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Friday, December 16, 2016

Farm to School VISTA Opportunity in Traverse City- Deadline December 23rd!

Are you passionate about healthy food, farms, and kids? The Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District is hiring a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA position to advance farm to school initiatives and activities across northwest lower Michigan in partnership with MSU Extension and the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. The position is based in Traverse City, MI.

The position is aimed at helping local schools teach the importance of eating healthy foods and living a healthy lifestyle. The goal is to support and encourage teachers by providing them with classroom tools that use cooking, gardening, nutrition, and farming as a lens through which to have a deeper and richer learning experience. It's a great job for those that love food, kids, education, local farming, and community enrichment. 

A strong applicant should be a great communicator, and able to work well both collaboratively and independently with varying amounts of given structure. Applicants should have an interest in education, local food, and/or creating an equitable community of health. 

The VISTA will also be in charge of maintaining and updating a resource website as needed with new content and material. Projects may integrate cooking demonstrations in partnership with local chefs using video production or finding unique and engaging ways to circulate local farm to school news and resources. There will be many opportunities to brainstorm and initiate other projects that demonstrate the value of farm to school to community stakeholders.

Applications for the position can be accessed here. The deadline to apply is just ONE WEEK away- December 23rd. 

If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Stevenson (vistaleader@unitedwaynwmi.org), Marshall Collins, (MCollins@tbaisd.org) or Meghan McDermott (meghan@groundworkcenter.org). 

Best, 

Meghan


--
Meghan McDermott | Policy Specialist

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Webinar Recordings Now Available!

Hi folks –

 

If you missed our Cultivate Michigan: What's in it for Schools and Early Childhood Programs? webinar yesterday, or our Farm to ECE mini webinar: Introduction to Local Procurement today, they are both now recorded and available on our website! They can be accessed at the links below

 

What's in it for Schools and Early Childhood Programs?: Using Cultivate Michigan to accelerate farm to school success

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

REMINDER: Farm to ECE Webinar TODAY at 1:00 pm!

Farm to ECE Webinar Series: Introduction to Local Procurement

Today at 1 pm!

 

Local procurement is a central component of Farm to ECE. This webinar will cover a brief overview of local purchasing options. There will also be a brief overview of rules and regulations that pertain to local purchasing in early childhood programs. This is the third installment in the Farm to ECE mini-webinar series.

 

Register here: https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/6a6c8cfb0c8172737510d14dfea9e911

 

 

 

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

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

CORRECTED LINK Re: Cultivate Michigan Webinar TODAY at 2 pm!

Corrected registration link:

https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/b268863a0f4b12ce7510d14dfea9e911

 

 

Cultivate Michigan: What's in it for schools and early childhood programs?

 

Today from 2:00 – 2:40, you will have the opportunity to learn more about Cultivate Michigan and the benefits to participating institutions. Cultivate Michigan is a statewide local purchasing campaign of the MI Farm to Institution Network that supports schools, early childhood programs, and other institutions throughout Michigan in their local purchasing efforts. This webinar is ideal for folks new to Cultivate Michigan, or those who have had some questions about the benefits in signing up. The webinar will give an overview of the project and then dive deep into the benefits of participating.

 

Registration is required in order to get access to the webinar!

 

Best, and hope to see you there!

 

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

Cultivate Michigan Webinar TODAY at 2 pm!

Cultivate Michigan: What's in it for schools and early childhood programs?

 

Today from 2:00 – 2:40, you will have the opportunity to learn more about Cultivate Michigan and the benefits to participating institutions. Cultivate Michigan is a statewide local purchasing campaign of the MI Farm to Institution Network that supports schools, early childhood programs, and other institutions throughout Michigan in their local purchasing efforts. This webinar is ideal for folks new to Cultivate Michigan, or those who have had some questions about the benefits in signing up. The webinar will give an overview of the project and then dive deep into the benefits of participating.

 

Registration is required in order to get access to the webinar!

 

Best, and hope to see you there!

 

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

What is "Local?" Understanding How Michigan Institutions Define Local Food

Greetings,

Please see info about and a link to a new summary from the Michigan Farm to Institution Network below!

 

 

 

What is "Local?" – Understanding How Michigan Institutions Define Local Food

 

Over the summer, Michigan Farm to Institution Network staff conducted an informal online survey of Michigan institutions to get a better understanding of how institutions across the state define local food. We found that though institutions use a range of different definitions (or a combination of definitions), there is substantial overlap, and over half of surveyed institutions use a definition that includes "grown or raised in the state of Michigan," which aligns with the definition used by the MI Good Food Charter and the Cultivate Michigan campaign. We hope that by establishing some common understandings of what "local" means, we can help make local food more accessible and easier to identify and source.

 

A summary of our findings is now available on the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems site: http://foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/understanding-how-michigan-institutions-define-local-food

 

The Michigan Farm to Institution Network is co-coordinated by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and the Ecology Center, with support from MSU Extension. We work toward the Michigan Good Food Charter goal that Michigan institutions source 20% of their food from Michigan sources by the year 2020. For more information, go to mifarmtoinstitution.org or cultivatemichigan.org.

 

Megan Thompson

Farm to Institution Data Manager

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

480 Wilson Road – Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI, 48824

thom1306@anr.msu.edu

517-432-0307

 

Friday, December 9, 2016

MI Farm to School News

Greetings all!

 

The news is coming two weeks in a row, in part because there are a lot of deadlines and great opportunities coming up! Keep an eye towards the webinars and a couple job fellowships with our good friends at Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities in Traverse City! Also, next week we'll be sending out the registration for the Cherry Slurp on February 14, 2017, so keep an eye out for that too!

 

News

·         Diversity of people and perspectives on display at Michigan Good Food SummitModel D

o    Another great highlight on the Michigan Good Food Summit.

 

Opportunities

·         Upcoming MI Farm to School Webinars

o    Advancing Farm to School Efforts with Cultivate MichiganTuesday, December 13, 2016 2:00 pm

§  If you're new to Cultivate Michigan or have been hesitant to sign up, this webinar is for you!

o    Introduction to Local Procurement in ECEWednesday December 14, 2016 1:00 pm

§  The third in our MI Farm to ECE Webinar Series.

·         Cultivate Michigan Dry Bean TourJanuary 26, 2017

o    This tour is an exciting opportunity to explore the supply chain for Michigan Dry Beans and learn how they make it from the field to your institution. See event details for more information.

 

Jobs and grants

·         Farms, Food & Health Fellowship Deadline December 16

o    Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to assist with connecting local food to healthcare and wellness initiatives in our region, as well as support in carrying out a statewide policy initiative focused on school children's health and local economy entitled 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms.

·         Building Healthy Communities FellowshipDeadline December 16

o    Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to implement strategies to increase access to healthy food in communities throughout northwest lower Michigan.

·         Grant opportunity: USDA Child Nutrition Technology Innovation Grant USDA FNS

o    This grant is designed to encourage state agencies to innovate technology solutions which can foster collaboration and save money.

·         !!!Garden Grant: Kids Gardening 2017 Youth Garden Grants Deadline December 15, 2017

o    Available for schools and ECE, this grant provides $750 worth of materials to support new or established gardens that serves at least 15 youth between 3-18 years of age.

 

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

Update-Food & Farming Fellowships-Traverse City, MI-Dec. 16 deadline

Updated with new link.

Greetings all,

The Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is accepting applications now for two Fellowship positions in our Food & Farming Program. The deadline to apply for the Spring fellowship term is Dec. 16, 2016. Please spread the word, and see below for more info! 

Farms, Food & Health Fellowship

Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to assist with connecting local food to healthcare and wellness initiatives in our region, as well as support in carrying out a statewide policy initiative focused on school children's health and local economy entitled 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms.

Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to implement strategies to increase access to healthy food in communities throughout northwest lower Michigan.

Learn more about both of these positions, and more, here: www.groundworkcenter.org/fellowships 

Thanks,
Diane

*Please note my email address has changed to diane@groundworkcenter.org

__________________________

Diane Conners  |  Senior Policy Specialist
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

P   231-499-3937

T   @grndwk

A  148 E Front St, Suite 301  |  Traverse City, MI 49684 

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Food & Farming Fellowships-Traverse City, MI-Dec. 16 deadline

Greetings all,

The Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is accepting applications now for two Fellowship positions in our Food & Farming Program. The deadline to apply for the Winter fellowship term is Dec. 16, 2016. Please spread the word, and see below for more info! 

Farms, Food & Health Fellowship

Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to assist with connecting local food to healthcare and wellness initiatives in our region, as well as support in carrying out a statewide policy initiative focused on school children's health and local economy entitled 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms. Click here to learn more.

Groundwork Center seeks a dynamic, self-starter to implement strategies to increase access to healthy food in communities throughout northwest lower Michigan. Click here to learn more.

Diane

 

*Please note my email address has changed to diane@groundworkcenter.org
__________________________

Diane Conners  |  Senior Policy Specialist
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

P   231-499-3937

T   @grndwk

A  148 E Front St, Suite 301  |  Traverse City, MI 49684 

Friday, December 2, 2016

MI Farm to School News

Greetings Farm to School team!

 

It's December, but the farm to school activity keeps on rolling! There are lots of learning opportunities coming up to keep your farm-to-school brain growing, including some webinars so you don't even have to leave the warmth of your bed (Michigan's cold, y'all).

 

We initiated our Farm to ECE Webinar Series this week, and several exciting farm to school webinars are set up for the coming months. Also don't forget, the deadline for the USDA Farm to School Grant is December 8! And this newsletter proves how much is still going on

 

Stay tuned for information coming out in the next two weeks on the Michigan Cherry Slurp, a one-day effort (similar to the crunch) on February 14 to celebrate cherries by sluuuuuurping into a smoothie. Details to come!

 

Also, a big shout out to farm to school champion and food service director of Detroit Public Schools Betti Wiggins! If you haven't seen their work in Detroit, you're missing out! She was just awarded the Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence (FAME) Director of the Year Award. Congrats, Betti!

 

 

News

·         Farm to school efforts positively impact tribal communitiesUSDA Food and Nutrition Service

o    Many tribal communities are reconnecting children with their rich history by establishing farm to school programs. This story highlights the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council in South Dakota and their work to increase local bison in school meals.

·         Pumpkin pie isn't just for pies and lattes – here's 2 new ways to enjoy itMlive

o    Spoiler: the other two ways are featured in Dan Gorman's awesome Cultivate Michigan taste tests at Montague and Whitehall Public Schools!

·         Homegrown and served without a moanGreat Lakes Echo

o    Spotlight on farm to school efforts at Gwinn and Waterford public schools, with highlights on the Making Michigan Recipes Work series, the Michigan Apple Crunch, and Cultivate Michigan. These are a few of my favorite things…

·         Supporting sustainability with farm to school food programsUS News

o    Great article on the farm to school network and the future of farm to school.

·         DPSCD receives support from Life Time Foundation for food assistance – Michigan Chronicle

o    Detroit Public Schools received a grant that will help fund 40 pieces of new farm and kitchen equipment to help harvest and mass produce grown in the Detroit School Garden Collaborative.

 

Opportunities

·         Webinar: Advancing Farm to School Efforts with Cultivate MichiganTuesday, December 13, 2016 2:00 pm

o    What's in it for schools and webinars? If you're new to Cultivate Michigan or have been hesitant to sign up because you didn't know what the benefits were, this webinar is for you!

·         Webinar: Introduction to Local Procurement in ECEWednesday December 14, 2016 1:00 pm

o    The third in our MI Farm to ECE Webinar Series, we will cover a brief overview of procurement rules and regulations as they apply to ECE, available sources for local foods, and first steps to starting local procurement in your early childhood program.

·         !!!Deadline! USDA Farm to School Grant December 8, 2016

o    If you're planning to apply for a grant this year, the deadline is approaching!

·         Grant opportunity: USDA Child Nutrition Technology Innovation Grant USDA FNS

o    This grant is designed to encourage state agencies to innovate technology solutions which can foster collaboration and save money.

 

Resources

·         MI Farm to ECE Webinar SeriesMSU Center for Regional Food Systems

o    The first two webinars, which occurred this past week, are now up and available to view on our website! They're both about 10 minutes in length, so easy to digest while you're digesting lunch.

o    New Web-Based School Meals Application PrototypeUnited States Department of Agriculture

o    A new web-based prototype aims to make the application for the National School Lunch Program easier for schools and families alike.

o    **Reach for the Stars with Farm to PreschoolNorth Carolina Farm to Preschool Network

o    This resource aligns farm to preschool initiatives with North Carolina's early childhood quality standard rating system.

o    Increasing Prevalence of US Elementary School Gardens, but Disparities Reduce Opportunities for Disadvantaged StudentsBridging the Gap

o    This study showed that the increase in garden programs over time haven't yet reached lower-income students to the same extent it's reached wealthier schools.

o    Local School Wellness Policy ToolkitUSDA FNS

o    This kit includes tools to communicate information about local school wellness policies to parents and staff. It's free!

 

Jobs

·         Farm to Institution Program CoordinatorMMFEC LCC Montana

o    The Program Coordinator with the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center of Lake County Community Development Corporation would provide support to food and agriculture program, including Farm to Institution efforts.

·         Policy DirectorFoodCorps

o    The Policy Director will lead government relations and federal and state policy initiatives.

 

Happy harvesting to those that are still growing with season extension, and happy storage to the rest of you!

 

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

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Upcoming Webinar: Advancing Farm to School Efforts through Cultivate Michigan

What's in it for Schools and Early Childhood Programs? Advancing farm to school efforts through Cultivate Michigan

Tuesday December 13, 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

 

Cultivate Michigan is a statewide local food purchasing campaign of the MI Farm to Institution Network. Cultivate Michigan supports schools, early childhood programs, and other institutions throughout Michigan in local food purchasing efforts. This webinar will give an overview of the project and then dive deep into the benefits of participating. Join us to learn how joining Cultivate Michigan can enhance and accelerate your local food purchasing efforts, and find out why others are jumping on board!

 

If you've heard about Cultivate Michigan and haven't yet signed up, or if you're new to farm to school and looking for supporting resources, this webinar will be an opportunity to dive into the benefits to schools and early childhood programs of signing up and participating. Make sure you're equipped with all the best resources to start 2017 farm to school efforts off right!

 

Register for this webinar at: https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/b268863a0f4b12ce7510d14dfea9e911

 

 

 

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