The submission deadline for video entries is February 8, 2009.
Click here for official contest rules and how to enter.
**Sponsored by Action for Healthy Kids**
Featured Profile
4th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
Early registration ends January 30th for the 4th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland, Oregon from March 19-21st. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from and network with hundreds from across the country working on getting local food onto every table. Visit http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/ for more information.
Are you in need of scholarship funds? Go here to learn more: http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/scholarships/
Join us for field trips to local farms, school lunchrooms and processing facilities; short courses covering topics such as grant writing and research and evaluation; an open space session; 32 workshops on issues such as federal and state policy, experiential education, sustainability and economic development and sessions geared towards youth, producers, and food service providers. All food will be organic or sustainably produced and locally sourced whenever possible.
Funding Opportunity
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb grants give Fiskars garden tools and materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. to eligible gardening groups. Maximum award: $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and $800 in gardening-related materials (i.e. green goods).
Eligibility: gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, horticultural education and/or sustainable agriculture.
Deadline: February 17, 2008.
http://www.fiskars.com/content/garden_en_us/Garden/Community
This Month's News
Mount Desert Farm to School Program
by Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart.
Martha Stewart takes us to Northeast Harbor, Maine, for a look at the inspiring "farm to school" lunch program of Mount Desert Elementary. Watch the show.
Farm program may sprout in Easton
by Joel c thompson. Connecticut Post.
The Board of Selectmen is evaluating the plan to return a portion of the town's Morehouse Road tract to farming activity that could include garden plots for children as well as a source of vegetables for the lunch program at town schools. Land would be leased to interested growers, a small portion would be set aside as a student garden and an area would be designated for farm-to-school production. Read the entire article.
A Department of All Kinds of Agriculture
by Deborah J. Kane. the Oregonian.
This year, legislators in Salem are considering a bill that would bring more Oregon-grown, -processed and -manufactured products into the public school lunchroom. Known as the "farm to school" bill, some have already assumed the legislation is intended to help small family farmers load up pickup trucks and head to schools with lovingly harvested organic broccoli. It is. The bill is also intended to support production agriculture in our state by making the school cafeteria a viable marketplace for all of Oregon agriculture. Read the entire article.
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A Division of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College
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