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Monday, August 31, 2015

Farm to School News: Regional Trainings and MI Farm to School Grantees

Farm to School Updates:

Save the Date! Michigan Farm to School Regional Trainings

With summer fading away and the new school year right around the corner, it’s time to gear up your farm to school programming! CRFS is hosting its annual round of farm to school trainings throughout the state this September and October.  Whether you’re brand new to farm to school or a seasoned expert, working in early childhood or K-12, this will be a great experience for those working in to increase your knowledge of farm to school activities, meet and collaborate with colleagues developing farm to school efforts throughout the region, and provide you with new skills for beginning or expanding your farm to school programs.  

Dates, Locations, and special guests:

Cadillac: Monday, September 21, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Cadillac Public Library

411 S Lake St.

Cadillac, MI 49601

Special Guests: Jenice Momber, Food Service Director at Kaleva Norman Dickson; Erin Caudell, Michigan Farmers Market Association

Detroit: Wednesday, September 23, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Catherine Ferguson Academy

2750 Seldon St.

Detroit, MI 48208

Special Guests: Xavier Jaramillo, Food Service Director at Calumet Center; Tyler Vuillemot, Michigan Farmers Market Association

Kalamazoo: Thursday, September 24, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Kalamazoo Valley Community College Groves Center

7107 Elm Valley Dr

Kalamazoo, MI 49009

Special Guests: Dan Gorman, Food Service Director at Montague Area Public Schools; Tyler Vuillemot, Michigan Farmers Market Association; staff from Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Munising: Thursday, October 1, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

MSU Upper Extension and Research Center

E3774 University Dr.

Chatham, MI 49816

Special Guests: Michelle Walk, MSU Extension Community Food Systems Educator; New Food Corps Service Member; Erin Caudell, Michigan Farmers Market Association


Agenda:
  • Overview of Farm to School and Farm to Early Childhood
  • Purchasing and Procurement of Local Foods
  • Building Successful Farm to School Teams
  • Working with Local Farmers / Hoophouses for Health
  • Seasonal Menu Planning
  • Tracking Purchases and Measuring Progress

Registration is required
These trainings are free, however we ask you to register at http://msucarrs.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_diD7k1cRWPa4gkt.  You are welcome to bring more than one person from your farm to school programs to these trainings.  In fact, we encourage it!  Farm to school teams are an essential part of successful programs, but we ask that each attendee register individually.


If you missed the announcement earlier this summer about our MI Farm to School Grant Program, be sure to check out the list of early childhood and K-12 grantees (present and past) here: http://foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/mi_farm_to_school_grantees

This year, the 20 grantees from 12 counties across Michigan will be planning and implementing farm to school programming with nearly 25,000 students, from early childhood through grade 12.  Though all grantees are at different stages of farm to school program development, all are initiating innovative efforts this coming year to expand and strengthen their programming.  In addition to purchasing more fruits and vegetables from local farms, efforts include:
  • Building stronger planning commissions to ensure sustainability of farm to school efforts
  • Developing systems for freezing and preserving summer harvests to use in winter meals
  • Building community connections with local farmers through field trips and school education
  • Increasing staff capacity to serve local produce through knife skills and seasonal menu planning training
  • Working with Cultivate Michigan as a tool for tracking local purchasing
For more information on our MI Farm to School Grant Program, you can view this year’s webinar outlining the program, expectations, and eligibility here: http://foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/mi_farm_to_school_grant_program_information_webinar

For more questions email Abby Harper, CRFS Farm to School Specialist, at harperab@msu.edu

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


Friday, August 28, 2015

MI Farm to School News

Hey there Michiganders!

We've had a brief taste of fall this week, and with it comes the reminder that school is just around the corner!  I am not sure how the summer passed so quickly, but am gearing up for a fall full of Farm to School fun.

Though most of us are gearing up for back to school, some of us are already in full swing!  This week, I had the pleasure of visiting two of our MI Farm to School Grantees: the Hart and New Era Migrant Head Start programs – they operate mostly from May through October. Hart is in its second year of our program, and I got to tag along on the preschool children's field trip to Country Dairy to get a look at the source of their milk, pet some baby cows, and taste some local cheese and chocolate milk.  Back at the center, the children were just finishing their lunch including fresh yellow beans they had grown in their garden.  New Era is in the planning stage of Farm to School, and their hallways were peppered with the Cultivate Michigan Milk posters (soon to be peppered with pepper posters, as well!).  Though I missed their field trip to pick blueberries earlier in the week, I spied a few classrooms gorging on the fruits of their labor over lunch!

Here's this week's farm to school news – a lot going on with back to school!.  And if you haven't yet, don't forget to share your farm to school news, updates, events, and stories with me!

News

Study: School fresh fruit, vegetable program cuts childhood obesity rates

In a state with some of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation, a new study shows that a program bringing fresh fruits and vegetables into Arkansas schools not only lowers obesity rates, it can also save hundreds of dollars per child each year to prevent obesity. Read more about the study here


Health Affairs Blog:

Building a successful farm to school movement: One person, one plot, one policy at a time – Spotlight on Chaffee County, Colorado demonstrating the importance of collaboration between policymakers, businesses, community stakeholders, and school staff in supporting successful farm to school work.


Events

Profitability workshop for farmers – Sept 2, Lansing, MI

The Profitability Boot Camp will focus on ways farmer veterans and beginning farmers are planning for success through improved financial readiness practices, including highlighting new available resources and tools.  RSVP by Friday, August 28 to Marty Gerencer atmarty@morseconnections.com 


Webinar: ""Why Local Food Matters" : 10am Central Time on Sept 10th.

Feel free to share the upcoming webinar announcement "Why Local Food Matters", co-sponsored by the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC). No advance registration is required.  Simply click on the link on the day to join.  Enter as Guest with just your name.

 A clickable link is:  https://msues.adobeconnect.com/_a828402417/srdc/


Kids Eat Real Food – Marketing and Lunchroom Education 

Thursday, September 24, 2-3pm EST

Join Curry Rosato, Farm to School and Events Coordinator and Chef Ann Cooper, Director of Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, CO to learn the techniques that have brought Boulder's kids back to the lunch program and raised participation every year since 2009.  Learn marketing best practices and turn your students into "real food" aficionados. Register here.


MHA Michigan Green Healthcare Conference – October 8 & 9, Traverse City, MI

Interested in promoting sustainability initiatives in the healthcare sector, including incorporating farm to institution work? Register now for the MHA Michigan Green Healthcare Conference! Participants will have the opportunity to connect with leaders in the sustainability field through networking events and in-depth general, breakout and panel sessions.


Resources

Cultivate Michigan's Pepper Guide
If you've signed up for Cultivate Michigan, you should be getting your pepper materials this week!  If you haven't signed up, you can still access the pepper resources online, but if you want hard copies of next season's featured food (Spoiler Alert: it's Squash!) you can sign up at http://cultivatemichigan.org 

Did you miss the National Farm to School Month, Food Day, Midwest Menu and Apple Crunch Webinar?

Visit these links to view the webinars, which are just full of great information about how to celebrate farm to school in October!
 iatp.orghttp://www.iatp.org/video/farm-to-school-month-midwest-menu-webinar

youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHR3PjoZVU8


Revised USDA local procurement guide available

Just in time for the new school year, the USDA revised guide, Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs, is now available and can help you decide how to buy local for your program. The guide covers procurement basics, defining local, where to find local products, and the variety of ways schools can purchase locally in accordance with regulations. This revision incorporates information about micro-purchases, buying local foods for child care and summer meal programs and more real-world examples. Check out the new guide for sample solicitation language, detailed geographic preference examples and helpful resources. 


INUAg Innovators in Urban Agriculture Prize 

The International Network for Urban Agriculture (INUAg) is announcing the first global INUAg Innovators in Urban Agriculture Prize. INUAg is looking to recognize innovative urban agricultural projects contributing to their local communities in 3 different categories: Food Access, Educating Producers, Teaching Youth. Each category will have 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners, $1250, $500, $250. INUAg is accepting nominations through August 28, 2015. Nominees can self-nominate or be nominated by others. Learn more and find instructions for nominating projects here


Enjoy the last few days of August!


Best,


Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


Friday, August 21, 2015

MI Farm to School News

Happy Friday!

This week I had the pleasure of touring Hillcrest Farms with the Springport Public Schools Food Service team.  The farmer of Hillcrest Farms, Mark Kastner, received a hoophouse loan through our Hoophouses for Health program, and will be "paying" it off this year in part through providing product to Springport Public Schools.  Mark has already had experience working with institutions, as he provides product to the Eaton Rapids medical clinic, however he is excited to be working now with schools. The Food Service Director at Springport, Jeff Brenner, brought his staff out to get an up close and personal look with the produce they'll be serving to their students this year!  See the attached picture of Mark showing the Springport staff his hoophouse filled with peppers (which, incidentally, is this season's Cultivate Michigan featured food!)

Mark grows an incredible amount of food on the land cultivated at Hillcrest Farms, and sticks to naturally grown, chemical free produce.  "We really like microbes," he told the staff, and farms in a manner that strives to support both soil and environmental health.  We peeked inside his four hoophouses – from one of which he's harvesting 300 lbs of tomatoes a week - and the staff were excited about the possibility of bringing the school kids out for a tour of the farm in early spring. To find more about Hillcrest Farms, check out their website, and stay tuned to get more updates about the partnership between Hillcrest Farms and Springport Public Schools as the year continues!


News

NFSN:
Fertile ground for farm to preschool - Many of you may have heard that the National Farm to School Network has hired Lacy Stephens for the new position of Farm to Preschool Associate.  Check out Lacy's blog outlining the importance of farm to early childhood programs
- Seed Change: Growing farm to school, state by state – learn about NFSN's Seed Change program, an initiative to rapidly scale up farm to school at the state level and strengthen partnerships for long-term sustainability - and the work happening in their newest addition to the program: Mississippi!

USA Today:

University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension:
School fresh fruit, vegetable program cuts childhood obesity rates, study finds – A study in Arkansas shows a program bringing fresh fruits and vegetables into schools lowers obesity rates and cuts down on spending in childhood obesity prevention

Health Affairs Blog:
- Building a successful farm to school movement: One person, one plot, one policy at a time – Spotlight on Chaffee County, Colorado demonstrating the importance of collaboration between policymakers, businesses, community stakeholders, and school staff in supporting successful farm to school work.

Events

This webinar will discuss menu recipe writing in the scratch-cooking environment and creating menu cycles that feature farm to school products.

Profitability workshop for farmers – Sept 2, Lansing
The Profitability Boot Camp will focus on ways farmer veterans and beginning farmers are planning for success through improved financial readiness practices, including highlighting new available resources and tools.  RSVP by Friday, August 28 to Marty Gerencer at marty@morseconnections.com 

MHA Michigan Green Healthcare Conference – October 8 & 9, Traverse City
Interested in promoting sustainability initiatives in the healthcare sector, including incorporating farm to institution work? Register now for the MHA Michigan Green Healthcare Conference! Participants will have the opportunity to connect with leaders in the sustainability field through networking events and in-depth general, breakout and panel sessions.

Resources

The USDA has released a revision of their guide to local food procurement in schools, incorporating information about the new micro-purchasing threshold.  
- Did you know Michigan has its own, state-specific guide to purchasing Michigan products?

The USDA has announced the application opening of this year's Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance.


I am doing a collection of Farm to School stories from throughout the state to build up our database of amazing work going on throughout Michigan.  Do you  have a farm to school story, photo, or program that you want to highlight? Email them to me at harperab@msu.edu – the more the merrier!

That's all for this week, folks!  I'll be attending the Tri-County Food Service Director meeting this coming Tuesday with some colleagues from the Michigan Farm to Institution Network & Cultivate Michigan team.  If you'll be there, be sure to say hi!

Be well,

Abby Harper | http://foodsystems.msu.edu/people/abigail_harper <— If you're interested in learning more about me!
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


Monday, August 17, 2015

MI Farm to School News

Hello Farm to School Network -

Apologies this is coming to you Monday instead of on a Friday – I was on a tour of Michigan Pepper Farms with Cultivate Michigan all day Friday out at the base of the thumb!  It was quite the day. First we met at George VanHoutte’s farm, where he highlighted his pepper production of eight different pepper varieties, specialty crop rotations, and talked to us a bit about his Farm to Factory Program – delivering bags of produce to workplaces near Romeo, MI.  We stopped at the Mulefoot Gastropub for lunch, where I had some of the best kielbasa and pierogis of my life.  After lunch we went to Mike Pirrone Produce in Capac where we saw his 50+ acres of pepper production and his packaging facility that packs anywhere from 1500 to 4500 bushels of peppers a day, not to mention the squash, cucumbers, and other produce they do along side. He also highlighted the potential for growth in institutional markets, largely due to their acceptance of imperfect produce (curvy cucumbers, lopsided peppers, etc) that can’t be sold to grocers.  

It was interesting to see the two different scales of production, especially for this Bostonian who is used to much smaller production. My fun fact of the day: second only to bell peppers, Michigan produces huge quantities of Hungarian Hot peppers, the majority of which go into processing!

And don’t forget to check out Cultivate Michigan’s pepper resources, as well as all the resources for their other featured foods!  And check out the attached picture to see some of Mike Pirrone’s pepper fields – so many peppers!
  
News

Hoophouses for Health in local media
Hoophouses for Health got some media attention this week!  Check out Hoophouses for Health’s Tyler Vuillemot giving a brief introduction to the program on Brownfield.  Remember, Hoophouses for Health farmers are now able to work with schools - “paying” off their hoophouse loan through the provision of food to local schools.  Check out more about this partnership between the Center for Regional Food Systems and Michigan Farmers Market Association here, and please contact me if you’re interested in seeing if there’s a Hoophouse for Health farmer near you!

USDA Updates: Farm to Preschool:
Farm to School Helps Healthy Habits Take Root EarlyUSDA spotlights Farm to Preschool programs across the country

- NPR highlights the benefits of school gardens in DC

- An elementary school in Illinois is becoming a food hub.  This has been my favorite idea ever since I came across an article last summer of a Colorado school contemplating becoming a food hub for other schools.  So excited to see project like this coming to fruition!

Resources


- a guide for finding funding, technical assistance, and developing a farm to early childhood program

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: Farm to School Month Midwest Menu Webinar
- If you missed this webinar last week, it’s already been archived!  Use it as a resource in developing your Midwest Menu for Food Day in October!

- Grant applications are due on October 2 for $500 in gardening supplies to start up their school garden

Stay cool this week, Michiganders!  And as always, want to highlight innovative programming happening in your area?  Send me an email and tell me about it!

Best,

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


Thursday, August 13, 2015

FW: Seeking presentation proposals for 2016 All About Food: From Farm to Fork Conference

Hi all,

 

Last reminder that the All About Food Conference session proposals are due a week from tomorrow, on 8/21 by the end of the day. More details are below and the session proposal form is attached.

 

Please feel welcome to share with anyone who may be interested.

 

Kaitlin Koch

Michigan State University Extension Educator

Community Food Systems

21885 Dunham, Suite 12

Clinton Township, MI 48036

Work: 586-469-6088

Cell: 313-695-7746

 

From: Koch, Kaitlin
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2015 2:25 PM
To: 'foodspeak@list.msu.edu'; 'mifarmtoschool@list.msu.edu'; 'mifoodcouncil@list.msu.edu'; 'mifoodhub@list.msu.edu'
Subject: Seeking presentation proposals for 2016 All About Food: From Farm to Fork Conference

 

Greetings All,

 

Apologies for any cross postings.

 

The All About Food conference committee is seeking proposals for the 2016 conference on March 15th. Representatives from all sectors of the food system are encouraged to submit a proposal for a 45 or 60 minute session. Please see the attached Call for Session Proposals for more information.

 

Proposals should be submitted to me, at kochkait@anr.msu.edu, by close of business on August 21, 2015. Notifications will be sent out by September 30, 2015.

 

You can find more information on the host of this conference, the Macomb Food Collaborative, at our website.

 

Please share widely with your networks.

 

Thank you,

 

Kaitlin Koch

Michigan State University Extension Educator

Community Food Systems

21885 Dunham, Suite 12

Clinton Township, MI 48036

Work: 586-469-6088

Cell: 313-695-7746

 

Friday, August 7, 2015

MI Farm to School News

Happy Friday ‘ganders!

So many exciting things this week, including the release of Cultivate Michigan’s summer product guide (spoiler alert: it’s peppers!) as well as a reminder about some events coming up around Farm to School month in October!

News

Cultivate Michigan spotlighted the success of the joint Michigan Food Hub Network and Michigan Farm to Institution Network meeting from two weeks ago.  If you missed it, make sure to read this!

If you haven’t been following what’s been happening in Oregon, here’s another piece highlighting the expanded funding for Farm to School in Oregon.

Resources

The featured product for Cultivate Michigan’s summer guide has been released to the public!  This season, they’re highlighting peppers in all their glory – purple, green, red, orange, sweet, and hot!  They’ve released their purchasing guide and marketing materials, so we encourage you to use them for your Farm to School programs and menus.
  • Don’t forget!  This coming Friday is the Cultivate Michigan Pepper Farm Tour in Eastern Michigan!  If you’re in the area, join us and check out two of the nearly 1,500 pepper producers in Michigan!  I’ll be there, so be sure to grab me and introduce yourself if you come!
  • Last year at this time Cultivate Michigan was highlighting another one of my favorite Michigan products: Blueberries!  Previous purchasing guides can be used for many years to come, and help provide a lot of ideas, resources, and tools for incorporating Michigan products into your menu.
Events

Farm to School month events: Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch and Midwest Menu Event
If you didn’t see the announcement earlier this week about the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch (supported in Michigan by Cherry Capital Food) and the Midwest Menu Event, be sure to check them out, sign up, catch the webinar, and use all forms of social media and the Michigan hashtags (as well as the regional ones!) to spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/miapplecrunch and #MIAppleCrunch 


That’s all for this week!  And remember, any news, resources, upcoming events, or great Farm to School programming you’d like me to highlight in future MI Farm to School news, send ‘em my way!

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


Space Limited For Pepper Field Tour Next Week!

Apologies for Cross Posting.

Join the Michigan Farm to Institution Network for the first Cultivate Michigan featured food tour of 2015!

Peppers are the Cultivate Michigan featured food for Summer 2015, we'll be exploring Michigan pepper growers/distributors with a tour including VanHoutte Produce Market and Mike Pirrone Produce in northern Macomb and southwestern St. Clair counties on Friday August 14.

Register Here (http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1421/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=84702)

Space is limited to 15 people.  
Please register by Tuesday August 10th.

Schedule:

  • 10:15amMeet at VanHoutte Farms Product Market (please be prompt!)
  • 10:30am: 1st stop - Tour of VanHoutte Farms Produce Market, Bruce Township (Northern Farm Market at 74865 Van Dyke Rd, Bruce, MI 48065)
    • Grows peppers and many other vegetables
    • Started farm-to-factory program, up to 9 participating factories this year
  • 11:30amTravel to lunch at the Mulefoot Gastropub (in Imlay City) 
    • Farm-to-table restaurant in Imlay City
  • 12:00pm: 2nd stop - The Mulefood Gastropub (596 S Cedar St, Imlay City, MI 48444)
  • 1:00pmTravel to Mike Pironne Produce in Capac
  • 1:30pm: 3rd stop - Mike Pirrone Produce, Capac (15313 Bryce Rd, Capac, MI 48104)
    • Farms large acreage of fresh peppers, and other vegetables, including rhubarb
    • Brokers regional vegetable produce
  • 2:30pmTour ends, participants depart 

Garrett Ziegler
Extension Educator, Community Food Systems
MSU Extension Greening Michigan Institute
 
MSU Extension at the Downtown Market
109 Logan Ave SW
Suite B102
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Office: 616.608.7436
Cell: 814.777.3562
zieglerg@anr.msu.edu
www.msue.msu.edu
 
Michigan State University Extension programs and
materials are open to all withought regard to race,
color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion,
age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, marital status, family status, or veteran status

Great Lakes Farm to School Month Events!

Greetings Michigan Farm to School practitioners and supporters!

It may only be August, but we're already gearing up for National Farm to School Month this October. Read below for information on the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch and the Food Day Midwest Menu Event. Farm to School Month is a great time to promote your farm to school projects and share the good work of connecting kids, local farmers and vendors and good food. Get ready to celebrate!

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist | Michigan Lead for National Farm to School Network

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

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

 

 

Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch

Did you Crunch last year? Do you want to Crunch this year? Sign up here to participate in the Second Annual Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch, and you’ll be directed to the Michigan Apple Crunch page sponsored by Cherry Capital Foods. This is a simple, but loud way to feature your farm to school work. At NOON on Thursday, October 22, we'll all Crunch into a healthy, delicious local or regional apple to show our support for National Farm to School Month and Food Day 2015.

Sign up here to receive your Crunch Guide chock full of ideas for planning, promoting, sharing and educating around your event - and you'll receive the 2015 Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch logo too! Be sure to "Like" the Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest news. Let everyone know you are participating in the Crunch by using the hashtags #GreatAppleCrunch #F2SMonth and #FoodDay2015 on your favorite social media. Questions? E-mail vherald@wisc.edu or your National Farm to School Network State Lead. Your state may even have a special edition of the Crunch - or even a contest - click here to find out more.

We are asking participating schools and organizations to sign up this year. Tracking the impact of the Crunch
is a critical way to share the importance of our collective work to build farm to school in the region.

Food Day: Midwest Menu Event

Are you looking for a new and exciting way to celebrate Food Day and National Farm to School Month? Are you ready to showcase your local food efforts throughout your lunch tray? This year school districts in the Midwest and Great Lakes are invited to celebrate by serving a Midwest Menu on Thursday, October 22nd in partnership with the School Food FOCUS Upper Midwest Regional Learning Lab. Join seven of the largest regional school districts in serving a Midwest Menu that highlights your favorite local and regional foods. Please attend the webinar on Wednesday, August 12 at 2 EST / 1 CST to learn more, and sign up to participate in this great event! And if you want to share, use these hashtags to promote your great events! #MidwestMenu2015 #FoodDay2015 and #F2SMonth. Register for the webinar here, and read more below.

 

Farm to School Month Midwest Menu Webinar

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
1:00 pm Central

Register now

Are you interested in doing something special with your whole tray to  celebrate Food Day during Farm to School Month this year? The Midwest Menu might be just what you are looking for! In the spirit of collective celebration, all schools across the Midwest are invited to serve a coordinated lunch tray featuring local and regional foods on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015. This webinar is designed to help you prepare to join the School Food FOCUS Upper Midwest Regional Learning Lab in serving a clean-label and locally sourced school lunch, and participate in National Farm to School Month with a “crunch heard round the region,” a delicious coordinated apple bite during lunch!

In the webinar, you will hear the stories of food service staff who participated last year—they will share advice and answer questions to help you plan your own local foods celebration.

Each tray should include a chicken item of your choice and a local apple - locally or regionally procured if possible! Step two is to find a vegetable and whole grain side that showcase the bounty of your local area. A highlight of participation is having your students bite into their local apples at the same time for an enthusiastic Great Apple Crunch!

A project of the School Food FOCUS Upper Midwest Regional Learning Lab, the Midwest Menu is a great way to join forces with schools around the region to highlight your local and regional food efforts!

Speakers:
Vanessa Herald - Farm to School Specialist at the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, Wisconsin
Sandy Huisman, RD, MS, LD -Director Food and Nutrition Management Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa
Chad Elliott - Culinary Specialist Decorah Community School District, Iowa
Melinda Maendele - Food Service Director Norris Public School District, Nebraska

Register today!
Event page: http://www.iatp.org/event/farm-to-school-month-midwest-menu-webinar

Direct registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7981280507458204417

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Job Opening: MSU Center for Regional Food Systems Academic Specialist

This is a reminder of the current job opening with the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.  Please note that the application deadline has been extended to Monday, August 17.

Apologies for cross-postings!

The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems is accepting applications for an Academic Specialist to support existing CRFS initiatives, including the Michigan Good Food Fund.  This position will provide outreach and business assistance to Michigan food businesses to increase good food access in low-income communities.  

For the full position description and to find information on CRFS, visit foodsystems.msu.edu.

This is a full-time, annual year position.  Applications will be accepted until Monday, August 17, 2015, or until a suitable candidate is identified.  To apply, visit jobs.msu.edu and search for faculty/academic staff posting #1627.

Questions about the application process should be directed to Karen Sturdivant, CRFS Managing Associate Director, at sturdi10@msu.edu or 517-432-0049.  Questions about the position should be directed to Rich Pirog, CRFS Senior Associate Director, at rspirog@msu.edu.

Please feel free to share this announcement with your networks.


-- 

Liz Gensler

Outreach Specialist | Michigan Good Food Initiative

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd, Rm 309 | Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517-353-1914 | (f) 517-353-3834 

foodsystems.msu.edu | michiganfood.org