MI Farm to School News

Greetings Farm to School champions!

A quick reminder that there are a couple great Michigan conferences coming up with approaching deadlines (one is today! See below), and that registration is officially open for the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in June in Madison, WI! Your CRFS Farm to Institution Team will be co-presenting on four workshops, and Cherry Capital's Kelly Lively will be speaking to the soon-to-be infamous Apple Crunch.

So much good stuff coming out highlighting the amazing work in Michigan in Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE). Champions featured below include food service directors, food hubs, foodcorps, and even an interview with Senator Debbie Stabenaw, who's been a long standing advocate for farm to school and child nutrition programs. I'm feeling the need to quote: 

"We know that kids can't learn, grow, and succeed if they are chronically hungry or unable to receive good nutrition…but we aren't finished until all of us make the commitment to end childhood hunger and give every child the chance for a healthy, successful future."

Cheers to all of you for committing to give every child that future!

News

• Cultivating relationships, Connecting Kids and Schools back to real food – Second Wave Southwest Michigan
  • This article highlights our friends at Sprout in Battle Creek and their efforts to use their food hub to get fresh foods into local schools, taking the "one bite (of a cookie) at a time" approach to facilitating school food changes
• Lessons learned from a career in school nutrition – MSU Extension
  • After 20 years of service, Amy Klinkoski of Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) will be going out with a bang – Michigan bean soup, winter squash, and milk for her final menu! Amy has been a vocal champion of getting local food on her students menus, and her legacy will live on to positively impact students for many years to come
• Column: Kids provided healthy meals in Huron Valley – Hometownlife
• • MI Farm to School Grantee Sara Simmerman at Huron Valley Public Schools talks asparagus, salad shakers, and farm to ECE initiatives, and the impact they're having on student nutrition. Yay Sara! And thanks for the shout out!
• School Food Fight: My interview with Senator Debbie Stabenow – Huffington Post
  • Interview with Michigan's own Debbie Stabenaw, who's been a farm to school champion, on her national efforts to champion school meal quality and expand farm to school programs, and her commitment to ensuring access for low-income children. 
• Kohlrabi Round Two: Classroom cafeteria connections – MSU Extension
  • This article highlights a bunch of my favorite things: kohlrabi, the Farm to Freezer program, and foodcorps. Kids taste tested kohlrabi three ways and voted on their favorites.

Resources

• MI Farm to School Webinar Series
  • If you missed the Sourcing Local Foods: Understanding Procurement Rules and Regulations or Garden to Cafeteria: Using On-Site Gardens to Supply Meal Programs webinars, they're available on our website for your viewing pleasure

Opportunities

• Deadline: Register for the All About Food Conference: From farm to fork - March 15, Clinton Township, MI
  • Extended deadline closes today! See attached brochure for more information
• Detroit Food 2016: Food for Change – March 10-11, Detroit MI
  • This annual summit, hosted by The Detroit Food Policy Council, will help connect those interested in improving the community and their own lives from nutritional and economic standpoints to others with like needs and valuable resources.
• Registration Open for National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
  • ​Calling all local food leaders, community health professionals and sustainable agriculture advocates! Early bird registration is now open for the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, the premier opportunity to learn, network and collaborate with 1,500 likeminded leaders and food advocates from across the country.

Encourage you all to get out and enjoy what will hopefully be the last of Michigan winter weather – it's going to be 64 in Lansing next week!

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