Welcome to the New Farm to School Initiative and Local Food Info Source. We are a grass roots organization assisting institutions and growers to connect and form purchasing partnerships.
Our mission...
To promote tools and methods (by example) which bring local foods into Wisconsin schools, hospitals, and universities.
Our mission...
To promote tools and methods (by example) which bring local foods into Wisconsin schools, hospitals, and universities.
FARM TO SCHOOL LOCAL FOOD NEWS
New York School Goes Vegetarian
Queens NY school creates all vegetarian menu. What do you think?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/public-school-244-queens-all-vegetarian-menu-new-york-city_n_3191988.html?utm_hp_ref=new-york
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/public-school-244-queens-all-vegetarian-menu-new-york-city_n_3191988.html?utm_hp_ref=new-york
Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools
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Are you a school looking for free salad bar equipment? Or a parent wishing your school had salad bars? If so, check out the opportunities here.
http://saladbars2schools.org/ USDA FARM to SCHOOL GRANT APPLICATION OPENSUSDA Announces Request for Applications for FY 2014 Farm to School Grants
National Program Continues to Increase Local Foods in Schools and Provides New Economic Opportunities for Producers of All Kinds WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6, 2013 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced the release of a request for applications (RFA) for the latest round of USDA’s Farm to School grants. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and well being of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. This year, three different kinds of grants will be available. Planning grants are intended for schools just getting started on farm to school activities, while implementation grants are available for schools seeking to augment or expand existing efforts. Additionally, eligible non-profit entities, Indian tribal organizations, state and local agencies, and agriculture producers or groups of producers may apply for support service grants in order to conduct trainings, create complementary curriculum, or further develop supply chains, among other activities. Proposals are due at midnight EST, April 24, 2013. To assist eligible entities in preparing proposals, USDA will host a series of webinars related to the application process: March 5, 2013, 1:00 EST – Planning Grants March 6, 2013, 1:00 EST – Implementation Grants March 7, 2013, 1:00 EST – Support Service Grants http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s/Default.htm Oregon's Winter Vegetables: Kale
A great video on making Kale chips from Oregon Farm to School. Check this out! http://www.katu.com/amnw/segments/Oregons-Winter-Vegetables-Kale-188375811.html Maine Students or the Trash Getting More Vegetables?Educating and promoting new choices goes hand-in-hand with serving them. One without the other can result in not accomplishing the primary goal of healthy foods actually being consumed. Here's a question...does that new .06 cent increase gained from meeting the stricter regulations come with an education requirement? Does it come with the tools and the much needed financial support to allow schools to do the work that can change how students eat?
Read the article and decide if the USDA set up an improved lunch program that may be destined to fail. http://bangordailynews.com/2013/01/13/health/school-lunch-changes-are-maine-students-or-the-trash-getting-more-fruits-and-vegetables/?ref=latest Local Schools Emphasis: "Getting Healthy"Big steps in Gainesville FLA.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130106/ARTICLES/130109776/-1/entertainment?Title=Local-schools-8217-emphasis-Getting-healthy Program to put Alaska-grown food into local schools sees success in 2012
FAIRBANKS — Two years ago, Alaska’s Farm to School Program was just getting started. In 2012, the program reached more than 20,000 students.
How is that possible? http://www.newsminer.com/features/sundays/article_06003d96-5d62-11e2-94f6-0019bb30f31a.html One Lunch Lady's Cafeteria Conversion
One lunch lady at a time...that's all it takes! http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/28/167719980/one-lunch-ladys-cafeteria-conversion |
USDA Finalizes New Microloan Program
Microloans up to $35,000 aim to assist small farmers, veterans, and disadvantaged producers are now available. Download the application here:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2013/01/0010.xml&contentidonly=true Captain Planet Foundation Accepting Applications for Youth Environmental ProjectsFood as Part of Reform in Montana State PrisonLocal Foods move to prison in Montana.
http://farmtocafeteria.ncat.org/?page_id=785 Detroit's urban agriculture plans move forward
Something near and dear to my heart... This would be my next great adventure! http://www.freep.com/article/20121207/NEWS06/121207034 |
Nourishing the nation, one tray at a timeInteresting Read: article from the Illinois Times about the growing Farm to School movement sweeping the nation.
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-9237-nourishing-the-natio.html Dayle Hayes and School Meals That Rock! still going strong...
Love this website created by Dayle Hayes. I used to send in photos of our latest recipes and lunch trays when I ran Chilton Public. It's just great to get her Facebook feed every week. This poster made its way to School Meals That Rock on Facebook.
I love it! How true! If you want to see what changes are taking place in school lunches check out School Meals That Rock. They have a website and a Facebook page. http://schoolmealsthatrock.org/ And the winners are...
Transform WI grants have been awarded, the Action Institute has ended and the projects are looking for volunteers. Check out which WI counties will be transforming themselves over the next two years.
http://transformwi.com/ The New School Food Regs: Why I'm Putting My Money on the Class of 2024
Do the new regs go too far, or not far enough? Read the article on the new School Lunch regulations by Bettina Elias Siegel. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bettina-elias-siegel/the-new-school-food-regs-_b_1896679.html Schools increase focus on fresh produce.Tom Karst, Thepacker.com
Updated nutrition guidelines are dramatically increasing demand for some fresh produce items and are transforming school lunches for nearly 32 million students. While cost and student acceptance of increased servings of fruit and vegetables are concerns, school foodservice directors were positive about the new guidelines. Read the remainder of the article at The Packer. http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-enewsletter/packer-daily/Schools-increase-focus-on-fruits-and-veggies-168048816.html Free and Reduced School Lunch may be back on the chopping block again come November.
Eliminating the reduced category and opening the free category to families who really need our help seems less and less relevant to anyone's political agenda. How bad does it have to get before common sense in spending takes root? Check out the latest plan to reduce the budget: http://cdn.front.moveon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/waronchildren500.jpg Schools can "opt out" of Pink Slime! photo: Huffington Post
Should beef really look like this??? Especially if it is feed to our children? According to the USDA schools can now "opt out" and choose which commodity beef source they order. Will the USDA remove the low quality beef from the program altogether? Could this finally be their wake up call? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/pink-slime-school-lunch-opt-out_n_1347784.html?1331837820&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009 Lunch Money: serving healthy food in a sick economy. Lunch Money, by Kate Adamick
"Lunch Money: Serving Healthy School Food in a Sick Economy" is the new book from author Kate Adamick. The authors intent is to dispel “the myth that school food reform is cost prohibitive.” Read the review at The Lunch Tray website.
http://www.thelunchtray.com/a-new-book-from-school-food-expert-kate-adamick-lunch-money/ The Culinary Trust has grants for culinary professionals volunteering at schools. Photo: The Culinary Trust
The Chefs Move to Schools Grant provides funds for culinary professionals to help our children eat right by teaching them about food, nutrition and cooking. Funds can be used from garden to table and culinary professionals may seek funding for any program that promotes health and wellness in schools. Download the application at:
http://www.theculinarytrust.org/news-and-events/cmts-grant/ Great websites available for a better school lunch.
Investigate Better Options "Smarter Lunchrooms" Subtle Solutions to Mindless Eating in Schools" on the web. This site has solid and practical ideas for the lunchroom and school menus.
http://www.smarterlunchrooms.org/index.html The LunchBox Website highlights inspirational heros working in school lunch. Click on the link below to read about people making a difference for students eveyday. http://www.thelunchbox.org/community/lunch-box-heroes-blog Rethinking School Lunch Guide
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New Publication: A Grower's Manual for Success; Improving handling practices and meeting food safety standards. Photo: Leopold Center for Sustainable Ag
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture has just released a 24 page manual adapted from GROWN Locally, an Iowa based Producer Cooperative, to help local food cooperatives improve their handling practices and meet food safety standards. "The Grower's Manual describes requirements for personnel procedures, general handling, cleaning, sanitizing, packaging, labeling and transporting, and offers information for planning a mock recall. It also includes detailed tables that describe how to prepare and package a variety of crops." To read the press release and download the manual click on the link below.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/10-20-2011/leopold-center-publishes-new-grower-s-manual 6 Ingredients You May Not Want In Your Food. Huffington Post Photo by Flickr, user Yoppy
Garden burgers. Power bars. Protein brownies. Bottled water that makes you thin, young and smart. And we used to wonder what they put in Pop Rocks... read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/6-ingredients-food_b_1400970.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009#s852350&title=TBHQ_AKA_Butane Hey Locavores, are you creating jobs?
In response to a Senate request for an update on the USDA program Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, a new website lending assistance to local food initiatives and food hubs across the U.S. opened on March 1st. Even so, local food advocates are concerned the program could be cut out of the farm bill, set to expire this year. Read about it on NPR's The Salt
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/29/147647643/hey-locavores-are-you-creating-jobs#commentBlock Lenders learn how to bank on small farms, local foods, by Patty Cantrell Picture: National sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Nic Welty's Nine Bean Rows farm near Traverse City, MI, is one of many smaller, diversified, often first-generation farms in the country that defy expectations, particularly among bankers and others with money needed to finance the new food enterprises. Most find it difficult to pencil out the possibility that such a niche farm business could reliably make enough money to grow. Yet as Welty explains, “This business is good enough to take a cash advance on a credit card and run with it.”
Read the Article at: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/local-food-lending/ Who Needs a Training Course to Feed the Homeless? Take Part (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The city of Houston Texas proposes changes to an ordinance, and have their sites aimed on feeding the homeless in city parks. Not a good day to be hungry and homeless in Houston. Read the article at Take Part.com http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/03/07/who-needs-training-course-feed-homeless Farming for jobs: Can local food movement prove a broader economic engine?
 Photo Credit: The CapTimes, Madison WI
The cat is out of the bag...the local food movement does provide jobs and economic stability. Now if we could just convince our government officials to encourage rather than cut. Read about the report and the numbers behind the local food movement. Start a co-op or buyers group in your area! Encourage a food entrepreneur.! Help rebuild our infrastructure with the 99% at the helm! BUY LOCAL! Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/business/biz_beat/farming-for-jobs-can-local-food-movement-prove-a-broader/article_d4e4108a-1ad6-11e1-9026-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1fz9UbcHa Urban Farming In Detroit gets the documentary it deserves
Watch the trailer of Urban Roots the story of urban farming in the Detroit area.
http://grist.org/list/urban-farming-in-detroit-gets-the-documentary-it-deserves/ House Votes to Curtail Local and Regional Farm and Food Systems
A few weeks ago, the House Appropriations Committee released its FY 2012 bill for agriculture spending. The report language included attacks on USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative as well as the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative...http://sustainableagriculture.net/
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