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By Amy Winston and Dana Hudson, Northeast Regional Co-
Leads for the National Farm to School Network.
The farm to school movement has been growing across the
country and throughout the Northeast, with the impetus coming
not just from the food and farming sectors, but from public
health, education, and economic development perspectives as
well. In an exciting development, the National Farm to School
Network recently received a three-year, $2.4 million grant from
the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish a viable and
sustainable mechanism to coordinate, promote, and expand
the farm to school movement at the state, regional, and
national levels.
The newly funded National Farm to School Network has
created regional organizers (called Regional Lead Agencies,
or RLAs) as part of this mechanism. Two northeastern
organizations, Vermont F.E.E.D (Food Education Every Day)
and F.A.R.M.S. (Focus on Rural Maine Schools), have taken on
the regional lead responsibilities. The goals of the RLAs are to
help develop the farm to school network in the Northeast and
promote, in the words of Jeff Beach, the "sense of regional
unity, solidarity and reliance on the region's diversity that is
needed to renew the strength and purpose" of agriculture, as a
way to improve health, stimulate economic vitality, and
celebrate tradition, culture, and innovation in the Northeast
region.
As the Regional Lead Agencies, Vermont F.E.E.D and
F.A.R.M.S. will be supporting and representing the work in the
Northeast region, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and
Vermont . In this role, VT F.E.E.D. and F.A.R.M.S. will be
working with the National Network in areas of policy,
information, media, and networking as well as training and
technical assistance for individuals working on farm to school
issues.
Another first step of the National Farm to School Network was
to update its website, www.farmtoschool.org.
As the portal for
farm to school information in the U.S, the website offers
extensive content with easy access for submitting information
about programs, upcoming events, news and funding
opportunities, and online discussion forums to dialogue about
farm to school related issues. There is a profile for each of the
34 states with active farm to school programs. Click on
Massachusetts or any state in the Northeast on the map, and
you can search for policies, farmers, funding opportunities, and
involved groups specific to the state.
The Northeastern states have had to think creatively and
innovatively in recent years to sustain their farming economies
and landscapes. Farm to school is yet another innovation to
sustain farming, fend off "sprawl," and satisfy consumer
demand. But we know it is more than that. Farm to school work
is an example of a holistic community economic development
strategy, celebrating and preserving working landscapes as
educational destinations and employment opportunities to
preserve culture, tradition, and innovation.
The National Farm to School Network is coordinated by the
Center for Food & Justice at the Urban & Environmental Policy
Institute at Occidental College (www.uepi.oxy.edu) and
the
Community Food Security Coalition (www.foodsecurity.org).
VT FEED (Food Education Every Day) is a partnership
project of 3 Vermont Non-profits: Shelburne Farms, Food
Works, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of
Vermont. VT FEED works with schools and communities to
raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms
and farmers, and good nutrition. We act as a catalyst for
rebuilding healthy food systems, and to cultivate links between
the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities. Dana
Hudson can be reached at (802) 985-0381 or
dhudson@shelburnefarms.org.
FARMS (Focus on Rural Maine Schools) is an initiative of
the Lincoln County Economic Development Office (LCEDO), a
county-funded development office hosted by Coastal
Enterprises, Inc. (CEI). FARMS' mission is 1) to educate
students about good nutrition and the role of local farms in
promoting healthy, sustainable communities and 2) to promote
and facilitate farm-to-institution purchasing. Amy Winston can
be reached at arw@ceimaine.org.
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The first ever Massachusetts Harvest for Students Week,
organized by the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, was a
celebration of locally grown food in schools across the state.
The week's goals were to highlight the work that schools all
over
Massachusetts are already doing to serve local food to their
students, and to help more schools get started. We would like
to highlight some of the wonderful, fun ways that cafeteria
staffs, students, farmers and school administrators participated
in this special, festive week.
Schools across the Commonwealth found new ways to
showcase the importance of incorporating local foods into
schools throughout the week. Somerville Public School
students found themselves shucking corn alongside school
administrators in preparation for a school lunch showcasing
local corn, pears, melon, apples, tomatoes, and zucchini. In
Chicopee, where cafeterias regularly feature potato wedges cut
from fresh, local potatoes, the students enjoyed another treat:
their food service director, teachers, and administrators dancing
around in veggie costumes!
The week gave many districts, like Chicopee and Worchester,
the opportunity to get the word out about their ongoing
relationships with local farmers, while roughly thirty school
districts took advantage of the chance to test the waters of
buying locally.
Cafeterias were not the only locations to see some local food
action, as a variety of other programs were conducted
throughout the week. The Wood School in Plainville, MA held
an assembly that featured a performance group called
FoodPlay,
which had kids dancing and laughing while learning about the
importance of eating healthy foods. And at Gateway Regional
School, special education students took a field trip to a local
orchard where they got to tour the farm and pick their own
apples.
Approximately 100 Massachusetts school districts and colleges
put local foods on their menus for the Mass Harvest for
Students Week. According to Kelly Erwin, Managing
Consultant for the Mass
Farm to School Project, schools that buy locally often see a
financial benefit because more students buy school lunches as
the
meals become more appetizing. Worcester Public Schools, for
example, have seen a fifteen percent increase in school lunch
purchases since the district began buying locally. But these
benefits aren't limited to the schools-the 50 farms providing
products to local schools in Massachusetts are generating more
than $700,000 in additional revenue each year. To date there
are more than 85 public school districts and 13 colleges across
the state serving local food on a regular basis.
For more information about the Massachusetts Harvest for
Students Week or the Massachusetts Farm to School Project,
please click here or contact
Kelly Erwin at
kelerwin@localnet.com or 413-253-3844.
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By Rebecca Golden, 5th/6th grade teacher at the
Greenfield Center School.
Using two vital questions, "What are the effects of my food
choices?" and "What does it mean to Be a Local Hero?" as
guides, 5th and 6th grade students at Greenfield Center
School delved into a unit on food systems. This integrated
unit included a data math project with CISA, classroom games
and activities based on Seeds of Solidarity Education Center
curriculum, a fieldtrip to a local CSA (Laughing Dog Farm),
and a Localvore challenge that extended to the entire school.
Math, science, health, and social studies standards were
integrated into this unit.
Every year our classroom begins math with a class-wide data
project. We team up with a local organization, design a survey
with about 10 questions, and head into town to survey people
on the street. We then tally the results and learn to make
graphs that analyze the data, with the students breaking into
pairs to graph one question using the entire classroom's data.
This year we worked with CISA and designed a survey about
food choices. A CISA representative came to class to talk about
the organization and brainstorm survey ideas. The teachers
took the ideas generated during that brainstorming session and
created the final ten-question survey. In order to efficiently ask
questions of others, students had to understand what they were
asking and be able to explain concepts like local food and
organic, and the CSA model. Working with CISA allowed there
to be a real framework that made the project exciting and
engaging for the class.
The local food theme expanded into other aspects of class
through games and activities that focused on the growing,
processing, transporting, marketing, and selling of food. Many
of these activities were taken from Seeds of Solidarity
Education Center curriculum (www.seedsofsolidarity.or
g). Some activities
were designed by Laura White, a teacher at Green Street
School in Brattleboro, VT. (For more information on what the
Green Street School did, please visit CISA's Farm to School E-
news archives here). Other activities
were designed by the teachers specifically for this unit.
Through this unit, we compared local verses global food
systems and talked about fossil fuel use in these systems. We
looked at the benefits of local economies and talked about
health issues related to local and global food systems, such as
GMOs, hydrogenated oil, and pesticides.
Another exciting aspect of the food system unit was
participating in the Localvore Challenge. The Windham
Localvores, a group in Southern Vermont, were challenging
people to eat 100% local food for one week. The Kids
Localvore Challenge, which ran simultaneously, challenged
students to increase their local food intake for the week. Some
Center School students ate one local food a day while others
took the 100% challenge. Students recorded the local foods
they ate each day and turned the form in to be entered into a
raffle of local prizes. Some students from our class created
commercials to encourage others in the school to get involved.
By participating in the challenge, students got to apply the
theory they were learning about in a fun and proactive way.
Through discussion and essay writing, students were able to
link everything they were studying to our original basic
questions, "What are the effects of my food choices?"
and "What does it mean to Be a Local Hero?"
Two students, Sophie and Anna, have this to say about the
data project:
"On the 18th of September, our class set out to survey
downtown Greenfield shoppers about their food choices,
wearing our bright red Greenfield Center School tee-shirts.
Why? That was one of the most commonly asked questions.
And our answer was ready: "Our class is helping CISA,
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture." While helping
CISA, we also found out interesting facts. One of these is that
most people prefer local over organic, and convenience over
cost and whether their food is local or organic. Our class all
agreed that this was one of the most fun field trips so far. After
we surveyed the people, we tallied the results and made
graphs showing all the information that we found. We
decorated the graphs and presented it to the class (and some
to the whole school). All together we surveyed over 400
people, which is more than professionals! At the end of the
unit, we were still eager for another survey. We hope you
enjoyed our information and thanks for reading!"
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Berkshire Author Publishes Ground-Breaking Farm to School Cookbook Better student nutrition and a boost for Farm Sales are the dual aims of a new groundbreaking book, Fresh From the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook. The book, which is now available on-line through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources website, is a tool for school food service staffs, training them how to work with farm-fresh food and introduce more local produce into school lunches. Print copies will be published and distributed to every school district in the state, free of charge, through the MA Department of Education. CISA's next Farm to School E-News will feature a complete profile on this project and the cookbook's author, Amy Cotler, so stay tuned! For more information, please contact Amy Cotler at 413-232-7174 or amy@freshcotler.com. To download and start using the complete cookbook, please click here. Mini-Grants Available from Mass Ag in the Classroom Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom offers mini-grants of up to $1,500 to Massachusetts educators to support their agricultural education efforts. The next round of applications are due April 1, with later rounds due September 1 and November 1. To receive a copy of the mini- grant guidelines, send a letter to Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, P.O. Box 345, Seekonk MA 02771, or visit the Mass Ag in the Classroom website here. Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar Now Available A new calendar celebrating Massachusetts agriculture is available for 2008. This calendar is published by Mass Ag in the Classroom in partnership with the Mass Department of Ag Resources and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, with proceeds benefiting Mass Ag in the Classroom. The photographs featured in the calendar are really lovely, and can be seen here. To order a calendar, send a check for $10 to Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, P.O. Box 345, Seekonk, MA 02771. |
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RESEARCH
Statewide Survey of MA Parents RuralVotes recently wrapped up a survey of parents in Massachusetts that focused on perceptions and opinions surrounding school lunch, nutrition and Farm to School programs. They found, among other things, that 84.2% of parents believe it is important that their children be fed Massachusetts-grown food in school. To read more about the survey and see the results, please click here. Lack of sleep associated with overweight children A recent study at the University of Maryland found that children who are not getting enough sleep are at increased risk for being overweight or obese. The study showed a correlation between shorter sleep-times and overweight among 6th graders, and also found that third-graders who got less sleep were more likely to be overweight by 6th grade. To learn more, please click here. NEWS
Mass Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year: Bill Cassell Bill Cassell, third-grade teacher at the L.D. Batchelder School in North Reading, MA, has been named Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom's Teacher of the Year. Bill's exciting, innovative Colonial Garden project was profiled in a past CISA Farm to School E-Newsletter- please click here to see it. Congratulations, Bill, and thanks for the inspiration! Kids Don't Go Outside Anymore An article published in the San Fransico Chronicle on October 22, 2007 explores reasons for the decline in childhood experiences with nature in California. The article notes technology, increasing urban populations, and decreasing opportunities as a few of the many explanations for the decline. This heartbreaking article can be found here. Challenges to Innovation in School Lunch Programs The Seattle school lunch program has come up against many barriers in attempts to integrate local and organic foods into daily meals. This article dissects some of these challenges to illustrate the realities of an urban school lunch program. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer article from October can be found here. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch This profile of the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch program showcases the public schools in Mt. Horeb, WI and Happy Valley Farm. The local farm is owned and run by a teacher at the Mt. Horeb Middle School. The article explains the successes and difficulties of the program. To read the article, click here. NH Farm to School Program The Boston Globe published this article on the NH Farm to School Program last month. The article profiles a farm-school relationship in South Hampton, NH. To read about this new relationship, please click here. Local Carrots with a Side of Red Tape A local farmer discovers the barriers to integrating local foods into New York City public schools after two years to trying to work his carrots into the system. After several attempts to re- create his product, the farmer is finally coming close to getting his products in the school lunch program. Read this interesting and unsually detailed article here. |
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