November News Bites

 

Greetings!

 

Here are the latest Farm to School news bites:

 

NEWS

 

Sponsored by the Michigan Nutrition Network, Michigan State University Extension and the C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at MSU, the Michigan Junior Chef Competition was held at Michigan State University (MSU) in September to promote healthy eating and Michigan foods. A competition summary and Flash slideshow are now posted online at the MNN website. The recipes from the student-designed school lunch meals and a short video of the competition are coming soon!  

 

“Small distributors focus on getting local produce to state’s restaurants, schools and grocery stores” Check out this story from the Detroit Free Press about Locavore Food Distributors based at Detroit Eastern Market. Locavore works with a number of schools in Michigan and Chicago to help get local produce into school meals programs!

 

“Minnesota farm to school efforts catch eye of USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan: School districts around the state embracing Farm to School program” USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan toured St. Paul Schools’ commissary to get a look at the district’s Farm to School program. St. Paul Public Schools purchased over 100,000 pounds of local produce in just the first few weeks of the school year! Read the attached PDF press release, and check out this related story - “USDA: St. Paul Public Schools ‘Pioneers’ in Farm-to-School Programs.”

 

“Local high schoolers cooking up change for their cafeterias” 15 Chicago public high schools competed in Cooking Up Change, a healthy cooking contest which challenged teams to create nutritious school lunches on a tight budget with limited ingredients and prep work. Check out a video about the competition!

 

“Spotlight on Food Service: Chartwells' Bob Bloomer redefines "fresh" for Chicago Public Schools” Bob Bloomer, regional Vice President with Chartwells in Chicago, is working with farmers and processors to extend availability of local products through flash-freezing.

 

“Vilsack still backs nutrition funding” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reaffirmed the administration’s plans to ask Congress for an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program.

 

“USDA Backs Rewarding Schools Serving Healthy Foods” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that schools that serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to pupils should see higher federal support rates than those serving meals that are less healthy.

 

 

 

EVENTS

 

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo

December 8-10, 2009

DeVos Place Convention Center and Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI

Check out the website for more info.

 

Farm To School Workshop for Farmers

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 from 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.

Kent County Extension Office

Grand Rapids, MI

Please find the brochure and registration form attached in PDF format. Please register by December 4.

For more information, contact Kendra Wills, Land Use Educator, at (616) 336-2028.

 

Green Initiatives in School Wellness Webinar

Sponsored by the USDA Food & Nutrition Service, Midwest Region

Tuesday, December 15th from 2 PM – 3:30 PM CST

Participation is free, but registration is required by Friday, December 11th.

Click here to register: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g417fb

See attached flyer for more information! 

 

2009 Michigan Family Farms Conference

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Lakeview High School, Battle Creek, MI

See the brochure at the MIFFS website

 

Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference

Saturday, January 30, 2009 with keynote speaker, Melissa Hemmelgarn, on Friday, January 29th

Grayling High School in Grayling, MI

Find more information on the conference website.

 

Choices 2010, Collaboration: There's Room at the Table 

Wednesday, March 10 -11, 2010 in East Lansing, Michigan. 

Registration opens Jan. 11, 2010 

For more information, visit http://web7.anr.msu.edu/choices/Home.aspx

 

Farm to School: Setting the Table for Wellness

Sponsored by the Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI)

Monday, March 15, 2010 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, MI. 

For conference info visit localdifference.org/farmtoschool

See Save the Date attached for more event information!  

 

 

RESOURCES 

 

CFSC’s National Farm to College Program is happy to announce that they have redesigned their website,www.farmtocollege.org.  The site is a clearinghouse of resources and information for both new and existing farm to college projects with profiles of 140 projects from around the country.

Happy Thanksgiving,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

New guidance from USDA on Geographic Preference for "Unprocessed Products"

Hi all,

I have good news to share!

 

The USDA has revised the definition of “unprocessed products” that may be purchased by schools with geographic preference (which means that school food service directors can specify for and “prefer” locally-grown or –raised agricultural products in their procurement processes). As the attached memo explains, unprocessed products which “retain their inherent character” may now include those products that have been cooled, refrigerated, frozen, peeled, sliced, diced, cut, chopped, shucked, ground, dried/dehydrated, washed, cold pasteurized, vacuum packed, bagged, butchered, and pasteurized. This greatly expands the opportunities to get local products in usable forms for school food service!

 

The definition of unprocessed products in this memo will be effective until the final rule is drafted. I’ll be sure to share that with you when I get notice of it.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

FW: Meet the Specialty Food Producers Meet & Greet Event - Nov 11th

Greetings all,

This is just a reminder to register for this Meet the Specialty Food Producers Meet & Greet at the Making It in Michigan Conference sponsored by the MSU Product Center. The Marketplace and Meet & Greet are free of charge! Please RSVP to me by this Friday, November 6^th. (Apologies for cross-posting!)

 

Best,

Colleen

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all,

Please see a notice below and attached flyer for details on an up-coming Meet & Greet event designed to introduce Michigan institutional food service directors and buyers from colleges/universities, hospitals, K-12 schools, etc. to clients of the MSU Product Center, who produce Michigan specialty foods. Please feel free to pass this along to any institutional food service contacts you may have.

 

Thanks,

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

 

 

MEET THE SPECIALTY FOOD PRODUCERS!

 

This Meet & Greet event will give Michigan institutional food service directors

and buyers a chance to meet clients of

 the MSU Product Center who produce Michigan specialty food products.

 

  If you are an institutional food service director or buyer

 who is ready to incorporate locally-produced specialty food

products into your institution’s menus,

join us for this event and get connected!

 

Where: Making It In Michigan Conference

Sponsored by the MSU Product Center

Exhibit Hall at the Lansing Center
333 E Michigan Ave Lansing, MI 48933

 

When: Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

1-2:30 pm during the “General Marketplace”

 

Please RSVP to Colleen Matts at matts@msu.edu or 517.432.0310 by Friday, November 6th if you plan to attend.

The Marketplace and the Meet & Greet event are free of charge.

 

For more conference information and vendors, please see www.makingitinmichigan.msu.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

FW: Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan to Host 2nd 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' Facebook Chat on Nov. 5

Hi all,
Please see the notice below about the second Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food chat which will focus on Farm to School!

Best,
Colleen

________________________________________
From: Barham, James [James.Barham@ams.usda.gov]
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 8:06 AM
To: COMFOOD@elist.tufts.edu
Subject: [COMFOOD:] Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan to Host 2nd 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' Facebook Chat on Nov. 5

AGRICULTURE DEPUTY SECRETARY MERRIGAN TO HOST 2ND 'KNOW YOUR FARMER,
KNOW YOUR FOOD' FACEBOOK CHAT ON NOV. 5

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2009 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen
Merrigan will host her second Facebook chat about the 'Know Your
Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. The
topic of this chat will be farm to school, which involves getting and
using fresh produce and other farm products from local and regional
farmers for use in local schools. The effort not only supports
increasing economic opportunities for local farmers but also helps
school children make healthy food choices.

The 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need
for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and
consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for
increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to promote
local foods.

Merrigan hosted her first Facebook chat on the initiative on Oct. 1.
Questions were submitted from people across the nation about beginning
farmer and rancher programs, interest in school nutrition, food safety
and supporting local and regional food systems. During the 30 minute
session, more than 115 questions and comments were submitted.

Details are available at www.usda.gov/live and people can submit a
question in advance of the chat or watch the conversation on the USDA
website.

The website, at www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer, features social media tools
to help focus the public conversation about farming and food, while
engaging American agriculture and linking producers to customers. The
public will be able to send their stories, ideas or videos to the 'Know
Your Farmer, Know Your Food' team at knowyourfarmer@usda.gov . The
public can become a fan of USDA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USDA.

#

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a
complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil
Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or
call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
USDA News
oc.news@usda.gov
202 720-4623

Farm to School News

Greetings all,

Here are the latest Farm to School news bites:

NEWS

 “New School Meals Nutrition Requirements Recommended ” School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, a new report by the Institute of Medicine, recommends new nutrient targets and standards for menu planning that would bring school meals in line with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Dietary Reference Intakes to replace the outdated 1995 nutrition standards.

 

“Kids Eat Few Fruits, Veggies” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published findings that fewer than 10% of U.S. high school students are eating the combined recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables.

As the current Child Nutrition Act is up for reauthorization next year, the One Tray coalition is aiming to increase the number of Farm to School programs by demanding mandatory federal funding through this reauthorization.

“Food Fit for Kids” As Americans are further removed from the sources of their food, the importance of Farm to School is increasing dramatically as children in this generation are having to face more cases of obesity and diabetes from poor food choices. Check out this article from Michigan Country Lines, which features Michigan Farm to School!

 “Fixing Lunch” See how Tony Geraci, the food-service director for Baltimore Public Schools, and other school food-service directors around the nation are managing to get healthier and local choices into school cafeterias.

“American Meat Institute Discusses Meatless Mondays” Listen to this related radio about Baltimore Public Schools and Baltimore Public School officials' decision to move to "Meatless Mondays”.

“Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb” Marion Kalb, Program Director of the Farm to School program, part of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), talks about the benefits to school kids, farmers, and rural communities when fresh, and local food is brought into the school lunch program for K-12 kids. Check out the video!

“Vermont FEED receives $476,000 from the Centers for Disease Control to Advance Farm to School programs encouraging Healthy Food Choices” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was instrumental in securing this funding that comes after a recent U.S. government study released showing that most Americans don't eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.

.

RESOURCES

The University of California, Berkeley has created a Nutrition Education in School Food Service Tool Kit that aims to take advantage of the potential of school food service settings to positively influence children’s eating – both at school and at home. Check it out! 

Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability by Michael K. Stone from the Center for Ecoliteracy portrays the growing sustainability movement in K-12 education, showcasing inspiring stories of public, independent, and charter schools across the country. Click here to learn more about the book!

http://www.kidsgardening.com/ offers many great tools at for teachers and parents regarding youth gardening.  The “Classroom Exchange” portion of the website is a place where people can go and post information about what their school is doing but also ask for help.

“Begin Farming Ohio Website Launched to Assist Beginning Farmers” For the first time Ohio's new and beginning farmers have an entire website dedicated to their unique information needs and designed to make it easier for them to find the services and resources they seek.

 

EVENTS

2009 Michigan Community and School Gardener Networking Meeting

When: Saturday, November 7th, 2009 from 10 am to 5 pm

Location: Eastern Michigan University's College of Business in Ypsilanti, MI (300 W. Michigan Ave, Gary Owen Building, Ypsilanti, MI 48197)

What: CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU, Greening of Detroit, Growing Hope, Garden Project, and Ruth Mott Foundation-Applewood invite you to discuss the innovative community gardening network currently taking place around Michigan and Northern Ohio and facilitate the development of communication and resource networks between groups. The day will include lunch, opportunities to learn, network and share experiences.

Event Information (PDF)

Directions

You can also RSVP for this event online or by phone to Anne Scott at (517) 353-0751.

If you are interested in assisting to plan, facilitate, or present at this event, please email directly to communityschoolgardeners@gmail.com

 

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

 

Meet the Specialty Food Producers Meet & Greet Event - Nov 11th

 

Hi all,

Please see a notice below and attached flyer for details on an up-coming Meet & Greet event designed to introduce Michigan institutional food service directors and buyers from colleges/universities, hospitals, K-12 schools, etc. to clients of the MSU Product Center, who produce Michigan specialty foods. Please feel free to pass this along to any institutional food service contacts you may have.

 

Thanks,

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

 

 

MEET THE SPECIALTY FOOD PRODUCERS!

 

This Meet & Greet event will give Michigan institutional food service directors

and buyers a chance to meet clients of

 the MSU Product Center who produce Michigan specialty food products.

 

  If you are an institutional food service director or buyer

 who is ready to incorporate locally-produced specialty food

products into your institution’s menus,

join us for this event and get connected!

 

Where: Making It In Michigan Conference

Sponsored by the MSU Product Center

Exhibit Hall at the Lansing Center
333 E Michigan Ave Lansing, MI 48933

 

When: Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

1-2:30 pm during the “General Marketplace”

 

Please RSVP to Colleen Matts at matts@msu.edu or 517.432.0310 by Friday, November 6th if you plan to attend.

The Marketplace and the Meet & Greet event are free of charge.

 

For more conference information and vendors, please see www.makingitinmichigan.msu.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

Farm to School News

Greetings all,

Here are this month's Farm to School news bites:

NEWS

"Agriculture Secretary Supports Direct Certification as Way to Streamline School Meal Application Process" USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently told a children's health conference that he supports "direct certification" for child nutrition programs, which would remove paperwork barriers for children receiving free and reduced-price school meals.

"Free Breakfast Program Enters Second Year in Michigan School District" Belding School District in Michigan began offering free breakfast to all students last year and is continuing the program for a second year because the program has proved itself to be successful as students were more eager to learn in the mornings, fewer discipline problems among the students, and better attendance

"Michigan School District Offers Free Breakfast Wins School Breakfast Challenge"
Manton Consolidated Schools in Michigan won a silver award (and $2,500) from the state's Department of Education in recognition of student participation in the school breakfast program from their over 700% increase in breakfast attendance from average of 75 students in May 2008 to 570 students in May 2009.

"Students Say It Best: 'We Need Better School Food' " Check out this student made video calling for better food in schools!

"Lunch Ladies and School Lunch Programs" If you didn't catch it, check out this interview with Jean Ronnei, Director of Nutrition Services for the St. Paul (MN) Public Schools, on The Splendid Table radio program this past week.

 

EVENTS

This is a reminder to all Food Service Directors attending the up-coming School Nutrition Association of Michigan conference in Lansing: if you are interested and available to attend the tour of MSU's Student Organic Farm (SOF), please RSVP to matts@msu.edu by Thursday, October 15^th. Please include your name, your school or district name, and your email address. Before the tour, I will send details and directions by email to all that RSVP.

 

OPPORTUNITIES

The University of Minnesota Extension is looking for a full-time Farm to School Extension Coordinator. This position will provide facilitation, and statewide coordination, to leverage Farm to School-related efforts associated with the University of Minnesota Extension Family Development programs along with the University of Minnesota's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. Please see attachment for more the job description.

Hidden Valley Love Your Veggies Grant Program
This grant program seeks to increase access and consumption of fresh fruits and veggies in school lunchrooms.  Applicants must be an elementary school; $10,000 awards will be based on need, innovation, and sustainable impact. The deadline for applications is 11/6/2009.  For more info, go to www.loveyourveggies.com/guidelines.php.

 

Best,

Colleen Matts

Farm to School Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu