New Resource: Annotated Bibliography of Farm to Institution Research in Michigan

Greetings Food Systems Colleagues!

I wanted to draw your attention to a new resource out of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.  An Annotated Bibliography of Farm to Institution Research in Michigan serves to provide a comprehensive overview of research to date on Farm to Institution in Michigan, which we hope will help to spur research in new areas and promote a greater understanding of the opportunities that exist in expanding this work.

The resource is available at the link below:

http://foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/an_annotated_bibliography_of_farm_to_institution_research_in_michigan

Please share amongst your networks as you see fit. Hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving!

Best,

Abby Harper

Farm to School Specialist

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

480 Wilson Rd Rm 309 | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517-432-4525 (f) 517-353-3834

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

MI Farm to School News

Happy Friday the 13th!

November is Native American Heritage Month! The first article highlights the USDA blog series celebrating efforts to enhance traditional food access in Native American communities.  Also, If you haven't heard the great success of the Apple Crunch, be sure to check out the recent Cultivate Michigan article highlighting the activity!  While you're there, jump on over to check out the fall featured food, just released: Winter Squash! Also, if you didn't see the note last week, proposals are now being accepted for the 2016 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Let's show off all the great work that Michiganders are doing!

Here's this week's updates on news, resources, and upcoming opportunities.

News:

• USDA Foods Help Nourish a Culture – USDA Blog
  • Read how the USDA is supporting Tribal Nations and their efforts to help communities throughout Indian Country and Alaska to access local foods
• 500 Minnesota District's eating farm-to-school lunches – Fox 9 News
  • See and read how Minnesota Students at 1,351 schools are eating nutritious, locally-grown meals with the help of the Farm-to School program

Resources:

• Indiana Farm to School: Pike Township – INEducation
  • Hear and learn about how Pike Township was able to make a school garden, and how they are using it to better their community.

Opportunities:

• Webinar: Evaluating Farm to School – Monday Nov. 16 2015 4:30 – 5:00 pm EST
  • Learn about the National Farm to School Network's Evaluation Framework, a tool to offer guidelines and metrics for clear Farm to School outcomes and impacts.
  
  

Apologies for the unapologetic use of exclamation points this week!  Enjoy your weekend!

Abby Harper

Farm to School Specialist

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

480 Wilson Rd Rm 309 | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517-432-4525 (f) 517-353-3834

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

MI Farm to School News

Greetings all!

It was great to meet many of you at the School Nutrition Association of Michigan (SNAM) conference this past weekend!  For those of you who missed us, team Michigan Farm to School represented at the trade show on Saturday in Battle Creek, checking in with old and new friends and spreading the Farm to School word.  Welcome to those of you new to the list!  It was a fun day filled with corn hole, Michigan Specialty Crop trivia, and lots of education on Farm to School and Cultivate Michigan. It was a fun afternoon, and we left with lots of ideas for how to make next year even better!

Here's some updates from the last two weeks:

News

• School lunches are notoriously nasty. This program is changing that. - Take Part
  • Take Part discusses how the National Farm to School Network helps bring healthier food into schools with farm to school practices, advocacy, and passion.
• Cultivating communities through school gardens – Mother Earth News
  • This article shows and tells how a community used making gardens as a fun and healthy way for kids and the community to grow healthier together.
• Q&A: Anupama Joshi, National Farm to School Network – UC Food Observer
  • An Interview with NFSN's director Anupama Joshi on local food sourcing and food and agriculture education in schools
• A taste of hope – Inside School Food
  • As new buffalo herds grow on Native lands, a small group of schools have joined a pilot program that introduces buffalo to lunch trays and classrooms.

Opportunities

• 2016 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: Save the Date, and submit a proposal! - June 2-4, 2016, Madison, WI
  • The 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is coming to Madison, Wis., next June, and we want to feature your expertise and stories of success, challenges and learning. Deadline for submitting proposals is December 4th!
• The Michigan October School Garden Newsletter has a lot of good information on school garden grants.  See attached, if you're interested!

There was a healthy layer of frost on my car this morning in Lansing, so stay warm this week!

All the best,

Abby Harper

Farm to School Specialist

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

480 Wilson Rd Rm 309 | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517-432-4525 (f) 517-353-3834

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu