Guest blog by Dan Spatz, Healthy Flavors Arkansas 

At Healthy Flavors Arkansas, we are focused on increasing the availability of locally grown vegetables to kids in schools across our state. While we are celebrating National Farm to School Month in October, I want to share all the wonderful farm to school advocacy that happened with our family farm last month. 

September was special because the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) invited us to join in an advocacy effort to support farm to school in the upcoming Farm Bill! Congress is now hammering out this massive piece of legislation that lays out the U.S. government’s policy framework for nutrition and agriculture. It is revised only every five years, so having a voice in this process is important. We appreciate the invitation to speak out and be a part of their efforts to rally support for farm to school! 

Our collaboration was a “two step” approach. First, we met with Arkansas Senator John Boozman on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Next, we hosted elementary students at our farm and demonstrated the power of farm to school with two of Senator Boozman’s Arkansas staff members.

Sen. Boozman is the ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Senate committee responsible for drafting the Farm Bill. We visited with him about the importance of farm to school, both for school kids and for farmers. We made the point that schools are the largest “restaurant chain” in Arkansas and across our country, and therefore provide an excellent market for farmers. 

We also emphasized that infrastructure is lacking for direct supply of local food to school food service programs, and farm to school programs can play an important role with infrastructure both in schools and on farms. We also spoke with the Senator about risk management and the various points in local supply chains where risk plays a role in inhibiting more local food being served to kids.

We heard Sen, Boozman express his concern about the decline in many rural communities across our nation, and we believe investments in farm to school can help revitalize these areas with local markets and local job creation.

In particular, we are supporting policy proposals that address the issues important to the Senator and Arkansas farmers. Opportunities for the Senator to increase this Farm Bill’s direct return on investment for Arkansas’ producers include:

• Local Farms and Food Act (S. 1205): This bill offers program reforms to streamline paperwork and remove barriers for applicants, increase infrastructural investments for the local supply chain, and sustain the impactful nutrition incentives through Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive, and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
• Strengthening Local Processing Act (SLPA) (S. 354): This bipartisan bill promotes competitive agricultural markets and invests in economic development by addressing acute livestock supply chain issues, supporting small meat and poultry processing plants, and promoting training programs that will bolster the resilience of communities and their food systems. It will increase slaughter options for local livestock and poultry producers, assist smaller facilities as they adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, and help farm to school customers access locally raised meat & poultry.
• Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act (S. 2598): Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to take specific, targeted actions that will streamline access to Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and close the coverage gap for our country’s small to mid-sized, beginning, specialty crop, and diversified producers.

Upon return from Capitol Hill, the absolute highlight of this advocacy work was to host some of Arkansas’ farm to school leaders, the Senator's in-state staff and 13 students from Chicot Elementary School in Little Rock. We delighted in watching and hearing this small group of young students wander in amazement and awe through our squash patch at Healthy Flavors in Conway, AR!

“Look at those bugs... what are they doing?” (Pollinating squash flowers!)

“Why are these stems itchy, covered with hair?” (To protect the plant from predators!)

“How could this squash be red and this one brown and this one green?” (Because nature made many varieties of squash!)

“What about this squash with a hole in it, can you eat it?” (Maybe, depends on what kind of damage was done to the fruit!)

These 13 students had a field trip of discovery, engagement and learning organized by Destiny Schlinker, Impact and Partnerships Lead for FoodCorps Arkansas. Destiny had already taught these students about the six parts of a plant through an interpretative dance (which the adults joined in as well!). And she also got them into the act of food preparation by having them make a salad for lunch.

A hundred years ago, most of these students would have grown up on a farm in Arkansas. Unfortunately, our society has allowed kids to become separated from the knowledge and experience of where food comes from, how growing food impacts the environment we all share, how food gets prepared before we consume it and how real, nutrient dense food builds and heals our bodies. Just bringing these kids to a squash patch sparked so many questions.

I’m hopeful that just as this visit to a squash patch encouraged curiosity and exploration, the growth of farm to school programs in Arkansas and across the country will empower more children to nourish their bodies and minds through food. Maybe it will motivate one of the students to become a child nutrition expert and serve better meals in schools. Could yet another find the path to being a farmer themselves one day? Maybe one will go on to work on agricultural policy, and realize that by restoring our community roots, we build a stronger and more stable society for all.

We appreciate the Senator's support for strong family farms in Arkansas and look forward to working with Senator Boozman to increase the economic impact of healthy farms and farmers in Arkansas.

— Dan Spatz, Healthy Flavors Arkansas

The National Farm to School Network and Healthy Flavors AR advocate for increased public investment that supports farmers, catalyzes on-farm economic stability and strengthens the infrastructure of food supply chains. 

National Farm to School Network is thrilled to invite you to our annual Movement Meeting! 

October 26, 2023; 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST 

On Zoom - Register Here 

What is the Movement Meeting?

National Farm to School Network hosts this annual Movement Meeting as a dynamic celebration of the incredible farm to school work happening across the nation. But it’s more than just a showcase; it’s also a place where we connect and create intention for the future of the farm to school movement. 

Why Should You Join? Who’s It For? 

The Movement Meeting is open to everyone, regardless of your role or level of experience with farm to school! 

For the farm to school veterans: If you’ve been deeply immersed in farm to school work for years, come and find your people! We’ll be shining a spotlight on inspiring examples of farm to school across the country. Together, we’ll take a step back, reflect on the movement’s journey, and chart a course for where it’s headed.

For the newcomers: If you’re brand new to the work, the Movement Meeting is a fantastic first step to learn about the different aspects of farm to school and gain a broad picture of the movement. It’s your opportunity to get acquainted with the many facets of farm to school initiatives and become part of this vibrant community! 

Join us by registering today. 

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Thank you to our 2023 Movement Meeting sponsors, CoBank, Mushrooms in Schools, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and National Co+op Grocers! 

By Jiyoon Chon, NFSN Communications Manager

Farm to school enriches and empowers communities, bringing more farm-fresh, nourishing food into schools and supporting local jobs and economies. But it can also be a complex endeavor, requiring coordination and relationship-building across many people.

We also know that having a dedicated farm to school coordinator role at a school district can address many of these challenges. In addition to increasing the amount of local foods in school menus, farm to school coordinators may also help increase hands-on nutrition and food education in the classroom or school garden. This can create a ripple effect that not only benefits students, but also the entire school and broader community. 

National Farm to School Network spoke to a current Farm to School Program Specialist, Janelle Manzano from the San Diego Unified school district, to illuminate how this may look like in practice. Read on to learn more about Janelle’s unique role and how it supports her community! 

Can you summarize the main responsibilities of your role? What are the main things you coordinate to make farm to school possible in your school district?

My main responsibilities include overseeing our nutrition ed programs (assemblies, classroom presentations, taste kits, tastings, FoodCorps team, etc.), supporting school gardens, and supporting my Food Team (menu, marketing, procurement, testing, etc.). 

I must make sure all our programs and projects are ‘scalable’—we are a very large district of about 200 schools—and that our Farm to School programs help promote our menus and foods that we serve to our students. The main things I coordinate to make Farm to School happen in my district include writing and managing our state Farm to School grants.    

‍Are there any accomplishments that you're particularly proud to have achieved through your role? 

An accomplishment I am especially proud of is being rewarded $1.5 million dollars in state funding for Farm to School! With this grant funding, we were able to start family Farm to School themed picnics, expand our FoodCorps team, provide tasting kits to educators district-wide and of various grade levels, and so much more. Also with this funding, I have started creating impact reports each school year to track how many students our Farm to School programming has reached.

Why is your farm to school coordinator role important to your school district? 

My common example that I give to questions like this is that we (Food & Nutrition Services Teams) can serve all this “organic”, “local”, “free range” produce, chicken, etc., but if our students aren’t aware or don’t understand the significance of what these words mean or the people that grew, raised, or cooked that food for them—then they aren’t going to eat it and it’ll go to waste. 

Farm to School, and especially the nutrition education component, helps our students engage, learn, and taste all the delicious offerings that their school café has to offer. Destigmatizing school food is so important to gaining the trust of our students—especially with all the changes that school nutrition has seen these past few years from universal meals, kitchen/infrastructure grants, and the general growth of Farm to School programs nationally!

‍Are you also a current Farm to School Coordinator, or are you part of a school district that would love to hire one? Apply now for our Farm to School Coordinator Community of Practice and School District Working Group. Both are paid opportunities—learn more and apply here! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT:

Jiyoon Chon

National Farm to School Network

jiyoon@farmtoschool.org

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October 2, 2023 – This October, schools and early care and education sites across the country are celebrating the thirteenth annual National Farm to School Month, a 31-day campaign to recognize the benefits that farm to school and farm to early care and education bring to youth, families, farmers and communities. National Farm to School Network advocated for the creation of National Farm to School Month in 2010, and it was officially recognized by Congress shortly after.

Farm to school is a movement that builds just and equitable food systems through the ways kids eat, grow and learn about food in school and early care and education settings. Farm to school is a win for kids when they eat nourishing food in meals and snacks, participate in hands-on activities and learn about the importance of where our food comes from; a win for farmers when school market opportunities provide reliable and consistent sales and fair pay; and a win for communities when food is grown, distributed, prepared and consumed for the benefit of every community member. To ensure all communities see the benefit of these wins, farm to school activities must be firmly centered in equity.

This year’s National Farm to School Month theme is “Rooted in Community: Growing Stronger, Together.” At the core, farm to school is built for and by communities, with all of us working together to cultivate a better future for us all. Farm to school brings together a community of individuals across sectors, generations, and interests—farmers, parents, students, advocates, teachers, food service workers and lawmakers—who all share a common vision of an abundant, nourishing and equitable food system. 

Throughout October, National Farm to School Network’s activities will be focused on celebrating achievements, sharing stories of collaboration and community and highlighting progress toward racial equity in farm to school, so that we can continue to grow stronger, together. 

National Farm to School Network’s October celebrations also include the annual Movement Meeting on October 26 from 3 - 5:00pm ET. The Movement Meeting is a gathering point for dedicated advocates in the farm to school and farm to early care and education realms, providing an invaluable opportunity to come together, rejoice in our shared achievements, foster meaningful connections, ignite inspiration and collectively nurture our growth. Along with Qiana Mickis as the keynote speaker, the Movement Meeting will feature a panel of speakers who will share their leadership, experiences and connections to community in their farm to school work. 

National Farm to School Network offers dozens of free resources for celebrating National Farm to School Month on its website, http://www.farmtoschoolmonth.org. People can find resources such as a celebration toolkit, posters, bookmarks, suggested activities and more. Participants are encouraged to share their excitement through social media with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool. National Farm to School Network thanks its sponsor National Co+Op Grocers for supporting this year’s campaign. 

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About National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network is the leading voice for the U.S. farm to school and farm to early care and education movement, working as an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities to bring local food sourcing, gardens, and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. Learn more at: http://farmtoschool.org.

From NFSN Co-Executive Directors Jessica Gudmunson and Miguel Villarreal:

“We are thrilled that the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA) has made a groundbreaking decision to implement the proposed rule change to expand the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which provides funding to allow eligible school districts to serve free school meals to all students. Previously, schools qualified for CEP if at least 40% of students identified as low-income (for example, if they are enrolled in SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The rule change will now lower the threshold to 25%, expanding access to free school lunches. According to the Food Research & Action Center, this pivotal decision will provide 9 million students with increased access to nutritious school meals, ensuring they have the fuel to succeed academically and beyond."

"The expansion of the CEP program will lower the threshold for school eligibility, empowering more schools across the nation to serve free, wholesome meals to their students. For the many schools serving local foods, the increased participation in school meals means that benefits of farm to school will ripple out to more students and local farmers alike. The expansion will also make statewide universal meal policies more appealing to state governments by streamlining paperwork and reducing the overall cost of universal meals programs with increased federal reimbursement for school meals.” 

“By prioritizing the health and well-being of our youth, the USDA's decision demonstrates a commitment to fighting hunger and promoting equity in educational environments." 

"We express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated in the public comment period, advocating for this transformative change. Together, our voices were instrumental in shaping this outcome, and now we will work together to implement the expanded CEP program. This is a momentous victory for the health and future of our children. Together, we will continue striving to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive in a nurturing, equal, and food-secure environment."

About National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network is the leading voice for the U.S. farm to school and farm to early care and education movement, working as an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities to bring local food sourcing, gardens, and food and agriculture education into schools and early care and education settings. Learn more at farmtoschool.org.

National Farm to School Network is proud to announce that we have been selected as one of the recipients of this year’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. We are incredibly excited to launch our Farm to School Coordinators Project with this support from the USDA and the Life Time Foundation.

Our goal with this project is to scale up farm to school implementation nationwide by establishing more dedicated farm to school coordinator positions at school districts. We will be providing unique professional development opportunities, supporting school communities, and developing research-driven resources to help make the case for the farm to school coordinator position. As a result, we envision increased ownership and capacity for farm to school programs at the community level. 

Why Farm to School Coordinators? 

Farm to school requires coordination and relationship-building across many people, including farmers, food service staff, educators, families and students. Implementing farm to school also often comes with certain challenges, including navigating regulations, finding funding sources, and connecting with decision makers at the school district. A dedicated farm to school coordinator role at a school district can address many of these challenges, ultimately forging a stronger connection between the school district and local farms. In addition to increasing the amount of local foods available on school menus, farm to school coordinators may also help increase hands-on nutrition and food education in the classroom or school garden. This can create a ripple effect that not only benefits students but also the entire school and broader community. 

Our Strategy

To accomplish our goal of scaling up farm to school implementation nationwide, our work will include the following components: 

• A Community of Practice for current Farm to School Coordinators 
• A Working Group for school districts that don’t currently have a Farm to School Coordinator but desire to implement the position 
• Develop research-driven resources that can be used to advocate for Farm to School Coordinator positions and set best practices for these positions nationwide. 

We look forward to collaborating with Colorado State University for this project, who will be conducting research and developing material that will be shared with our network partners and the general public. We hope that these resources will help all communities advocate for the creation of Farm to School Coordinator positions.

How to Get Involved 

National Farm to School Network has begun recruitment for our Community of Practice and Working Group! If you are interested in either opportunity, we encourage you to learn more and apply by October 13, 2023. Preference for both opportunities will be given to applicants/school districts that work with/represent a higher percentage of students participating in free or reduced-price lunches from traditionally underserved communities. Visit this page to learn more about each opportunity and apply! 

Looking Forward: 

National Farm to School Network has done previous work to institutionalize farm to school at the federal and state agency levels. We’re excited to now embark on this new journey to expand farm to school at the community level within schools. By convening a national community of practice and working group, we hope to nurture innovation, connection, and knowledge to bring us closer to our vision where farm to school programs are an essential part of resilient and just food systems. 

By Trisha Bautista Larson, NFSN Program Manager

On June 14, 2023, the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) publicly launched the Racial Equity Learning Lab (‘the Lab’), a pioneering initiative developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture through a Cooperative Agreement. The Lab is a collaborative space, thoughtfully designed for small groups of farm to school practitioners and advocates to engage in an intensive co-learning and cross-race dialogue. The goals of the Lab aligns with NFSN’s Call to Action and our commitment to advancing racial equity and addressing disparities in access to the benefits of farm to school. 

Prior to its public launch, NFSN convened an Advisory Council to prepare and develop Lab resources, curriculum outline, and equity-centric participatory framework. For nearly seven months, NFSN and the Advisory Council balanced the art of virtual collaboration by strategically blending relational and operational goals and successfully met the deliverables of the Lab. 

Advisory Council members have expressed how much they have enjoyed getting to know one another and seeing the fluidity in the way the collaborative work was designed. This remarkable journey serves as a testament to the Lab’s theoretical foundations—emergence, co-creation, and non-linear processes—all of which came to fruition through our collective work, laying the groundwork for the eagerly awaited Fall 2023 Lab Cohort. 

Reflecting on her experience as part of the Lab Advisory Council, Tina Wong said, “Interpersonal aspects of the meetings made it fun but organized – [I enjoyed] the spirit in which we did the work…” 

NFSN is excited to announce that the first official cohort of the Lab has been formed and will begin engaging in the learning experience starting September 8, 2023. The Lab sessions will be facilitated by two NFSN staff, Trisha Bautista and Tomas Delgado along with Equity Consultant, Alena Paisano. September sessions will serve as foundational for the rest of the learning journey. To jumpstart the dialogue and reflection, NFSN and Lab cohort members will explore Advancing Equity in Farm to School Education, listen to the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass, watch Soul Fire Farm’s Uprooting Racism and Seeding Sovereignty, and read through Dismantling Racism’s Workbook. 

The Fall 2023 Racial Equity Learning Lab Cohort: 

It’s our goal to capture and share this year’s Racial Equity Learning Lab journey and highlight learnings for ways to center racial equity in farm to school efforts. Stay tuned for our next blog for this series, scheduled in October 2023 in conjunction with the upcoming farm to school month celebration.

In recent years, there has been significant growth in support for local food purchasing incentives (LFPIs). More than a dozen states have established programs that provide direct reimbursement to child nutrition programs in schools and early care and education (ECE) settings to offset the costs of buying local foods. Additional states are in the process of introducing LFPI bills and advocating for broader adoption of these programs.

To explore the current landscape of local food purchasing incentives across states, National Farm to School Network will be hosting a two-part webinar series in August. We will be exploring ten different LFPIs across the nation: 

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Session 1: August 9, 2023, 12-1 pm ET

Registration link HERE.

Featured States and Speakers:

• California: Amy Garfinkel, California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork
• Connecticut: Cyrena Thibodeau, Connecticut Department of Agriculture and Monica Pacheco, Connecticut Department of Education
• Maine: Robin Kerber, Full Plates Full Potential
• New Hampshire: Stacey Purslow, University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute / New Hampshire Farm to School
• New York: Mikaela Perry, American Farmland Trust / Farm to Institution New York State

Session 2: August 14, 2023, 2:30-3:30 pm ET

Registration link HERE.

‍Featured States and Speakers:

• Colorado: Justin Carter, Colorado Department of Education
• Utah: Kate Wheeler, Utah State Board of Education
• Michigan: Wendy Crowley, Michigan Department of Education
• Vermont: Conor Floyd, Vermont Agency of Education
• Pennsylvania: Samantha Gibb, The Food Trust

Speakers will share their experiences with their respective established programs, pilot initiatives, or introduced LFPI bills. These webinars aim to provide insights into each program's history, design, impact, and more.

This webinar series is part of a collaborative project between the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and the National Farm to School Network. Participants can expect more LFPI resources and additional webinar opportunities in 2023. Stay tuned for updates!

Please contact Policy@farmtoschool.org with any questions.