FW: Apply to be Farm to School site for USDA tactical team visit!

Greetings,
Please see the note below about the exciting chance to be a Farm to School site for a USDA Tactical Team visit. These Tactical Teams are part of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative of the USDA. (See the original news release here - http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/09/0441.xml.) Please do consider applying if you're a school district with a farm to school program; I think there's a lot the Tactical Team could learn about Farm to School with a visit to Michigan!

Apply now! http://www.fns.usda.gov/CND/F2S/email.htm
Deadline: January 31, 2010

"If you are a school district interested in being considered for a USDA Farm to School Tactical Team visit, please contact the USDA at http://www.fns.usda.gov/CND/F2S/email.htm. Districts will have until January 31, 2010, to send in their request for consideration. All you have to submit is the school district name, city, state, and your contact information. The USDA Tactical Team will conduct visits to nine schools to learn about a school district's Farm to School efforts including how the activities first began; the relationship between growers and the school district; what obstacles exist or were faced along the way; and the effects the activities have had on the school and the community.

The Tactical Team plans to visit nine sites that offer the following:
* Regional representation of the Nation
* Rural, urban, suburban, tribal schools
* Large and small school districts
* Operating as: self-operated, vended and Food Service Management Company
* Various distribution models (e.g., direct purchasing from farmers, purchasing from farmer cooperatives or farmers' markets, purchasing through buying cooperatives or food service management companies)
* Representing different stages of Farm to School implementation
* Practicing new or innovative ideas of incorporating Farm to School activities"

http://www.fns.usda.gov/CND/F2S/f2stacticalteam.htm

http://www.fns.usda.gov/CND/F2S/email.htm

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
www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu