RECORDINGS: Trending Topics Webinar Archive

November 2019: Kids Win and Farms Win: What Do We Know About the Impacts of Farm to School -Recent research funded by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides interesting insights into the kids win and farms win impacts of farm to school efforts. This webinar features researchers from Colorado State University and University of Illinois, highlighting recent and ongoing research and important areas for future farm to school work. Watch recording here. Slides for this webinar are available here.

October 2019: Bring Farm to School to Life with Highbush Blueberries -Resources like the Highbush Blueberry Farm to School Playbook can be a great tool for helping schools of any size get kids excited about where their food comes from. On this webinar, Nutrition Consultant Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, leads a panel discussion with three school nutrition professionals who share easy and practical inspiration for schools looking to kickstart their farm to school programs with blueberries. This webinar was sponsored by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Watch recording here.

August 2019: State Local Purchasing Incentive Bills -Providing an increased meal reimbursement to schools and early care and education sites purchasing and serving local foods not only increases the amount of fresh, local foods in meal program, but can provide increased revenue streams for local producers. In this webinar, hear from key stakeholders about the passage and enactment of the MI Ten Cents a Meal Program and the New Mexico Grown Local Produce Grant. Watch recording here.

July 2019: Farm to Early Care and Education State Strategic Planning -Developing a farm to early care and education (ECE) state strategic plan can facilitate the coordinated growth, expansion, and institutionalization of farm to ECE across the state. In this webinar recording, hear from Nora Geary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erin Croom of Georgia Organics, and Caliste Chong of Alabama Smart Start about the development, implementation, and impacts of state farm to ECE strategic plans in their states. Watch recording here.

June 2019: Child Nutrition Reauthorization and Federal Policy Advocacy - How You Can Get Involved -The next Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) is at the forefront of food policy discussions in Washington. A diverse community of voices should be heard in policymaking, but do you find it challenging to get involved? This webinar features Chloe Marshall, National Farm to School Network Policy Specialist, and Sarah Hackney, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Grassroots Director, discussing CNR and how you can advocate with impact. Watch recording here.

May 2019: Farm to School and National Agriculture in the Classroom -In this webinar, hear from the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization about resources, information, and partnerships and learn from Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, NFSN Core Partner in Maine, about how Agriculture in the Classroom partnerships have expanded farm to school initiatives in their state. Watch recording here.

April 2019: Weigh In and Take Action: Gearing Up for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization -With the Farm Bill checked off of the Congressional to do list, policymakers plan to pick back up their efforts to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act. In this webinar, NFSN's Policy Team shares the latest updates, hears your ideas for what's needed most in a new bill, and gives ideas for how to get involved. Watch recording here.

March 2019: NFSN National Partner of the Year - Intertribal Agriculture Council - National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is excited to have the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) as it's 2019 National Partner of the Year. Through intentional programmatic and policy advocacy collaboration, resource sharing and cross-promotion, we aim to better connect NFSN and IAC members and continue growing farm to school in Native communities. This webinar shares more about IAC and NFSN's collaboration and how members can get involved in this work. Watch recording here.

February 2019: Farm to Early Care and Education in Family Child Care - Across the country, there are over 213,000 licensed family child care homes and nearly one quarter of all children spend time in family child care before they reach kindergarten. In this webinar, learn about new resources to support farm to ECE in family child care, hear about best practices from county and local level farm to ECE initiatives, and see inspiring examples of farm to ECE in family child care. Watch recording here.

January 2019: Youth Voice and Engagement in Farm to School - Engaging youth voice and leadership in farm to school initiatives is essential to advancing the movement and growing the next generation of food systems leaders. Hear from educators and students from urban, suburban, and rural communities as they share how they are innovatively promoting healthier and more just food systems in their schools and communities through farm to school. Watch recording here.

November 2018: NFSN Seed Change in Native Communities Cohort - In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this webinar featured partners from the National Farm to School Network's Seed Change in Native Communities project. Since 2017, the Seed Change project has helped to create dozens of school gardens in Native communities, put local and indigenous foods on the plates of hundreds of children, and supported the inspiring work of five school communities dedicated to expanding and sustaining farm to school programming for the next generation of Native youth. Watch a recording here.

October 2018: Results of the 2018 National Farm to Early Care and Education Survey - The National Farm to School Network, in partnership with Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, launched the 2018 National Survey of Early Care and Education Providers in the spring of 2018. Hear from the NFSN and MSU CRFS about the survey findings and learn how results can be used to promote farm to ECE in your state and community. Watch a recording here.

September 2018: State Farm to School Month Proclamations - In addition to the federal Congressional resolution NFSN championed in 2010 to establish October as National Farm to School Month, many states have passed resolutions declaring a Farm to School Week or Month. In this webinar, NFSN Core and Supporting Partners share how they: 1) advocated and obtained these proclamations, 2) used these farm to school weeks/months to celebrate farm to school, and 3) used these celebrations as a springboard for more farm to school policies. Watch a recording here.

August 2018: Indigenous Foods in Early Care and Education Settings - Join this webinar to hear from speakers from the National Farm to School Network, the Institute for Agriculture Trade and Policy, and the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and to learn about innovative practices and resources that support the inclusion of indigenous foods in ECE settings and in CACFP. Watch a recording here.

July 2018: Farm to Summer - The USDA's Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) anticipates providing more than 200 million free meals to children across the U.S. when school is out of session this summer. The seasonality and flexibility of SFSP create a perfect opportunity to highlight local products and incorporate food education. Join this webinar to learn about USDA farm to summer resources and hear from National Farm to School Network Core Partners about innovative farm to summer initiatives taking place across the country. This webinar is open to the public and will be recorded and archived for future viewing. Watch a recording here.

June 2018: State Farm to School Positions - State farm to school positions within state agencies and Extension offices offer vital leadership and support to further institutionalize the farm to school movement. Watch this webinar to learn about a new resource from the National Farm to School Network and hear from NFSN Core Partners in South Carolina, Missouri and Oregon as they share their practical steps to advancing state-supported positions. Watch a recording here.

May 2018: State Farm to School Networks - State farm to school networks are vital to the growth and institutionalization of farm to school through their state-level leadership and coordination and contributions to a nationwide movement. On this webinar, learn about a new resource from the National Farm to School Network that highlights network best practices, and hear from NFSN Core Partners who are leading the way in state network development. Watch a recording here.

April 2018: Family Engagement through Farm to Early Care and Education - Hear from the National Farm to School Network, the Farm to Family Project, and Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness about innovative programs that are leveraging farm to ECE as a key to family engagement and, in doing so, increasing healthy food access, healthy behaviors, and healthy relationships for children, families and communities. Watch a recording here.

March 2018: Engaging Farmers in Farm to School - In this webinar, hear from farm to school practitioners and farmers about innovative yet practical approaches to engaging farmers in a wide variety of farm to school activities and learn how this engagement contributes to kids, communities, and farmers winning through farm to school. Watch a recording here.

February 2018: Reducing Food Waste through Farm to School - In this webinar, USDA, D.C. Greens, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine talk about best practices and initiatives to help reduce food waste through farm to school. Watch a recording here.

January 2018: SNAP-Ed and Farm to School - Hear from practitioners from University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and other SNAP-Ed programs about the integration of farm to school in both direct education and policy, systems and environmental change SNAP-Ed initiatives. Watch a recording here.

December 2017: Youth Engagement in Farm to School - Farm to school initiatives across the country are changing the way young people view and consume fresh, local foods and interact with their community. This webinar focuses on youth engagement through farm to school and highlights unique approaches and initiatives to engage youth in their communities and food systems and empower youth to be leaders and active voices in the farm to school movement. Watch a recording here.

November 2017: Harvest of the Month - States across the country are developing Harvest of the Month programs including curriculum and resources to make it easier for schools, teachers, students and families to join in on farm to school fun. Hear from four different states about successful initiatives, best practices, and resources for developing or implementing Harvest of the Month in your school or across your state. Watch a recording here.

October 2017: Celebrating Farm to School Month State-By-State - October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections happening all over the country between children and local food. From taste tests in the cafeteria and nutrition education activities in the classroom, to farm visits and school garden harvest parties, school, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations in all 50 state and D.C. join in the celebrations. In this webinar, hear how states across the country are lifting up and celebrating National Farm to School Month this October. This webinar was generously supported by Co-Bank and is open to the public. Watch a recording here.

September 2017: Farm to School for Children with Special Needs - While farm to school offers abundant benefits for all children, we have learned from our partners that the core elements of farm to school – including hands on education, spending time in gardens, and cooking and tasting local food – offers additional benefits to students with special needs, supporting their learning and growth in many different environments. Watch a recording here.

August 2017: Farm to School in Native Communities - In partnership with numerous community leaders, the National Farm to School Network has been exploring opportunities to expand farm to school activities in Native communities. We’ve learned from our partners that with a community-based and multi-generational framework, farm to school can be a nexus of economic development, food sovereignty, health and nutrition, and cultural revitalization. In this webinar, learn about unique opportunities and challenges of farm to school in Native communities, and hear several examples of success from Native community leaders. Watch a recording here.

July 2017: Farm to School Partnerships with Your School Nutrition Association - On this webinar, hear examples and models from around the country of what partnership can look like at the state level. Guest speakers from the School Nutrition Association, Idaho State Dept. of Agriculture, New York School Nutrition Association, Northeast Organic Farmers Association Vermont, and the Mississippi Farm to School Network share their experiences. Watch a recording here.