| |||
| Hi Colleen -
FYI - There was a incorrect date...
Michigan Family Farms Conference - Saturday, January 17, 2010 should read Saturday, January 16, 2010 Melville H. Kennedy
"One of the great dreams of man must be to find some place between the extremes of nature and civilization where it is possible to live without regret." —writer Barry Lopez -------Original Message------- Hi all, Here are the latest Farm to School news bites: News Federal bill seeks more fresh produce in U.S. school meals with funding for salad bars, equipment upgrades, and farm to school grants for schools. An article from The Packer, National Farm to School Network has exploded from simple beginnings, features Michigan's Locavore Food Distributors. In these tough economic times, more Michigan school children are eligible to participate in free and reduced-price school meals programs. Check out this searchable database from the Detroit News to see how local school districts have been affected. West Michigan farmers, schools discuss getting local produce to student lunches at last week's Farm to School Workshop for growers, coordinated by Kendra Wills at Michigan State University Extension's Kent County office. Check out this YouTube video about the Michigan Junior Chef Competition held in September 2009 at MSU. Michigan Junior Chef was sponsored by the Michigan Nutrition Network, Michigan State University Extension and the C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at MSU. The video was created by two MSU students, Joe Vaillancourt and Elaine Bristol. Events Michigan Family Farms Conference Saturday, January 17, 2010 Lakeview High School, Battle Creek, MI Find the brochure and additional info at the MIFFS website. Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference Saturday, January 30, 2010 with keynote speaker, Melissa Hemmelgarn, on Friday, January 29th Grayling High School in Grayling, MI Find more information on the conference website. Michigan Good Food Summit February 25, 2010 in Lansing, MI See the attached Save the Date for more information. Choices 2010, Collaboration: There's Room at the Table Wednesday, March 10 -11, 2010 in East Lansing, MI Registration opens Jan. 11, 2010 For more information, visit http://web7.anr.msu.edu/choices/Home.aspx. Farm to School: Setting the Table for Wellness Sponsored by the Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI) Monday, March 15, 2010 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, MI For conference info visit localdifference.org/farmtoschool National Farm to Cafeteria Conference May 17-19, 2010 in Detroit, MI For more information, visit the Farm to Cafeteria Conference website Deadline for online submission of workshop and/or poster proposals is January 15th, 2010! Happy Holidays! Colleen Matts Farm to School Specialist CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems Michigan State University 303 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 517.432.0310 | |||
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Blog
Monday, December 21, 2009
Re: Michigan Farm to School News - December
Michigan Farm to School News - December
Hi all,
Here are the latest Farm to School news bites:
News
Federal bill seeks more fresh produce in U.S. school meals with funding for salad bars, equipment upgrades, and farm to school grants for schools.
An article from The Packer, National Farm to School Network has exploded from simple beginnings, features Michigan’s Locavore Food Distributors.
In these tough economic times, more Michigan school children are eligible to participate in free and reduced-price school meals programs. Check out this searchable database from the Detroit News to see how local school districts have been affected.
West Michigan farmers, schools discuss getting local produce to student lunches at last week’s Farm to School Workshop for growers, coordinated by Kendra Wills at Michigan State University Extension’s Kent County office.
Check out this YouTube video about the Michigan Junior Chef Competition held in September 2009 at MSU. Michigan Junior Chef was sponsored by the Michigan Nutrition Network, Michigan State University Extension and the C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at MSU. The video was created by two MSU students, Joe Vaillancourt and Elaine Bristol.
Events
Michigan Family Farms Conference
Saturday, January 17, 2010
Lakeview High School, Battle Creek, MI
Find the brochure and additional info at the MIFFS website.
Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference
Saturday, January 30, 2010 with keynote speaker, Melissa Hemmelgarn, on Friday, January 29th
Grayling High School in Grayling, MI
Find more information on the conference website.
Michigan Good Food Summit
February 25, 2010 in Lansing, MI
See the attached Save the Date for more information.
Choices 2010, Collaboration: There's Room at the Table
Wednesday, March 10 -11, 2010 in East Lansing, MI
Registration opens Jan. 11, 2010
For more information, visit http://web7.anr.msu.edu/choices/Home.aspx.
Farm to School: Setting the Table for Wellness
Sponsored by the Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI)
Monday, March 15, 2010 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, MI
For conference info visit localdifference.org/farmtoschool
National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
May 17-19, 2010 in Detroit, MI
For more information, visit the Farm to Cafeteria Conference website
Deadline for online submission of workshop and/or poster proposals is January 15th, 2010!
Happy Holidays!
Colleen Matts
Farm to School Specialist
CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Michigan State University
303 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
517.432.0310
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
FW: Call for Proposals - Farm to Cafeteria Conference May 17 - 19
Hi all,
As you know, the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is heading to Detroit in May 2010! Please see the call for proposals (for sessions and posters) below. Proposals are being accepted through an online submission process until January 15th! Please note that up to 3 presenters for accepted workshop proposals will receive 50% off their conference registration, but poster presenters do NOT receive a discount. All proposals will be reviewed by a national planning committee, but we certainly do hope to show off the many great farm to institution programs and partners in Michigan at this conference! Please feel free to be in touch with me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Colleen Matts
Farm to School Specialist
CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Michigan State University
303 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
517.432.0310
From: Emily Becker [mailto:emily@foodsecurity.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 7:42 PM
To: Colleen Matts
Subject: Call for Proposals - Farm to Cafeteria Conference May 17 - 19
Dear 2009 Farm to Cafeteria Conference Attendee:
We hope to see you again at our 2010 Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Below you will find the Call for Workshop Proposals, and would appreciate your help in circulating it to others who might be interested. This is a one-time email; to receive additional updates about our upcoming conferences, please sign up for our conference email list at http://communityfoodconference.org/13/email-list.
Sincerely,
Emily Becker
Membership Coordinator & Conference Planner
Community Food Security Coalition
(503) 954 - 2970
3830 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
TAKING ROOT, 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Detroit, MI, May 17 - 19, 2010
14th Annual CFSC Conference, New Orleans, LA, October 17 - 19, 2010
CALL FOR WORKSHOP AND POSTER PROPOSALS
“Taking Root: Fifth National Farm to Cafeteria Conference”
Detroit Michigan, May 17 – 19, 2010
Presented by:
The National Farm to School Network
The Community Food Security Coalition
The Center for Food & Justice, Occidental College
Proposal Period: December 15 - January 15
No proposals will be accepted after January 15
Submit proposals at http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e
The National Farm to School Network seeks proposals for workshops and a poster session at its 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit, Michigan, May 17 – 19, 2010.
Presentation Formats
We are accepting proposals for the following presentation formats:
a. Poster Session
b. Workshop Sessions (90 minutes)
Workshop and Poster Session: Topics
Please note that the overarching goal of the conference is to include information on all forms of institutional food purchasing. The majority of topics below are meant to apply to Farm to Cafeteria in its broadest sense, including but not limited to K-12 schools, pre-schools, day care centers, colleges, hospitals, prisons and other institutions.
* Distribution, processing, and infrastructure development
* Farm to cafeteria as a “green” issue
* Experiential education including field trips, cooking classes, schools gardens, college farms,
and curriculum development
* Youth-led initiatives
* Food service-led initiatives
* Grassroots voices, community initiatives
* Advocacy at the local, state, regional and/or national level
* 2010 Child Nutrition Authorization: issues, framing, collaborations, outcomes
* Food safety issues, concerns and innovative approaches
* Farm to cafeteria as economic development
* Research and evaluation
* Grant writing and funding for farm to cafeteria
* State-level farm to cafeteria policies – what’s worked, what hasn’t, innovative ideas
* Farm to cafeteria and public health issues
* How to make farm to cafeteria work for farmers
* Skill building, such as facilitation skills, community assessments, survey design, etc.
* Food service, farmers, price and profit
* Farm to cafeteria – a social justice agenda
* Farm to school and wellness policies
* Farm to Cafeteria work and issues in the Great Lakes region
* How to work with institutional buyers
* The role of Farm to Cafeteria in healthy eating campaigns and nutrition messaging
* Public private partnerships - what works, what doesn’t
* Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food – USDA efforts around Farm to School
* Changing scale from local to regional - when it is needed, how it is done
Poster Session
In addition to those listed above, topics may include results of evaluations or studies, describe a new farm to cafeteria program or approach, or describe and/or analyze an experiential learning component of farm to cafeteria.
Session format
Workshop Sessions: Interactive sessions that provide opportunities for significant audience participation are encouraged. These sessions may include individual or group role playing, small group work, or hands-on tasks. Power point presentations are not required, and if used, we encourage a creative approach. We are cognizant that people learn in different ways and encourage a variety of workshop interactions and approaches.
We are also seeking workshops that build specific skills such as grant writing, policy advocacy, facilitation, working with farmers, working with children etc. Sessions that lead to a specific outcome, that are linked to the activities of the National Farm to School Network, or that build the farm to cafeteria movement, are also desired. We encourage session organizers to include a diverse group of leaders, such as youth, farmers, food service staff and community members. Introductory and advanced level workshops are also welcome. Since we have a limited number of workshop slots, we urge workshop planners to avoid proposing workshops that only highlight a specific program, instead we suggest connecting with similar programs from across the country to create a more comprehensive joint workshop on the topic. These workshops will be given priority during the review process. If you need assistance in identifying projects to co-present with, please contact Marion Kalb at marion@foodsecurity.org or 505-474-5782.
Audience
Expect a very diverse audience in terms of occupation. Attendees typically include food service, policy-makers, public health workers, farmers, environmentalists, community based organization advocates, community residents, parents, school administrators, nutritionists, teachers, sustainable agriculture advocates, food system representatives, researchers/academics, students, funders, and others engaged in building a sustainable food system. Please try to use plain language and limit the use of acronyms and jargon to make your session accessible to all participants.
Session details
Workshop sessions will be 90 minutes in length. Expect approximately 30-50 attendees per workshop session.
Submission of Proposals and Deadlines
Please go to http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e/ to submit your proposal online. Deadline is January 15, 2010.
Audio-Visual
We will contact you regarding your AV needs, if your session is chosen.
Registration Fees
Up to three presenters per workshop are entitled to a 50% discount off their registration fees (excluding field trips and short courses). Poster session presenters do not receive a discount. Presenters that want to attend their session only can do so free of charge. All presenters must register for the conference.
Travel Costs
Presenters should plan on covering their own travel costs to participate in the conference.
You'll Hear Back From Us Soon
Submission of a proposal is not a guarantee of its acceptance. All proposals will be reviewed by a planning committee. Notification of your proposal's status will be provided by February 15th, 2010. Please contact Emily Becker (emily@foodsecurity.org) if you have not heard from us by this date.
For information concerning workshop content, please contact Marion Kalb at marion@foodsecurity.org, 505-474-5782.
For information on the submission process, please contact Emily Becker at emily@foodsecurity.org or 503-954-2970.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM
1. Please describe session type: (circle one)
Workshop – 90 minutes Poster Session
Please answer all questions. Please answer questions 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 & 10.
2. Please provide the name, address, zip code, e-mail address and phone number for the primary
presenter/organizer, and a short bio, 50 words or less.
3. Please provide the names, affiliations and emails of other presenters.
4. Please provide a title for your session / poster, 10 words or less
5. Please provide a summary of your proposed session in no more than 50 words for use in the conference brochure. Provide information regarding format of presentation – lecture, small group, panel, activity-based, and how speakers will engage participants attending the workshop.
6. Please provide a description of your session in no more than 150 words.
7. List two to three objectives describing how participants will benefit from this session and what tools, skills or message(s) participants will "take home." Learning outcomes should be action statements describing what participants will be able to do as a result of the experience, usually defined in terms of knowledge, skills, or attitudes. Statements should complete the following statement with observable and measurable verbs: “After this presentation, the attendee will be able to…”
8. Describe desired audio-visual needs.
9. Skill Level of Presentation Content:
Conference attendees are typically looking for focused sessions that deliver new information or knowledge. Please state which level your session addresses.
- Basic: Assumes little or no prior knowledge of area(s) covered. The focus of the activity is to increase knowledge of the participant.
- Intermediate: Assumes a general knowledge of the area(s) covered. The focus is to enhance knowledge of the participant.
- Advanced: Assumes thorough knowledge of the area(s) covered. The focus synthesizes recent advances, research, new initiatives, and future directions.
10. I understand that it is the obligation of all workshop and poster presenters to cover their registration fees and travel costs. Up to three presenters per workshop are eligible for a 50% discount on their registration fees. Presenters may also apply for a scholarship. I have communicated this to all presenters in my proposed session.
(Please initial.)
Submit proposals online at http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e.
On-line submission is strongly preferred.
If you are unable to submit online, please mail to Emily Becker, CFSC, 3830 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202. Submissions must be received by January 15, 2010.
Monday, December 7, 2009
FW: Save the Date - 2010 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit!
Hello again,
I just wanted to make a quick correction. FSEP is based in southeast Michigan (not southwest as I indicated below), which includes the Wayne County/Detroit area. My apologies!
Colleen
From: Michigan Farm to School [mailto:MIFARMTOSCHOOL@LIST.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Colleen Matts
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 4:20 PM
To: MIFARMTOSCHOOL@LIST.MSU.EDU
Subject: Save the Date - 2010 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit!
Hi all,
I’m very happy to announce that the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference will be held in Detroit, MI on May 17-19th, 2010. With the theme “Taking Root”, this conference is brought to you by the Community Food Security Coalition and the national Farm to School organization. The Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) in southwest Michigan is the local host organization for this conference, and will be coordinating the local planning for the event. Please see the attached Save the Date notice and the conference website – www.farmtocafeteriaconference.org – for more information, but be sure to check back to the website for updates as we make plans. Please do share this exciting news with your networks as well!
We’ll be in touch as we continue planning as we’ll certainly need your help to pull off a great conference and spotlight farm to school and farm to cafeteria projects in Michigan!
Best,
Colleen Matts
Farm to School Specialist
CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Michigan State University
303 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
517.432.0310
Save the Date - 2010 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit!
Hi all,
I’m very happy to announce that the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference will be held in Detroit, MI on May 17-19th, 2010. With the theme “Taking Root”, this conference is brought to you by the Community Food Security Coalition and the national Farm to School organization. The Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) in southwest Michigan is the local host organization for this conference, and will be coordinating the local planning for the event. Please see the attached Save the Date notice and the conference website – www.farmtocafeteriaconference.org – for more information, but be sure to check back to the website for updates as we make plans. Please do share this exciting news with your networks as well!
We’ll be in touch as we continue planning as we’ll certainly need your help to pull off a great conference and spotlight farm to school and farm to cafeteria projects in Michigan!
Best,
Colleen Matts
Farm to School Specialist
CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Michigan State University
303 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
517.432.0310
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Farm to School Information Session at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo
Hi all,
The Michigan Farm to School facilitators from the C.S Mott Group at MSU, FSEP in southeastern Michigan, and MLUI in northwest Michigan have put together a Farm to School Information Session for the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo next week at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids.
This Farm to School Information session will be of particular interest to Michigan farmers that are interested in capitalizing on this expanding market opportunity! Also, if you are a food service director who is ready to begin a farm to school program and would like to meet local growers at this session, please respond directly to me by email at matts@msu.edu by Friday, December 4th. Please see session details and a description below.
Farm to School Information Session
Wednesday, December 9th, 2010
11:30-1 pm
Grand Gallery Room C (lower level)
Farm to school is growing in Michigan! With over 40 farm to school programs throughout the state and many more school food service directors interested in purchasing local foods, farm to school programs provide an expanding market opportunity for Michigan growers. Last December, Michigan lawmakers supported farm to school and local economic development by passing farm to school bills to reduce procurement barriers to expanding farm to school programs in our school cafeterias. But farm to school applies more than just the cafeteria; farm to school also includes school fundraisers that use local products and educational opportunities like school gardens, farmer visits to schools, and field trips to local farms.
The Michigan Farm to School Information Session will feature a panel discussion including farmers, school food service directors, and/or distributors involved in farm to school projects who can speak about their experiences including the benefits and challenges, and answer participants’ questions about this market opportunity. We also plan to allow time for informal discussion so that farmers can connect with local school food service directors and other farm to school resources.
This session will be of interest to fruit and vegetable farmers looking to diversify their markets, of any scale. Schools and school districts of varying sizes with different needs and different interests in Michigan produce (in terms of volume and crop type) are eager to connect with Michigan farmers so there are no one size fits all solutions and a wide range of farmers are needed to meet the demand. This session also applies to distributors of varying sizes who are working to supply local products to Michigan schools. Additionally, schools and local farm to school facilitators are looking for farmers who are willing and able to host school field trips and/or visit schools to share their experiences and educational lessons about their produce with students.
Please see the Great Lakes Expo website for more information about the schedule, education program, and exhibitors – www.glexpo.com.
Thanks,
Colleen Matts
Farm to School Specialist
CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Michigan State University
303 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
517.432.0310
SAVE THE DATE/REGISTER: Webinar on USDA Food Project Grants/Resources for Communities -- December 7, 2009 3:00 pm Eastern Time
The C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at
USDA Grants/Resources for Support to Food Projects in Communities
Monday, December 7, 2009 at 3:00 – 4:30 Eastern Time.
Moderator:
Shirley Gerrior
§ National Program Leader, Families, 4H & Nutrition; National
Panelists:
§ Elizabeth Tuckermanty – National Program Leader, Competitive Programs; National Institute of Food and Agriculture
§ Community Food Projects (CFP)
- Carmen Humphrey -- Branch Chief, Marketing Grants and Technical Assistance Branch; Agriculture Marketing Service
§ Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)
§ Etta Saltos --National Program Leader, Human Nutrition; National Institute of Food and Agriculture
§ Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
You must pre-register for this webinar: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NN3DVZP
If you have trouble contact Jekeia Murphy at 517-432-0308
USDA Awards More Than $5 Million in Grants to Support Local Foods Initiatives
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0580.xml
"Building local sustainable food systems is a key step in fighting hunger and obesity, a priority for USDA and for the Obama Administration," Vilsack said. "These grants are an important part of USDA's new 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative and put funds in low-income communities and areas of need that struggle with access to healthy, nutritious food. They are critical if we are to achieve the President's goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015 and improving the nutrition and health for all Americans."
Launched in September 2009, the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' includes such major agricultural topics as supporting local farmers and community food groups; strengthening rural communities; enhancing direct marketing and farmers' promotion programs; promoting healthy eating; protecting natural resources; and helping schools connect with locally grown foods.
The 16 organizations receiving awards were selected through the Community Food Projects program, which is administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The current projects will fund food policy council training, urban agriculture, new farmers on preservation farmland, promotion of native food sovereignty, youth, urban and rural food production projects and community food assessments. Community Food Projects have been funded in nearly to 300 communities in 48 states during its 13-year history.
The primary goals of the Community Food Projects program are to (1) meet the food needs of low-income individuals; (2) increase the food self-reliance of low-income communities; (3) promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm and nutrition issues; and (4) meet specific state, local or neighborhood food and agricultural needs, including needs relating to infrastructure improvement and development, planning for long-term solutions and the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers.
The FY 2009 Community Food Projects grants were awarded to:
- Food Bank of North Alabama,
- Community Food Bank, Inc.,
- Fresno Metropolitan Ministry,
- Mandela MarketPlace, Inc.,
- Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project,
- International Rescue Committee, Inc.,
- Nuestras Raices, Inc.,
- United
- Center for Rural Affairs,
- American Friends Service Committee,
- Farm to Table, Inc.,
- World Hunger Year, Inc.,
- The Minnesota Project, Inc.,
- The Corporation for
- Community Food Security Coalition, Inc.,
- Community Food Security Coalition, Inc.,
- The Food Trust,
- Appalachian Native Plants, Inc.,
- Sustainable
- YouthLaunch,
- Solid Ground Washington,
- Growing Power, Inc.,
- Central Wisconsin Community Action Council, Inc., Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., $25,000
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,
Cheryl Danley
Academic Specialist
C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
Dept of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS)
Michigan State University
309 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI. 48824-1222
Phone: (517) 432-0309 * Cell: (313)492-3496
Fax: (517) 353-3834
email: danleych@msu.edu
website: www.mottgroup.msu.edu
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