By Bryant Sanders, Development Associate

March is National Nutrition Month, a time to promote nutrition education and bring attention to the importance of making informed food choices. In celebration, we interviewed Maggie Michaels, founder of The Curriculum of Cuisine, in Portland, Ore. to discuss her innovate approach for integrating nutrition education into high school classrooms.

What is The Curriculum of Cuisine?
The Curriculum of Cuisine is a program that works at crossroads of culinary education, standards driven academic rigor, career development and food justice. Our mission is to support rigorous academic learning while delivering essential culinary skills to enhance student success and foster a lifetime of wellness. We provide basic culinary education to students without the expense of a school needing to add an elective class or create a specialized classroom. By providing culinary supplies and a chef, The Curriculum of Cuisine turns classroom spaces into basic kitchens for hands-on learning.

Links between health and academic achievement are unquestionable, so this program addresses the critical community needs of improving both youth wellness and academic achievement by placing culinary skills on par with academic rigor during the school day.

Why is it important that students receive nutrition education in the classroom?
Basic cooking techniques are fundamental to both wellness and food justice, so The Curriculum of Cuisine ensures more youth acquire these skills by teaching them within the context of the academic classes that are required for graduation. In addition to engaging learners and reinforcing academic standards, the culinary skills taught through our program become cornerstones for students to achieve a lifetime of healthy eating habits and personal wellness.

What does the curriculum look like in practice?
There is no “canned” curriculum, so a certified teacher and culinary professional have the opportunity to craft a series of lessons to reflect the unique learning styles, cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic situations of their students.

For example, this spring we’re partnering with a Natural Sciences teacher at Alliance High School-Meek in Portland, Ore. We’re bringing a chef into two of the teacher’s classes for six visits each. Along with learning essential culinary skills, students will be focused on learning about food security issues in low incomes neighborhoods; using permaculture design principles to grow food with maximum benefits to ecosystems and minimal negative impacts to the planet; and exploring career pathways to becoming chefs.

What makes this approach to nutrition education unique?
Our program model – bringing chefs into the classes students are already need to graduate – means we can meet students, teachers, and schools right where they are. This spring we’re working with four different high schools, and it's almost as if there are four different programs being planned. All of them will deliver hands on learning for students, but each is a  unique reflection of  the chef-teacher partnership, the cultural capital of students, and the school. Every initiative of The Curriculum of Cuisine has its own flavor, and that is very cool!

Learn more about The Curriculum of Cuisine through their website, Facebook page and blog. To explore more ideas for integrating nutrition education into classroom curriculum, visit our resource library.

This blog was written by the local hosts of the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, Community GroundWorks, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Learn more about them here.

Credit: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

As the local hosts of the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, we are thrilled to welcome you to Madison, Wis. this June for a national gathering of local food leaders, community health professionals and sustainable agriculture advocates working to change the culture of food and agricultural literacy across America.

As a largely rural state, ensuring the economic viability of agriculture has always been a priority in Wisconsin. While historically our farmers have been invested in dairy and vegetable processing (canning), Wisconsin’s current agricultural landscape includes many small and medium-sized diversified farms that increasingly support local food markets. This strengthening of our local food system, and the diverse partnerships that are helping make it happen, exemplify the opportunities and benefits of the farm to cafeteria movement.  

At the center of this vibrant agriculture scene is Madison. In addition to being a hub for local food across the state, Madison was also home to Wisconsin's first coordinated farm to school program in 2003, called the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Program with the Madison Metropolitan School District. Since then, the farm to school movement has grown rapidly across the state, with more than 55 percent of all K-12 schools engaging in farm to school activities.

Our state has grown well beyond farm to school, though. In recent years, Wisconsin has seen significant expansion of farm to hospital, farm to college and university, and farm to early care and education activities. “The growth of farm to cafeteria in these sectors has been made possible by strong partnerships across the state,” says Sarah Elliott, Director of Wisconsin Farm to School at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. In fact, it’s these collaborative and innovative partnerships that have inspired this year’s conference theme, Moving Forward Together.

With its bountiful school and community gardens, bustling farmers’ markets, and delicious restaurants, Madison is the perfect location for the conference. “We’re sure attendees will fall in love with Madison,” says Beth Hanna, Training and Outreach Specialist for the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative at Community GroundWorks. “It's a great representation of what a strong farm to cafeteria effort can look like. We have great people, good food, and plenty of opportunities to bring those two things together.”  

In addition to sampling local foods at Madison’s restaurants, exploring Lake Monona and Lake Mendota, and visiting the nation’s largest producer-only farmers’ market, conference attendees will be able to immerse themselves in the city’s farm to cafeteria hotspots during hands-on field trips. “Whether you tour the food production center that preps schools meals or the hospitals making local, healthy food a priority, we are confident attendees will be inspired by the local food efforts powering Wisconsin’s farm to cafeteria movement, ” says Hanna.

“We feel lucky to live among such lively and passionate farmers, food service directors, and advocates for local and regional foods,” says Vanessa Herald, Farm to School Outreach Specialist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison - Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. “There is genuine enthusiasm for the farm to cafeteria movement here, and we can’t wait to share it with conference attendees.”

And share we will! The unique flavors of Madison and Wisconsin will be included in every aspect of the conference, from the menu to the Local Food Reception to the local plenary. But at our core, we’re most excited to highlight the inspired work of our dedicated state and regional farm to cafeteria partners. “The best part about strong farm to cafeteria relationships is that we love to see our partners succeed, and we want to keep lifting up their stories,” Herald says. “We’re so excited for the chance to do that through the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference.”

Come join us in Madison, June 2-4, for three exciting days of skill-building workshops, short courses, lightning talks, keynotes, networking opportunities and a taste of Wisconsin’s vibrant local food scene to help you bring home real food solutions to your community. We look forward to seeing you there!

REGISTER NOWRegistration for the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is now open. The last conference sold out before registration closed, so secure your spot today! Find more information about the conference program, venue, scholarships and registration at farmtocafeteriaconference.org.

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By Nora Jungbluth, Programs Intern

Photo credit: Jason Van Haverbeke

Although the ground is still covered in snow and the spring thaw feels distant, students and staff at Bald Eagle Area School District in Pennsylvania are busy preparing for an exciting (and tasty) new project. As a recipient of a Seed Change mini grant, the school district is ramping up its farm to school efforts with a unique “Chicken and Corn to Cafeteria” initiative. Starting this spring, students will be involved in every step of bringing chicken from eggshell to table.

With support from the grant, the district plans to build its agricultural program, with a twist: raising chickens and growing sweet corn to prepare a large batch of chicken and corn chowder to feed students and the wider community.

While teachers and staff have been preparing for the project for months – such as attending a farm to school training last fall with other Seed Change grant recipients – student involvement has recently taken off as the project has been integrated into classroom curriculum. Over the past few weeks, students have been preparing for the arrival of 40 fertilized eggs that will be hatched and raised to adulthood on the school grounds this spring.

When the eggs arrive, kindergarten students will be responsible for watching over the incubators until the eggs hatch. This lesson in caring for the eggs will be integrated into their science curriculum, teaching them the process of hatching eggs and identifying the conditions young chicks need to live and grow.

Middle and high school students in the woodshop and agriculture classes have been constructing brooder boxes that will keep the newly hatched chicks warm and cozy in their infant stage. The classes are also designing and constructing a hen house for when the chicks grow larger. Later this spring, after the birds have grown to full size, both the agriculture and family and consumer science classes will be directly involved in butchering and processing the chickens for chowder.

While the project initially intended for student to grow their own corn for the chowder, an unusually wet summer prevented them from having a successful growing season. Therefore, corn was purchased from a nearby farmer, which family and consumer science classes processed and froze to be used in the chowder later this spring. Currently, the students are researching chicken corn chowder recipes, testing different methods of preparing soup, as well as learning about ways of processing and storing chicken and corn.

Once the chicken corn chowder is made, the district plans to sell the soup as a fundraiser to fund the project’s continuation next year. In this way, they hope the project will become a self-sustaining school tradition.

“Innovative projects like this have a significant impact on entire communities,” says Kelsey Porter, Pennsylvania’s Seed Change state coordinator. “Students are engaging in agriculture in new and exciting ways, teachers are utilizing new tools in the classroom, and communities are renewing their excitement about local food.”  

Learn more about our Seed Change initiative and how we're growing farm to school state by state here.

Seed Change in Kentucky, Louisiana and Pennsylvania is made possible by a generous grant from the Walmart Foundation, which shares the National Farm to School Network’s commitment to improving child and community healthy through innovative partnerships.

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Guest post by Lisa Ellis-Veraza, Salud America!

Salud America! The RWJF Reach Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children has worked since 2007 to increase evidence and policy recommendations to prevent Latino childhood obesity. The 50,000 member network includes researchers, community leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders working together to increase advocacy support and the number of Latino advocates seeking policy solutions to combat childhood obesity. See Salud America!’s research here.

High school students in El Paso aren’t only learning how to grow fruits and vegetables, they’re learning how to prepare and sell them, too. (Photo credit: Ana Suffle)

Healthy school food is a key component of growing a healthier next generation. But offering nutritious food in schools is particularly vital for our growing population of Latino students, who face higher risks of obesity and diabetes than their peers.

According to a new research review from Salud America! The RWJF Reach Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, Latino students are more frequently exposed to unhealthy foods in their school and neighborhood environments than their white peers. The review indicates when a school’s proximity to fast food increased, so did Latino students’ body mass index. It also suggests that Latino-majority schools tend to have weaker policies regarding school snacks and drinks, and may be less likely to implement nutritional guidelines.

This situation has dire health consequences, as it is expected 30 percent of the U.S. student population will be Latino by 2030. If obesity remains unchecked, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one of every two Latino children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. So how can we ensure healthier food environments for Latino kids?

Let’s consider school food! Most students, including Latinos, consume up to half of their daily calories at schools, and the nutritional value of the foods and beverages available at schools play a major role in influencing students’ diets and weight. School policies that reduce access to sugary snacks and drinks are likely to reduce Latino students’ consumption of unhealthy items during the school day, and positively impact student weight trends.

Michaelie Love advocated for a healthy breakfast cart at her high school in Texas.

There are many things that can be done to help drive wellness policy and system changes like these at schools. For example, student Praxina Guerra and her mentor, Cathy Lopez, advocated for hydration stations across their school’s campus in order to encourage students to drink more water and less sugary beverages. In Texas, student Michaelie Love worked in her school to offer up a healthy breakfast cart for fresh food options in the morning, and Cecil Whisenton brought healthier vending machines to her Latino-majority high school.

Farm to school initiatives can also create healthy food environments. For example, see how high school student Elena Dennis's summer school cooking camp in California brought students to local farms and taught them how to make healthy meals from scratch. Programs like Elena’s “Camp Cauliflower” are teaching kids how to grow, cook and enjoy nutritious food, planting the seeds of healthy habits for a lifetime.

We also know students are more likely to consume fruits and vegetables when schools offer opportunities to learn in school gardens. Watch how Bowie High School’s garden in largely Latino El Paso, Texas, helped the whole community learn about healthy foods in a culturally relevant way. Or, see how teacher Lonnie Schlerandi started a school garden in Austin, Texas, that inspired students to get involved in growing produce and distributing it to school and community members.

So how can you get involved in helping create healthy food environments for Latino children? Salud America! has created an online haven for healthy change where you can become a Salud Leader and share your story, learn what changes are happening in your area, be inspired by educational videos, access research and policy briefs, sign petitions and more.

Best of all, all of our content can be shared using social media – a primary way Latinos access health information. Once you register to be a part our network, you can access free community health reports, maps, videos, policy updates and more to drive change for Latino childhood obesity prevention. Join us, and together we can help unite the Latino voice for childhood health!

Earlier this week, we joined Salud America for a tweetchat about ways to create healthier school environment for Latino kids. See a full recap of the conversation here

  Watch Senator John Thune’s (R-SD) remarks on the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016 at the Senate Agriculture Committee business meeting.

This morning, the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously approved their version of the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR). The bipartisan bill, Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016, is a big victory for the farm to school movement, with all priority policy pieces recommended in the Farm to School Act of 2015 included.

Under the bill, funding for the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is doubled from $5 million to $10 million per year, helping schools across the country increase their local food purchases and expand food and agriculture education. The bill also increases the ability for tribal schools and feeding programs to serve culturally significant foods and increase the scope of the USDA Farm to School Program to include early care and education centers, summer food service program sites and after school programs. You can find a full summary of the bill markups here.

During the brief committee business meeting, farm to school was mentioned by Senators on both sides of the aisle. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), champion of the Farm to School Act of 2015, commented, “Farm to school programs offer support to farmers and local economies, while teaching kids about nutritious foods and where they come from. The program has helped schools across the country meet nutrition standards by offering children local, fresh produce that tastes great.”

Senator John Thune (R-SD) focused his comments on the benefits to Indian Country, noting that tribal leaders “have expressed their deep desire to make traditional foods integral parts of their nutrition programs” and that “farm to school programs have proven to be successful in providing greater access to locally grown and culturally significant foods to students in South Dakota.”

This exciting progress in the Senate Agriculture Committee is the first of many steps in the reauthorization process. With the committee markup completed, the bill will now be sent to the Senate floor for final debate. The exact timing for the Senate floor debate is not yet known, but the bill is widely expected to pass without major difficulty. The House of Representatives must then work through its own version of the bill. See this handy flowchart to follow along with the process.

We need your help to keep the momentum going!

If you have a Senator in the Senate Agriculture Committee (check here), thank them for their fantastic work so far. Share this message and/or graphic on social media: Thank you @(insert Senator here) for your bipartisan support of healthy kids & #farmtoschool in #CNR2016 bill!

If your Member of Congress  is not on the committee, let them know you want to see a CNR with strong support for farm to school programs brought to the Senate floor for passage. Share this message and/or graphic on social media: We need a strong CNR with #farmtoschool to grow healthy kids. @(insert Senator here), bring #CNR2016 to the Senate floor!

Thank you to everyone that has lent their voices to CNR so far. This victory is a direct result of your advocacy efforts and hard work to demonstrate the importance of farm to school to Congress. Thank you!

By Anna Mullen, Digital Media Associate

Garden signs at Cherokee Central Schools. (Credit: Cherokee Central Schools)

From school gardens and farm visits, to Harvest of the Month initiatives and local food taste tests, farm to school activities are adaptable to every educational setting. That’s what makes farm to school exciting – the opportunities are endless!

In Western North Carolina, Cherokee Central Schools use farm to school practices to engage students in healthy eating while connecting them to Native culture. Serving 1,250 elementary, middle and high school students from the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, the school district integrates Cherokee culture into all aspect of learning – and the cafeteria is no exception.

For several years, Janette Broda, the district’s Child Nutrition Director, has worked to include locally grown foods in school meals. With the addition of two FoodCorps service members and a USDA Farm to School Grant in 2014, the district expanded their farm to school activities. Local foods like apples, cabbage and romaine lettuce have become staples on the lunch menu, the campus’s nine raised garden beds have been expanded to 22, and a campus greenhouse hydroponic system has been added.  

With support from the National Farm to School Network, Broda and FoodCorps service members Katie Rainwater and Alison Villa have further connected students to their Native heritage through farm to school activities. In the garden, they’ve planted traditional Cherokee crops with edible, medicinal and craft uses, like corn varieties with hard seeds that can be used for making jewelry. Many of the heirloom crops grown in the garden came from seeds handed down by generations of local Cherokee farmers, which students have marked with colorful signs that label the plants in both Cherokee and English.  

Students create garden signs and posters. (Credit: Cherokee Central Schools)

In the cafeteria, the team coordinated with the middle school art class to create a mural that depicts the four seasons and highlights traditional Cherokee foods. They’ve also purchased posters featuring seasonal produce labeled in Cherokee and English to be featured in all three school cafeterias.

For the classroom, a farm to school resource library has been developed for teachers. The library includes nutrition education materials, study guides and resources to help create comprehensive lesson plans that integrate farm to school principles into classroom curriculum. For example, the 5th grade science class recently conducted a compost trail test to project how much their landfill waste could be reduced by composting cafeteria food scraps.

Two newly purchased mobile kitchens with induction stoves, blenders and cooking tools are also getting good use. Katie and Allison move these pop-up cooking stations between classrooms and the school greenhouse, where students learn to transform freshly harvested vegetables into delicious snacks, like salads, pesto and smoothies. The team is now developing a food safety plan and working towards GAP certification so garden produce can be harvested and served directly in school meals.

At Cherokee Central Schools, farm to school not only get kids excited about fresh, healthy food, but creatively connects students to their Native heritage. From the school garden to art class, and the cafeteria to science lessons, these farm to school activities are planting the seeds of a vibrant, healthy future.

By Natalie Talis, Policy Associate

Top Left: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) speaks at the Farm to School Month reception on Capitol Hill; Botton Left: Farm to school advocates gather in Washington, D.C. in April for a day of action; Bottom Right: Donna Martin, Jason Grimm, Karra Hartog, and Jim Stone testify at a House briefing on the Farm to School Act of 2015.

It’s been a busy year for policy in the farm to school world! Developments in federal, state and local policy have advanced opportunities for the expansion of farm to school activities, while also creating new legislative champions and advocates. Join us in celebrating our 2015 policy successes, and see what’s on deck in 2016:

Federal Policy in 2015

• Farm to School Act of 2015: The Farm to School Act of 2015 was introduced in February with bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. We partnered with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition to build Congressional support for this marker bill, which currently boasts 44 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and nine cosponsors in the Senate.
• Spotlight on farm to school: The benefits and successes of farm to school were mentioned at multiple congressional hearings on the Child Nutrition Act (see here and here). This reaffirms that Members of Congress are hearing from their constituents about the benefits of farm to school in their communities.
• Partnership with USDA: We collected feedback and worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide input on the new Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. This pilot is a great new opportunity for schools to expand local purchasing of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Support from Members of Congress: National Farm to School Month (October) was an exciting time for policy, with 442 advocates weighing-in on the Farm to School Big Day of Action and six Members of Congress taking to the House floor to celebrate the benefits of farm to school. The month ended with our first ever Capitol Hill reception, which hosted 120 guests, including Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Tim Ryan (D-OH) and USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon.

State Policy in 2015

• 2015 State Policy Report: We released our annual State Policy Report with new graphics, case studies and tools to help support our partners’ state advocacy work. As of the February 2015 report, over 40 states have farm to school related policies.
• New and strengthened state policies: Many states saw a flurry of policy activity in 2015. Multiple supportive bills passed in Louisiana, Hawaii and Oregon, while other states (like New Mexico) strengthened and expanded their existing farm to school programs.

Looking to 2016

• Child Nutrition Reauthorization: The Senate Agriculture Committee has said it will tackle Child Nutrition Reauthorization in early 2016. We remain optimistic that the Farm to School Act of 2015 will be included in this important bill.
• New priorities areas: The National Farm to School Network will make race and income equity priority policy areas in 2016 by branching into new federal policy territory, including health and education. We know that farm to school activities can positively impact kids in every zipcode, and we're working to level the playing field so everyone can take advantage of farm to school's benefits.
• Focus on state policy: Our annual State Policy Report will be released in fall 2016 with an expanded advocacy toolkit designed to guide those working on policy at the state level. We’ll dive even deeper into state policy by providing additional technical assistance and resources to further farm to school legislative and regulatory goals.

As the national policy leader for the farm to school movement, policy is at the core of what we do as a network. In celebrating our 2015 accomplishments, we have you, our network of members and supporters, to thank. Much of our policy success is credited to on the ground farm to school advocates willing to call, email, write letters and visit elected officials so that those in Washington, D.C. can see the importance of farm to school back home.

Here’s to 2015, a year of partnership for stronger farm to school policy, and to 2016 - a year destined for more farm to school success!

Help us continue our advocacy efforts by making an end of year, tax deductible donation today.

By Anna Mullen, Digital Media Associate

Happy (almost) New Year! Before jumping into 2016, we’ve been taking time to celebrate the success of the farm to school movement this past year. From national media covering the impact of the USDA Farm to School Program, to regional stories of communities transforming the way kids eat, 2015 was filled with great farm to school storytelling that has raised national consciousness around this common sense approach to child and community health.

So how did we pick these 10? We listened to you! All year we share farm to school news, articles, videos and blogs on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. These were the most liked, shared and clicked stories of the past twelve months:

• Advocating to Put Better Meals on School Children’s Plates: Twenty-three year old farmer Cliff Pilson takes great pride in selling his produce to local schools. That’s why he advocates for more federal funding for farm to school programs. (Carolina Farm Stewardship Association)
• Fresh From Farm to Schools - It Just Makes Sense: A USDA Farm to School Grant has changed everything in Dallas public schools, from the way kids are learning to what they’re eating for lunch. (Huffington Post, by American Heart Association)
• Healthy Eaters, Strong Minds: What School Gardens Teach Kids: From healthy eating habits to entrepreneurial skills, the benefits of school gardens have long-term payoffs for students. (NPR)
• Healthy Kids are Common Sense, Not a Trend: Thousands of communities across the country have experienced the significant impact farm to school initiatives have on creating a generation of healthy eaters. Here are three ways we know farm to school works. (National Farm to School Network)
• High Hopes for Farm to School Act of 2015: As the farm to school movement matures, conversation about Child Nutrition Reauthorization is not just about more funding for the USDA Farm to School Program. It’s about institutionalizing the presence of local food in schools, and how CNR can help that happen. (Inside School Food)
• How One Visionary Change School Food in Detroit: With a focus on healthier foods and local farms, National Farm to School Network Advisor Betti Wiggins has led Detroit kids through a food revolution. (Civil Eats)
• Making School Gardens Accessible: Unlike traditional classrooms, school gardens help level the playing field for students by empowering everyone to contribute to the process of growing food from seed to harvest. (National Farm to School Network)
• More Students are Eating Locally Sourced Food: New federal data from USDA indicates students in public schools are eating healthier cafeteria meals made from an increasing array of locally sourced food. (The Atlantic)
• More Than Lunch: The Academic Benefits of Farm to School: We know farm to school activities are an effective approach for encouraging kids to try healthy foods, but what are the benefits of farm to school in the classroom? The short answer: there are many! (National Farm to School Network, by New Jersey State Lead)
• 6 Food and Farming Stories From Native Communities: Native American communities are connecting to their roots through food, farming and education. Here are six stories of what’s working. (Civil Eats)

Storytelling is an incredibly effective tool for policy action, spreading awareness and building support for the farm to school movement. We are proud to help elevate stories like these year-round, and share the ways that farm to school is a win for kids, farmers and communities in every corner of the country.

Help us continue to share these success stories and case studies with policymakers, change makers and communities across the country by making an end of year gift to the National Farm to School Network. Your support makes it possible for us to continue this important work and keep farm to school in the spotlight.

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