The good news for kids this year is that they’re getting healthier foods in the meals they eat at school, thanks to new USDA standards that include a call for more servings of fruit and vegetables, some of which will likely be fresh produce from local farms. But with recent
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Farm to School Program
USDA Makes Grants Available for Farm to School Programs
Farm to school food programs are set to receive a boost this October in the form of $3.5 million in federal grant money.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan announced Tuesday that the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is now accepting applications for a series of grants – each one…
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USDA Releases First Farm to School Evaluation
Efforts to serve local food in schools are expanding nationwide, but creating a market between small farms and school districts still poses many challenges, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first report on farm-to-school initiatives.
Over the past year, a team of nine government representatives visited 15 school districts…
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Sizing Food Safety to Fit Small Farms
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a continuing series on the Vashon Island School District’s new school lunch program, and the farm-to-school movement in this Washington state community.
Most farmers would rather sift through a batch of seeds than a pile of paperwork. Yet selling to the public requires…
School Lunch Program Goes Local, Safely
A school district in Washington state has ditched frozen French fries and chicken fingers this year in favor of fresh fare. Not only are meals now made from scratch daily, but produce grown by local farmers will soon be featured on the menu.
This fall, the Vashon Island School District,…
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White House, USDA Celebrate Farm to School Program
Two top food-focused administration officials visited a D.C. elementary school yesterday to kick off the Second Annual D.C. Farm to School Week, part of a wider initiative to improve school food nutrition and help children learn about where their food comes from.
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and White…
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