Thursday, October 3, 2024
Celebrate National Farm to School Month
October is National Farm to School month! Join communities across the country by celebrating nutrition education, school gardens, and local procurement! Everyone can participate. Consider planning a local food event and promoting your F2S activities via social media, newsletters or signage.
The National Farm to School Network has a resource guide to help plan and generate ideas. Explore UW-extension’s Harvest of the Month resources, or try a recipe that features local ingredients. For additional marketing materials to help promote our state’s local products, explore Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom, Wisconsin Grown + Raised. There are wonderful product fact sheets and a colorful map showing the different growing regions in Wisconsin. Share pictures, videos, stories and recipes showing how you celebrated by emailing DPIF2S@dpi.wi.gov!
Great Apple Crunch!
The Great Apple Crunch encourages healthy eating and supports farm to school (F2S) and other local food purchasing initiatives throughout the Midwest. It is an opportunity for K-12 schools, early care and education sites, hospitals, colleges and universities, farms, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations, local businesses, groups, and even households to “crunch” into a locally- sourced, Wisconsin apple. Held annually during F2S month in October, this year’s event will take place October 10, 2024. Crunch then or anytime during the month of October. Register Now!
If you are wondering where to buy local apples, check out the AmeriCorps’ Local Foods Database (LFD) for a list of local food producers that sell to schools by location. For your convenience, the Apple Crunch Logo has been added next to the list of producers in the LFD to make it easy to identify farms that produce apples in your area!
Schools may request a visit from F2S staff for help with taste testing during the Great Apple Crunch. Request a visit between October 1 and October 31, 2024, by emailing DPIF2S@dpi.wi.gov. F2S specialists will coordinate one or two school visits based on availability. These visits could include help preparing samples, handing out samples to students, and free F2S swag to use as incentives for kids who crunch!
New! Wisconsin Farm to School Recognition Program
The goal of this program is to gain recognition and celebrate your Farm to School (F2S) accomplishments. This will help showcase the amazing F2S work being done in your school building.
There are four levels of recognition with a bonus level for F2S champions! Recognition levels are awarded based on completion of activities in the three core areas of F2S: procurement, school gardens, and nutrition and agricultural education. Any Wisconsin school may register to participate using the Wisconsin Farm to School Recognition Program Sign-Up Form. Each school must sign-up individually and awards are given at the school level. There is no limit to the number of schools that can participate in one district.
The Wisconsin F2S Recognition Program will debut in October 2024 and run through May 2025 with award levels determined in May 2025. The four levels of recognition are: Broccoli Sprout School, Broccoli Seedling School, Broccoli Floret School and Broccoli Crown School. Once all levels have been achieved, a bonus level of Broccoli Flowering School will be available. Prizes will be awarded for each level of completion. Schools may continue building on their previous activities to “level up” starting June 2025 through the 2025-26 school year.
School Highlight- North Crawford School District
North Crawford School District was recently featured in an Article and Interview for The Midwest Farm Report. Director of Food Services, Jen Kapinus and her staff work hard to improve the quality of school meals by sourcing many products locally. North Crawford was a recipient of the recent Local Foods for Schools grant which provided funds specifically for unprocessed and minimally processed local food items. With widespread community involvement, and a commitment to agricultural education programs, they continue to grow their F2S footprint.
Farm Highlight-Ski Family Farms
AmeriCorps Farm to School members at the Howard Suamico School District worked with John at Ski Family Farms to procure 50 live turkeys. These turkeys provided nutritious and delicious protein to all 8 of their schools. Students enjoyed this fresh local protein in the form of soups and sandwiches! Click to view the short video “Turkeys Flock to School”. To view additional farm highlights from producers in the Local Foods Database, Click Here!
Available Grants
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF): Fruit Trees for Your Community-Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Funding available for nonprofits and public schools.
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city/state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries. Learn More and Apply Here.
For more open grants, visit the Grants Webpage, Farm to School section.
Connecting with Local Farmers
Connecting with local farmers from a school perspective can be a valuable way to enhance education, create a new supply of fresh local food products, support the local economy, collaborate with school gardening activities, and promote sustainability. There are several ways to establish and strengthen these connections that all stem from communication efforts including emails, text messages, paper letters in the mail, phone calls, physical visits, and by utilizing a great resource called the Local Foods Database from the AmeriCorps Farm to School Program.
The communications could start new relationships with local farmers and result in many benefits including, a new supply of fresh and seasonal produce for school meals which supports local agriculture and provides healthier meal options for students, field trips, farm visits via educational tours, farm-to-school programs, guest speakers and classroom engagements, collaborative projects, service learning opportunities, special events, grants and funding initiatives, and integrating farming into the school curriculum.
Field trips for students to visit local farms provide hands-on learning experiences about agriculture, animal husbandry, sustainable farming practices, gardening, crop rotation, or composting. Local produce in the cafeteria supports local agriculture and provides healthier meal options for students. Farmers could help design, plant, and maintain a school garden allowing the students to learn about growing food, and the produce can be used in the cafeteria.
Inviting farmers to speak in classrooms incorporating farming topics into the curriculum describing their work and the importance of agriculture and how farming impacts the community. Collaborating with local farmers and chefs to offer cooking classes that teach students how to prepare healthy meals using local ingredients has multiple benefits. Inviting farmers to speak in science classes, such as studying soil quality, plant biology, animal systems, agroecology, or ecosystems, and in business studies and economic courses teaching students about supply chains, the economics of local farming, and running an agricultural business is of enormous benefit.
By building these connections, schools can create mutually beneficial relationships with local farmers, enriching student learning and fostering a greater appreciation for agriculture and the environment.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
201 West Washington Avenue
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563
For questions about this information, contact Jeff Mallegni (608) 266-2364