Students at Kimball Elementary School in Washington, D.C. assemble their new hydroponic growing system.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Hawthorne Gardening Company and National Farm to School Network Launch New Hydroponic School Garden Project

15 schools in California, New York City, and Washington, D.C. to participate in STEM curriculum-aligned hydroponic gardening

Because every student deserves the opportunity to experience the wonder of hands-on STEM education and hydroponic gardening, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Hawthorne Gardening Company and National Farm to School Network launched a new pilot project to integrate indoor growing systems into underserved schools across the country. The project aims to spark a passion for gardening and increase hands-on science experiences for students who otherwise might not have had the opportunity.

The pilot project will expand STEM gardening opportunities at 15 schools in California, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Each school will receive hydroponic growing systems from Hawthorne Gardening Company, one-on-one support and technical assistance from garden experts, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. To help failure-proof the project and make it easier for teachers to incorporate into the classroom, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Hawthorne and National Farm to School Network developed a one-of-its-kind hydroponic curriculum aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. The hydroponic systems and curriculum will be implemented in schools during the 2019-2020 school year.

“Every school should have the opportunity to experience the benefits of hydroponic gardening,” said Chris Hagedorn, senior vice president and general manager of Hawthorne Gardening Company. “Hydroponics enables students to have hands-on learning opportunities within arms’ reach inside of their classroom. We want more students to have access to this incredible and fascinating way to grow.”

“Hydroponic gardens offer an exciting and innovative way for more schools to make gardening opportunities available to their students. Hydroponics allow students to grow fresh produce year-round, can be set up directly in the classroom, and can be made accessible to students of all abilities,” said Lacy Stephens, Program Manager with the National Farm to School Network. “We’re excited to see these growing systems and the accompanying curriculum in action this school year, and we look forward to sharing out the schools’ successes and impacts for the wider farm to school community to learn from.”

The schools participating in the pilot project include:  

• Sunrise Middle School, San Jose, CA
• San Pedro Elementary School, San Rafael, CA
• Ewing Elementary School, Fresno, CA
• Lu Sutton Elementary School, Novato, CA
• Hamilton K-8 School, Novato, CA
• J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Washington DC
• Kimball Elementary School, Washington DC
• Tubman Elementary School, Washington DC
• Amidon-Bowen Elementary School, Washington DC
• Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy Public Charter School, Washington DC
• P.S. 134 George F. Bristow, Bronx, NY
• P.S. 214 The Lorraine Hansberry Academy, Bronx, NY
• Urban Scholars Community School, Bronx, NY
• P.S. 55 Benjamin Franklin, Bronx, NY
• P.S. 32 The Belmont School, Bronx, NY

This pilot project is part of ScottsMiracle-Gro’s larger Gro More Good initiative, which aims to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to 10 million children over the next five years. As part of Gro More Good, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is partnering with leading not-for-profit organizations, such as National Farm to School Network, to help overcome some of the pressing challenges facing today’s youth––including childhood obesity, poor nutrition and nature deficit––by improving children’s access to fresh food and increasing their time spent connected to nature.

For more information on the Gro More Good initiative, visit www.GroMoreGood.org.

Read the full release and find more stories about this pilot project here.

The blog is sponsored by CoBank, who shares the National Farm to School Network's mission of growing farm to school to support farmers and vibrant rural communities. We thank CoBank for being a sponsor of our 2019 National Farm to School Month Celebrations.

Guest blog by CoBank

In recognition of National Farmer’s Day, CoBank honors America’s farmers and ranchers who toil each day to produce the food, fuel and fiber on which we all rely. Through our funding relationship with 21 local and regional Farm Credit associations, we support 70,000 producers with the essential financing they need, and also provide direct financing to thousands of farmer-owned cooperatives and agribusinesses.

CoBank appreciates the dedication, expertise and hard work it takes to raise crops and tend livestock. Only 2 million farmers and ranchers produce all of America’s food – that’s less than 1.5% of our population responsible for feeding 3.9 billion people, plus others around the world.  From nuts and produce, to grains and meats, to dairy, eggs and wine, U.S. production is a cornucopia of safe, affordable food, as well as cotton, timber and biofuels – and nearly 96 percent of the farms producing this plethora of agricultural products are family owned, often passed down through generations.

The production these farmers achieve using both modern and traditional techniques and equipment forms a significant portion of the nation’s economy: in 2017, America’s farms contributed $132.8 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product; including related industries that rely on our farms’ output, agriculture, food and related industries contributed $1.053 trillion, or 5.4 percent, to our GDP.  

That value stems directly from the hard work of our farmers, who are up before dawn and working long past dusk, seven days a week. On this National Farmer’s Day, and every day, CoBank thanks American agricultural producers for their dedication to their mission to feed, clothe and fuel our population, as we continue to deliver on our mission to support agriculture and rural communities with the essential financing they need to thrive.

National Farm to School Network is pleased to share that Jenileigh Harris has joined our staff as Program Associate. Since March 2019, Jenileigh has worked with NFSN as Programs Intern.

Jenileigh has experience in education, scientific and legal research, and food and agriculture law and policy. She is passionate about food justice, systems change work, effective policymaking and utilizing education as a tool for advocacy. Jenileigh is a graduate of Vermont Law School (VLS) where she earned her master’s degree in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy. While at VLS, she co-launched the Racial Equity Working Group to host events and facilitate conversations and events celebrating racial and cultural diversity as well as highlighting racial and social inequities in the food system. She has continued working with the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at VLS as a policy research consultant on projects such as farm to school state policy, food system resiliency, and seafood fraud.

In her new role as Program Associate, Jenileigh will continue contributing to National Farm to School Network and the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s cooperative agreement with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Office of Community Food Systems to develop farm to school trainings for agricultural producers. Jenileigh currently resides in Colorado Springs, CO and enjoys mountain biking, trail running, yoga, cooking, reading, and drinking coffee. Welcome to your new role, Jenileigh!

By Mackenize Martinez, Partnership Communications Intern

As the Intertribal Agriculture Council Partnership Communications Intern working with National Farm to School Network, I recently had the opportunity to attend and present at the Fourth Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition in Mystic Lake, Minnesota. This is the only conference series in the world devoted to the food and nutrition of Indigenous Peoples. It brings together tribal officials, researchers, practitioners, funders and others to discuss the current state of Indigenous and academic scientific knowledge about Native nutrition, dietary health, and food science, and identify new areas of work. My role in helping co-lead a break out session titled “Farm to School as a Strategy for Advancing Food Sovereignty in Native Communities” with Alena Paisano, NFSN Program Manager,  was certainly a profound learning and networking experience.

Our session focused on the ways that farm to school can be used as a strategy to decolonize our food system and take back our food sovereignty in Native communities. A key portion of our presentation also shared about the partnership between the National Farm to School Network and the Intertribal Agriculture Council that is helping to advance this work. In addition, NFSN’s recent Seed Change in Native Communities project was also discussed and these successes - which ranged all across Indian Country - were highlighted for audiences to view. In particular, we engaged with audience members from the Mala`ai Kula: Kaua`i Farm-to-School Pilot who participated in Seed Change to support an existing three-year pilot project to create a culturally relevant farm to school program at two Kaua`i schools. On Kaua`i, where 90 percent of food is imported, Mala`ai Kula helped students build a healthier relationship with traditional food systems through school gardens and locally-grown foods in school meals. I enjoyed seeing everyone come together in this space and share their farm to school experiences and knowledge.

Culturally relevant meals served at Kaua`i schools as part of the Mala`ai Kula: Kaua`i Farm-to-School Pilot.

As a representative on the Native Youth Food Sovereignty Alliance, the national executive board for the Intertribal Agriculture Youth Network, I was very much able to take a first-hand look into the concept of farm to school as a strategy for advancing food sovereignty in Native communities. In order to see how this national partnership is contributing to success in Native communities, it was imperative for me to establish a personal connection and to pinpoint how my passions align in this particular space. Naturally, as I presented to the breakout session, I expressed that my personal connection with farm to school stems from involvement in Intertribal Agriculture Council youth programming. These particular programs are so vital to Native youth because of the emphasis that is placed on developing qualities of leadership, building knowledge of traditional agricultural practices, and being equipped with the skills to take initiative for change back to our communities. While I attended the gathering to help educate others on this, I unequivocally gained a better understanding of how interconnected the roles of National Farm to School Network and Intertribal Agriculture Council are in serving youth through the many forms that farm to school takes. While I have been exposed to the idea of food sovereignty for a few years now, attending this conference gave me a refreshed look into the current efforts of this movement and how essential it is that traditional foods are implemented in school systems serving Native populations. The breakout session that Alena and I led was an effective way to get that particular conversation started.

In addition to helping facilitate our farm to school presentation, I experienced this conference as a first-time attendee. I am still in awe of the energy that this diverse group of individuals carried as we sat in general sessions. Some of my favorite moments from this conference included the keynote speech from Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. Hearing from one of the highest-ranking Native American women in history was certainly empowering and hopeful. Lieutenant Governor Flanagan spoke of firsthand childhood experiences that included being a recipient of commodity foods and understanding the reality that individuals in these types of nutrition assistance programs face. Knowing that Native communities have her support in moving forward in the reach for food sovereignty is certainly exciting and opens an even wider expanse of opportunities for youth in farm to school.

In addition, through the keynote presentation of Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef, I learned a lot about the dynamics of Indigenous food systems and actions being taken to revitalize traditional diets on a larger scale. Farm to school is an approach that can help make this type of food revitalization more accessible to Native children because of the direct role that it plays in a child’s wellbeing and everyday life. Schools are institutions that serve as the foundation of a child’s knowledge, and that knowledge shouldn’t stop in the classroom. It should be carried into the cafeteria, as well. Mr. Sherman’s keynote presentation reminded us that in order to take back our food systems and revitalize those traditional diets, we first need to understand them. Farm to school is a way to bridge that gap between the classroom to the cafeteria and help establish traditional knowledge of food and nutrition at earlier ages. In addition, as a tribal member not currently residing on ancestral land, I enjoyed the discussions on access to traditional foods as an urban Native.

As an intern and someone pursuing post-secondary education in the agricultural science field, this conference was a definite experience of growth in knowledge, character, and leadership. I am looking forward to using this event as a milestone to look back on as my time working between the National Farm to School Network and Intertribal Agriculture Council Partnership continues.

Guest post by the US Highbush Blueberry Council

Fresh or frozen highbush blueberries aren’t just a nutritious and delicious menu staple beloved by students – they’re also a bite-sized bit of bluetiful inspiration for your next farm to school event. Whether you’re thinking of hosting a promotion for National Farm to School Month or are looking for year-round inspiration, these little blue dynamos are a cafeteria favorite, perfect for your next nutrition event. Here are four easy steps to get you started:

1. Get Inspired
Wondering where to start when planning a farm to school event? Draw inspiration from these K-12 case studies featuring three districts that have hosted successful promotions by celebrating fresh and frozen highbush blueberries all year-round:

• Carrollton City School District, Georgia – Hosted a “Highbush Blueberry Bonanza Week” complete with a blueberry-themed food truck, nutrition education sessions and a highbush blueberry cooking class. The results: An 11% increase in lunch participation at junior high school; and 5% average increase in breakfast participation across elementary, middle and high school.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, North Carolina – Hosted a “Highbush Blueberry Day” to bring highbush blueberry education to the classroom, followed by student taste test of a new menu item: Highbush Blueberry Breakfast Bark. The results: 85% of students voted that the recipe was “yummy!”
• Sebree Elementary School, Kentucky – During last year’s National Farm to School Month, in partnership with NFSN and USHBC, Webster County Schools won a sweepstakes for a “Build-Your-Own Highbush Blueberry Day.” This was extended to a full week of highbush blueberry fun, including a blueberry nutrition education session, a blueberry-themed art contest and blueberry taste tests for two recipes: a Blueberry Smoothie and a Blueberry Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette. The results: a 12% increase in breakfast participation that week.

2. Learn from Others
It comes as no surprise that pulling off successful promotions like the ones above are a lot of fun, and a lot of work. Luckily, you can hear from three rockstar school nutrition pros directly in National Farm to School Network’s latest recorded webinar: Bring Farm to School to Life with Highbush Blueberries. The expert panel shared actionable advice on bringing a farm to school promotion to life, with some tips and tricks for planning and execution to make nutrition (and blueberries!) fun for all.

3. Download the Playbook
Now feeling ready to take on an event of your own? Download the Highbush Blueberry Farm to School Playbook, your go-to digital resource to inspire your staff, excite your students, and celebrate with your community. The playbook is packed with menu inspiration, virtual farm tours, nutrition guides, kid-friendly activities and more – everything you need to bring highbush blueberries and nutrition to your students in a fun and engaging way. Plus, it’s free to view, download and print from home!

4. Have Fun
Lastly, and most importantly, have FUN! These events are a fantastic way to engage with students and make them feel involved in their nutrition choices – in a way that’s approachable, memorable and interactive. Incorporate activities and games into your promotion to add an exciting element that will bring a smile to students and staff alike. These fun memories will incite future passions for healthy eating!

Don’t miss out on all the highbush blueberry fun this National Farm to School Month! With these easy steps, you’re ready to celebrate nutrition and serve up a smile with your students. For more positively bluetiful news, kid-friendly ideas and yummy menu inspiration, visit BlueberriesInSchools.com.

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By Anna Mullen, Communications Manager

The very best month of the farm to school-year is finally here! Let us be the first to wish you a very happy National Farm to School Month!

National Farm to School Network advocated for the creation of National Farm to School Month by Congress in 2010 (House Resolution 1655) and since then, the yearly October festivities have brought together thousands of students, teachers, parents, farmers, food advocates, school lunch professionals, and community members from a wide range of sectors to raise awareness of the important role of farm to school in improving child nutrition, supporting local economies, and building vibrant communities. This National Farm to School Month, join the celebration of food education, school gardens, and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients.

With 31 days to celebrate, here are 31 ways to dig in:

1. Become a member of the National Farm to School Network – it’s free!
2. Explore our free resources for planning and promoting farm to school this month.
3. See what celebrations are happening in your community and join in the fun.  
4. Sign up your organization to be a National Farm to School Month Outreach Partner
5. Donate to support the National Farm to School Network and help us bring farm to school to communities across the country every month.
6. Share how your celebrating by using the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool on social media.
7. Follow the National Farm to School Network on social media - we're at @FarmtoSchool!
8. Stay up to date on all things farm to school and farm to ECE by signing up for our e-newsletter.
9. Learn about the benefits of farm to school.
10. Endorse the Farm to School Act of 2019 and the Kids Eat Local Act to continue growing farm to school efforts through federal policy.
11. Find out if your state has a farm to school / farm to ECE network. If yes, connect with them!
12. Eat in the cafeteria with students.
13. Conduct a taste test of a new food.
14. Visit a farm, orchard or pumpkin patch.
15. Invite a farmer to visit your classroom.
16. Take students on a tour of their school kitchen.
17. Turn your thumbs green – whether in a raised bed, community garden plot, hydroponic garden or other plant growing space.
18. Ask students and families to share their family food traditions and favorite recipes to create a class cookbook.
19. Read a book together about food, farming or cooking.
20. Visit a farmers market and say “Thank You!” to the growers who've produced your food.
21. Cook and enjoy a family meal together, incorporating local foods.
22. Use arts and crafts such as coloring, painting, cutting and pasting or other creative projects to reinforce excitement for fruits and vegetables.
23. Get moving with physical activity games. Try a relay race to collect fruits and vegetables and sort them by plant family or by color.
24. Consider new recipes that are culturally appropriate and relevant to your community.
25. Be brave a try a new food.
26. Celebrate school nutrition professionals by telling them "Thank You!" every day.
27. Take time to be mindful - a garden is a great place to do this. Use all five of your senses to enjoy the natural world around you.
28. Organize a site visit for your policymakers to see farm to school in action.
29. Make a bulletin board celebrating farmers and local food.
30. Volunteer to serve on a school garden committee, district wellness committee, or another group that champions farm to school.
31. Find even MORE ways to celebrate in our National Farm to School Month Celebration Toolkit!

Farm to school is a grassroots movement powered by people like you taking small actions every day to grow healthier kids, support local agriculture and cultivate vibrant communities. These next 31 days are the perfect time to celebrate how far we've come, and dig in to keep growing the movement!

Special thanks to our 2019 National Farm to School Month Sponsors and Supporters, including CoBank and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, and our Outreach Partner organizations that are helping us spread the word about farm to school throughout October. And, thanks to you for being a farm to school champion in your community.

Happy National Farm to School Month!

The beginning of a new school year is a great time to consider starting or ramping up farm to school activities in your community. From planting seeds in a school garden to local food procurement in the cafeteria, there are numerous ways to engage in farm to school and get kids excited about fresh, healthy food. If you’re new to farm to school, check out our getting started resources:

• Getting Started with Farm to School
• Getting Started with Farm to Early Care and Education
• Starting and Maintaining a School Garden
• Growing Farm to School in Native Communities

Looking for funding options to help kickoff or expand your farm to school efforts? Here are several fall funding opportunities to explore:

Green Education Foundation Green Thumb Challenge Grant
Deadline: September 30

Native American Agriculture Fund Grants
Deadline: September 30

Clif Bar Family Foundation Small Grants
Deadline: October 1

The Herb Society of America Classroom Herb Garden Grants
Deadline: October 1

Target Field Trip Grants
Deadline: October 1

American Heart Association Teaching Gardens Network Grant Program
Deadline: October 11

National Head Start Association Gro More Good Garden Grants
Deadline: October 11

The Bee Cause Project Bee Grants
Deadline: October 15

Whole Kids Foundation School Garden, Beehive and Salad Bar Grants
Deadline: October 15

Chef Ann Foundation Get Schools Cooking Grants
Deadline: October 28

Annie’s Grants for Gardens
Deadline: November 1  

Klorane Botanical Foundation Budding Botanist Grant
Deadline: November 8

Find more ideas for supporting your farm to school activities in our Funding Farm to School factsheet. Stay tuned to our This Week in Farm to School blogs, posted every Tuesday, for more farm to school funding, resources and engagement opportunities.

By National Farm to School Network Staff and Partners

Jenna Rhodes, National Farm to School Network Arkansas Co-Core Partner, brought an indomitable spirit to our farm to school family. It is with sadness, but also hope and fond memories, that we celebrate her life. Though much too short, it was a life lived with joy, passion, and commitment, including a deep-seated commitment to farm to school.

As Program Manager at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Jenna supported Arkansas Farm to School, helping it grow into the robust program that it is today. Not only was Jenna a vital part of Arkansas Farm to School’s success, she shared her enthusiasm and knowledge with our national network of partners, bolstering and helping to grow the national farm to school movement. Jenna was always at the ready with an infectious smile and helping hand. Along with NFSN staff, Jenna’s farm to school friends from across the country are celebrating her spirit:    

Jenna started on our team at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute following a year-long student project with us as part of her Master of Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service (more info here from the Clinton School’s memorial here). We were immediately drawn to her outgoing and earnest spirit and her higher than average devotion to organization. Those two characteristics continued through her entire five years with us.

Jenna could flip any stranger to friend in a matter of minutes, always managing to get straight to the heart of your unique situation and offer suggestions to help you on your way. Her first forays into the field yielded open arms and huge hugs within minutes, which was always warmly received by our farm to school community, especially with our school child nutrition teams.

Her family tells the story of her organizing the third-grade tug of war - taking charge, situating people on the rope, and cheering louder than anyone else in her class. Her teacher told her mom, “This is how Jenna always is, and this is how Jenna will always be.” Never a truer sentence spoken. She had timelines for every project, color-coded sticky notes to keep us all on track, and just the week before she passed had written out every single activity (by month!), that we need to get done in the next year.

Jenna was incredibly organized. If we said we needed to bring something special into the office like a camera or kitchen tools, Jenna would find out when we planned to leave home the next morning, and text us just before to remind us to bring the thing. She even set little reminders for herself to remind us.  

Jenna jumped into everything wholeheartedly. A friend shared last week that when you mentioned an idea to Jenna, if she liked it, then it felt like you were just starting and she was already at halftime. Her questions, her plans, dates, people to invite, what about...things you hadn’t considered she would already have thought about somehow.

And at the SNA conference in Salt Lake City, she was sitting across from Bertrand Weber, who had spoken about taste tests and how he introduces new foods to students that day. Someone at the table ordered calamari, which Jenna had not had before and wasn’t excited about trying, but having heard Bertrand she wanted to see his method first hand. Bertrand went through his full taste test/sensory experience with Jenna and the calamari, and though she wasn’t crazy about it she admitted his process works!

She was a rockstar, both personally and professionally, and she will be deeply missed by many.

- Emily English and Andrew Carberry  

I had the unique pleasure of working with Ms. Jenna as she first entered the farm to school arena. As the NFSN South Region’s lead, I engaged closely with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute and their Arkansas Grow Healthy Study about school gardening. When Andrew Carberry suggested that Jenna be added as the Arkansas co-lead, I understood why he felt she should be formally recognized in her role. Our monthly regional calls were livened up by Jenna’s presence and enthusiasm. We attended many state and national conferences together and her smile always lit the room. Of the many farm tours we joined, I remember her at Heifer Ranch the most. After a full day of farm to school planning, touring, and celebrating, Jenna stepped on a big old thorn that went through her shoe, deep into her foot. We were outside taking our group photo and many of us offered to drive her to the hospital. Jenna insisted we take our group photo and finish our day together. We removed the thorn and cleaned her foot and then she smiled just as big as ever for our photo. We cleaned up the space and Jenna drove herself to the hospital.

I will always remember her laughter, her creative joy in her work, her faith, and her dedication to service. Laughing and wounded, she put herself last. But she is first in many of our hearts as we mourn her untimely passing.

- Pam Kingfisher

While Jenna will be dearly missed as a friend and colleague, her impact on farm to school in Arkansas and on NFSN will not be forgotten. We feel privileged to carry on her legacy of building community and making the world a better place through farm to school. You can read more about Jenna, including ways to donate to scholarships set up in her name, here.