Michigan Farm to School News

 

Greetings,

 

Here are the latest Farm to School news bites: 

 

NEWS

 

Congress adjourned last week, unfortunately leaving the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill left unresolved. Learn more from this blog post from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

 

“The Economic Impact of Farm to School Lunch Programs:  A Central Minnesota Example” from the University of Minnesota’s Extensions Center of Community Vitality and Department of Applied Economics provides an estimate of the impact of local food purchasing at schools on the local economy. Read a summary here and the study report here. Also check out “Farm to School’s Teachable Moment: Teaching the value of healthy eating in schools is a great way to fight obesity” by JoAnne Berkenkamp of Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis.

 

Berkeley’s New School Food Study: A Victory for Alice Waters 

This three-year evaluation by researchers at the University of California shows that 5^th graders in the School Lunch Initiative funded by the Chez Panisse Foundation who grow and cook their own food make healthier food choices. Read The Atlantic article here and another summary here, but also check out this article from Grist, “Mixed results from the Edible Schoolyard,” which describes how the study also shows that progress slowed among older students. Read the study for yourself here.

 

The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University has recently released WellSAT, the Wellness School Assessment Tool, which can be found here. This new tool can help schools evaluate and make improvements to their wellness policies that address nutrition education, nutrition standards for school meals and competitive foods, and physical activity.  

 

The National Conference of State Legislature’s “Promoting Healthy Communities and Preventing Childhood Obesity: Trends in Recent Legislation” report summarizes and analyzes state level policies for healthy eating, physical activity, healthy community design, and access to healthy food. You can access the report here. 

 

 

EVENTS

 

USDA Farm to School: Digging Through the Farm to School Resources Webinar 

October 7, 2010

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Click here to register.

 

Farm to School Teacher Training Workshop 

Learn how to implement a Farm to School program in your classroom with the Fresh From the Farm curriculum from Seven Generations Ahead in Illinois.

Training beings October 14, 2010

Learn more here, and register here!  

 

Vegetables 201: Ready to take the next step? 

November 4, 2010 

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM 

Kalamazoo, MI 

See attachment for more information and to register! 

 

2010 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo 

December 7-9, 2010

Grand Rapids, MI 

Click here for more program information. Registration is now open!