farm to school

On Tuesday, Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the state will receive nearly $200,000 in Farm to School grants to support partnerships between local farms and school districts. The USDA funding will allow farms to supply schools with local produce, support hands-on agricultural education, and promote healthy eating through family programming, including cooking demonstrations and

With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many roles changed and shifted. The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Farm To School program is a great example of that. In February, the program was meeting with districts across the state, trying to determine how farmers could better meet needs in the 20-21 school year. Howe ...

A former member of the Washington state Department of Agriculture has been promoted within AMS.  Tricia Kovacs has been appointed deputy administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Transportation and Marketing Program.  Kovacs joined the AMS in 2016 as the local and regional food systems policy advisor, playing a key role in coordinating AMS and Rural Development implementation of the Lo

October is National Farm to School Month.  To mark the occasion Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue recently made a stop in Wisconsin.   “It's a great experience to be here on a real farm in Wisconsin. We kind of did a preliminary apple crunch. 5th graders th...

This is Farm to Summer week in Washington.  The program works to connect producers around the state with local school districts or organizations working to feed young kids during the summer months.  Bianca Smith, nutritionist and program coordinator with the state office of Superintendent of Public Instruction said much like it’s school time counterpart, Farm To School, many of the local organizer

In an effort to expand breakfast access for Washington most impoverished students, a North Central Washington lawmaker is teaming up with regional farmers.  Chelan Republican Mike Steele has introduced House Bill 1508, also known as the “Breakfast After The Bell”.  The legislatio...

The Department of Agriculture is offering $5 million in grants to schools through the USDA Farm to School Program.  The program has been awarding grants to schools and communities since 2013.  Farm to School refers to efforts that bring locally or regionally produced foods into school cafeterias.   USDA says ...

October is Farm to School and is a perfect time to spotlight efforts by local producers and school districts to provide healthy meals for kids and help the local economy.   Amy Gilroy manages the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program which is one of the most well-funded in the nation.   “...

One of the primary jobs of the USDA is to find new, or expand markets for U.S. producers, but Secretary Sonny Perdue said don’t assume that’s always going to be overseas.   “One market we also want to expand is locally grown food. You tap into this val...