Happy Farm to School Month!

Find Michigan farm to school news, grant opportunities, events, and more inside.

October 2019 Dear Michigan Farm to School subscribers, As the weather starts to get cooler, we celebrate National Farm to School Month and prepare for the Michigan Apple Crunch! October is an exciting time for farm to school - what are you planning this month? Read on to learn what others are doing to integrate food and farming learning opportunities into their programs. News Program Encourages Healthy Food Choices for Young Children A nutrition education program to help families with young children learn more about informed eating choices is set to begin in 2020 in the Cadillac, Charlevoix, East Jordan, and Kalkaska areas. Learn more. Several Michigan Schools Awarded Action for Healthy Kids Grants Sixteen schools across Michigan were awarded Action for Healthy Kids grants for the 2019-20 school year! Varying in amounts, these grants included Game On Grants, Parents for Healthy Kids, and School Breakfast Grants.  See the entire list. What Have the Last 10 Years of School Food Policy Taught Us? From school lunch shaming to universal free meals, four experts discuss the changes the past decade has brought to the nation’s school lunch program and how to make healthy, nutritious food accessible to all. Read more. How Nutrition Education is Changing On average, students only get 4-6 hours of nutrition education per year, while they would need 50 hours to receive the maximum benefit. Learn about how schools are uplifting nutrition education opportunities so students don't miss out. Learn more. Michigan Students Grow and Sell Tomatoes From School Garden A FFA and food science class at Montague High School has been growing tomatoes and selling them to a local restaurant. They're also turning some of their tomato crop into fresh salsa. Watch the video. Events Michigan Apple Crunch October 10, 2019 Schools, early childhood programs, and other organizations will celebrate Michigan’s abundance of fresh, local produce by taking part in this fun, one-day event by planning to collectively crunch into Michigan apples. Share your event planning and follow along on Facebook at @miapplecrunch.  Register your crunch event! 2019 Farm-Based Education Conference November 8-13, 2019 Greater Baltimore Area, Maryland The Farm-Based Education Network's 7th Conference aims to get participants networking, learning, and inspired! The conference includes field trips to farm and garden projects in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and in towns throughout Maryland, along with four days of workshops. Learn more and register. Resources Farm to ECE Resource - Making Your Own Local Baby Food Community GroundWorks in Madison, Wisconsin has created a new farm to ECE resource, "Making Your Own Local Baby Food." Use the guide to make local baby food for your ECE site from fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables.  View the guide. SNAP-ED and School Gardens Webinar  Check out USDA’s one-hour webinar to learn more about starting a school garden, integrating nutrition education, and evaluating your efforts. Watch the recording. Farm to School Activities and Student Outcomes: A Systematic Review Results from farm to school activity studies consistently show positive impacts on food and nutrition-related knowledge. This literature review looks at multiple farm to school studies to understand how students have been impacted by farm to school activities. Read more. Opportunities Teaching Gardens Network Grant Program Deadline: October 11 Check out the 2019-20 American Heart Association Teaching Gardens Network Grant program applications to support school gardens. Grants of $2500 will be awarded to support new or established school garden programs working to connect children to gardens and supporting health, nutrition, and the environment. Learn more and apply. Whole Kids Foundation Grants for School Gardens, Bees, and Salad Bars Deadline: October 15 The Whole Kids Foundation offers opportunities to connect kids to food through their grant programs. Applications for the Garden Grant Program and Bee Grant are due October 15, but you can apply for Salad Bar grants year-round! Learn more. Budding Botanist Grant Deadline: November 8 The Budding Botanist Grant from the Klorane Botanical Foundation helps students learn about plants, explore their world, and inspire them to take care of the life they discover in their local ecosystems. In early 2020, grants will be awarded to schools across the United States. Learn more and apply. Roundup of Fall Funding Opportunities The National Farm to School Network has compiled a list of currently available grant and funding opportunities that schools, ECE sites, and nonprofits may be eligible to receive. Explore the list. About Michigan Farm to School Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. We share ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts, from school garden programming to farmer visits and field trips. Visit mifarmtoschool.msu.edu >> FOODSYSTEMS.MSU.EDU ‌ ‌ ‌ You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MIFARMTOSCHOOL listserv. Please note that if you unsubscribe from this mailing, you will be removed from the listserv as well.

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