Farm to School Programs Help Sow the Seeds for Healthy Kids

Today, more than 38,000 U.S. schools are serving their students fresh, local, healthy foods through farm to school programs, reported a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nationwide census. Farm to school programs connect school districts with farmers, ranchers and fisherman in their community to source items like fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, meat, and dairy, that are then served in the cafeteria. The specific goods depend on each school’s geographic region, and purchasing school food from these sources is helping stimulate local economies across the country. Schools get to determine their own definition of “local” – ranging from food grown within a certain number of miles of the school to sourced from anywhere within the state. (Learn more key facts about the local school food movement here.)

Students benefit from farm to school activities in many ways. Not only are they getting access to fresh, nutritious dishes in the cafeteria, but educators are also weaving lessons about agriculture into the classroom. Farmers visit the schools to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how food ends up on students’ plates, schools launch vegetable gardens so kids can dig into the growing process themselves, and some classes even take field trips to farms and ranches to get a first-hand look at the source of their lunches. These types of hands-on-learning opportunities make kids more invested in their food and more likely to consume the healthy options.

As mentioned above, last month the USDA surveyed 13,000 public schools to dive deeper into local, healthy school foods. Here are some of the key findings from the census:

• More than 21 million students nationwide are learning to make lifelong healthy eating choices thanks to farm to school programs.
• More than $354 million dollars spent on school food went back to local communities during the 2011-2012 academic year as a result of the partnerships with local farmers.
• 56% of schools plan to buy even more local fruits, veggies, dairy products, and herbs in the future.

Learn more about how three states are successfully teaching kids healthier habits through their farm to school programs:

Wyoming
Although the weather prevents many Wyoming schools from tending outdoor gardens, some districts have set up simple greenhouses where students learn how to grow vegetables indoors. There are now 100 of these greenhouses throughout the state, according to this Wyoming Tribute Eagle article. Students also take field trips to local farms and farmers stop by classrooms as guest speakers.

Massachusetts
A Massachusetts school district’s farm to school initiative is designating next February as “carrot month” because of students’ love of the orange veggie grown in their school gardens. The cafeterias in Mohawk Trail Regional Schools also serve local cauliflower, broccoli and peppers. Read the full Recorder article.

Wisconsin
Nearly 150 Wisconsin school districts serve local foods in their cafeterias and the schools even feature a different state-grown vegetable each month to boost kids’ excitement about eating the healthy options. October featured a “harvest medley” of carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes, according to a Beloit Daily News article.

If you’re interested exploring what farm to school can do for your school, the National Farm to School Network website has excellent tips to help you get started.

Does your school already participate in a farm to school program? Tell us about your successes and challenges on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments section below.