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Senate Committee Adopts Ag Spending Bill
Published: Mon, Jul 26th, 2010
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House committee passes 'Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act'
by Krista Simmons
Published: Mon, Jul 26th, 2010
 On Thursday the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act" was passed by the House Education and Labor Committee, bringing the nation's kids one bite closer to the possibility of more nutritious meals. . read more >>

Field trips teach local children about food, farming and nutrition
Published: Thu, Jul 22nd, 2010
 Locally Delicious, a pending nonprofit group taking its name from a local cookbook, joined with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers recently, donating $400 each to ensure kids can visit a working farm this summer. The program, titled “Farm to Schoo.... read more >>

Schools learning to cook from scratch
by Marjorie Hernandez
Published: Mon, Jul 19th, 2010
 Some local school districts plan to shed the stigma of cafeteria food by revamping their menus and offering a variety of healthier fare in the coming school year, while others are taking it a step further by ditching packaged foods and reviving cooking fr.... read more >>

Child Nutrition with Farm to School Passes House Committee
Published: Fri, Jul 16th, 2010
 On Thursday, July 15, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the child nutrition reauthorization bill authored by Chairman George Miller (D-CA) (Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, H.R. 5504) by a vote of 32 -13 with Republicans Todd.... read more >>

Briefing addresses methods to combat growing prediabetes incidence
Published: Thu, Jul 15th, 2010
 Julie Paradis, administrator for food and nutrition services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, outlined the agency’s current and future efforts. She said the passing of a robust childhood nutrition act is needed to improve the health and well-being o.... read more >>

SNA Conference Opens with Guest from The White House
by Bill Bailey
Published: Tue, Jul 13th, 2010
 Chef Geraci talked about his experience with the Farm to School program. “It’s so important to connect kids to the origins of food,” Geraci said. In his Baltimore program he has students that plant, grow, harvest, cook and serve foods from a garden at Gre.... read more >>

Celebrity Chef and Army General Urge Congress to Fix School Lunch
by Christine Binder
Published: Tue, Jul 6th, 2010
 Most of the legislators present for a hearing on the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 seemed in favor of implementing Farm to School programs and removing junk food from schools. Those are great steps forward, but they’re only pa.... read more >>

A ripe market
by Renee Stern
Published: Fri, Jul 2nd, 2010
 Opportunities in the expanding school food markets are ripe for growers to explore. “This is the peak era,” says Anupama Joshi, program director for the National Farm to School Program in Los Angeles. “It’s all hit a tipping point.” <br/> <br/&g.... read more >>

Merrigan on Farm to School program
by Beverley Kreul
Published: Wed, Jun 16th, 2010
 The USDA is increasing its efforts to educate students about where their food comes from through the agency’s Farm to School educational program. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan says educating youth is the first step to educating the public. <.... read more >>

Farm-to-school project gets tons of strawberries to children
by Debbie Arrington
Published: Wed, Jun 16th, 2010
 The "eat local" movement has gone to school. Two healthy-living initiatives converged in Sacramento strawberry fields and school cafeterias last spring. Under an innovative new program, strawberries grown by local small family farms were .... read more >>

School Nutrition Explores Farm-to-School Programs
Published: Tue, Jun 15th, 2010
 Are you considering working to implement a farm-to-school program in your district? The June/July issue of School Nutrition, SNA’s award-winning flagship publication, walks you through the steps for deciding whether such a program is right for your school.... read more >>

Farm-to-school movement gains momentum
by Jeannette E. Warnert
Published: Mon, Jun 14th, 2010
 UC Davis is riding high on a swell of interest in changing the way American children eat. First lady Michelle Obama, celebrity chef Alice Waters and TV personality Jamie Oliver are behind the spiking popularity of a movement that has been quietly building.... read more >>

Michelle Obama's push to cut kids' obesity
by Neil Peirce
Published: Mon, Jun 14th, 2010
 Can we really slim down the next generation of Americans, help our school children shed the extra pounds that could spell lifetimes with high prospects of type 2 diabetes or heart problems? <br/> <br/> Michelle Obama is trying hard to reach .... read more >>

Congressman proposes $8 billion for child nutrition
by Jane Black
Published: Fri, Jun 11th, 2010
 Many advocates cheered the proposed increase in funding. The sustainable agriculture lobby cheered $50 million in mandatory funding for farm-to-school programs. The School Nutrition Association applauded the new professional standards for cafeteria worker.... read more >>

A model lunch
by Nancy Brands Ward
Published: Thu, Jun 10th, 2010
 School lunch has a bad rep. The phrase no doubt invokes memories of suspiciously gray-colored hot dogs, 2,000-calorie cinnamon rolls and nutrient-free vegetables, like ketchup, from your school days. But people involved in the one local Farm to School pro.... read more >>

Farm to School program puts focus on healthy eating
by Ashley Gebb
Published: Mon, Jun 7th, 2010
 School nutritionists, farmers and others in the agriculture industry have joined forces to make Farm to School a reality in Yuba County. They brainstormed this week about potential allies and barriers they will face if they push to feed students more loca.... read more >>

Will work for food? Try Food Corps
by Jane Black
Published: Mon, Jun 7th, 2010
 The problems with school food are well-established. There’s not enough money, not enough manpower and often not enough know-how to produce fresher, more healthful food. Now, a group of good-food advocates has a plan: Establish a national Food Corps to hel.... read more >>

The NEW Farmer
by Beverly & Sean Corvino
Published: Mon, Jun 7th, 2010
 The NEW Farmer's Voice short is a documentary of a young couple's desire to sucessfully work a family farm in Scotland, CT. Erica and Chris Andrews have received enthusiastic support from their neighbors for their diverse products. They are using the CSA .... read more >>

Bringing Better Food to Public Schools, One Farm at a Time
by Chi Ewusi
Published: Fri, May 28th, 2010
 At the last Farm to Cafeteria Conference held in Detroit, Michigan last week, keynote speaker Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Agriculture reassured America that the health of our children is a top priority. Obesity prevention is .... read more >>

Detroit hosts "Farm to Cafeteria" conference
by Associated Press
Published: Thu, May 27th, 2010
 This week's national "Farm to Cafeteria" conference in Detroit will include a look at area efforts to provide fresh, local food. The event titled "Taking Root" opens Monday and runs through Wednesday. It offers the chance for people.... read more >>

Last week's National Farm to School conference draws 700, showcases city's food system innovations
by Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Published: Thu, May 27th, 2010
 More than 700 food activists, farmers, school administrators and city officials packed the Renaissance Center from May 17 to 19 for the fifth annual National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Hosted by the National Farm to School Network, attendees were immer.... read more >>

Governor Signs Farm-to-School Bill
by Diana Haecker
Published: Thu, May 27th, 2010
 Governor Sean Parnell on Tuesday signed into law the Farm-to-School Act at Palmer High School. . read more >>

Rachel Ray
by Kerry Trueman
Published: Thu, May 27th, 2010
 A good article in the Huffington Post re Rachel Ray's support for better childhood nutrition in schools and her advocacy to Congress to support Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization legislation.. read more >>

Childhood Obesity Task Force Unveils Action Plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes and members of the Childhood Obesity Task Force to unveil the Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. In conjunction with.... read more >>

Willmar School Board raises lunch prices for ’10-11, talks about free breakfast program
by Linda Vanderwerf
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 The Willmar School Board has approved a nickel increase in the cost of students’ school meals for the 2010-11 school year. The increase, roughly $9 per student for the school year, came after a lengthy discussion at the board meeting Monday. One of the.... read more >>

Know someone smart, green and/or growing?
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 Gov. Martin O'Malley isn't done handing out the 2010 awards under the Smart, Green and Growing program, but he's already calling on residents to nominate next year's winners. Citizens can nominate their fellow citizens, local governments and organizat.... read more >>

Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has been an advocate for child nutrition programs for years, but Pennsylvania's s
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 Michelle Obama is the first lady who released childhood obesity action plan on Tuesday 11th may, 2010. In United States, the rate of childhood obesity has grown rapidly in recent years. There are plenty of data available that disclose the stunning fact th.... read more >>

Senators, Rachael Ray, first lady push for children's nutrition programs
by Daniel Malloy
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has been an advocate for child nutrition programs for years, but Pennsylvania's soft-spoken Democrat will be the first to admit he doesn't have star power. So when first lady Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Rachael Ray both held even.... read more >>

GSU professor finds link between obesity and federal school nutrition programs.
by Georgia State University
Published: Thu, May 13th, 2010
 With obesity becoming an epidemic among school-aged children in this country, a Georgia State University professor has found a link between overweight children and federal school nutrition programs.. read more >>

41 ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO FUND FARM TO SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM
by National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Published: Tue, May 11th, 2010
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Groups seek $50 million for farm to school programs
by Tom Karst
Published: Tue, May 11th, 2010
 More than 40 organizations are urging Congress to set aside $50 million in mandatory funding for farm to school programs as part of the reauthorization of child nutrition programs. . read more >>

U.S. schools add fresh food without busting budgets
by Lisa Baertlein
Published: Sun, May 9th, 2010
 Thousands of U.S. public school districts are teaming up with local farmers to put more fresh fruits and vegetables on lunchroom menus, without breaking budgets or getting any help from celebrity chefs.. read more >>

Introducing the Food Corps
by Paula Crossfield
Published: Wed, May 5th, 2010
 With one in three children (and one in two children of color) overweight or obese in this country, the health of America’s kids is under the microscope and, for the first time in our history, children born now will not live as long as their parents. Miche.... read more >>

41 ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO FUND FARM TO SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM
Published: Wed, May 5th, 2010
 41 national organizations delivered a letter to House and Senate Congressional leaders Monday urging them to include $50 million in mandatory funding for programs linking farmers with local schools as part of the 2010 Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. .... read more >>

What I learned at Michelle Obama’s historic obesity summit
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Thu, Apr 15th, 2010
 Joining the ranks of the 75 students who are Michelle Obama's most critical stakeholders in her Let's Move! campaign, I was fortunate enough to be on deck and participate as a representative for the National Farm to School Network at this meeting and make.... read more >>

Healthy, and Safe, School Lunches
by Editorial
Published: Thu, Apr 15th, 2010
 It is probably too much to hope that the more than 30 million school lunches served every day will taste absolutely fabulous. But Congress should at least make certain that whatever lands on those cafeteria trays is nutritious and safe to eat. Every day i.... read more >>

We need a nanny to pester us about our nutrient-poor diets
by Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Published: Thu, Apr 8th, 2010
 At the same time, Congress has reauthorized child nutrition programs and with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 has set in motion a series of new policies aimed at improving federal nutrition programs including the national school lunch program an.... read more >>

Industry advisory group hears about numerous issues
by Tom Karst
Published: Thu, Apr 1st, 2010
 Lucas Knowles, special assistant to the office of the undersecretary, described the activities of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative. Meanwhile, Chuck Parrott, associate deputy administrator of USDA AMS fruit and vegetable programs and Loren .... read more >>

A TV Show and Congress Tackle School Lunches
by Kim Severson
Published: Thu, Apr 1st, 2010
 The Child Nutrition Act comes up for financing every five years. It pays for school food and other nutrition programs for lower-income children. It’s also the mechanism legislators can use to change the rules that govern those programs. The bill headed to.... read more >>

Farm to Cafeteria Conference coming to Detroit
Published: Sat, Mar 27th, 2010
 This spring, the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference (hosted by the National Farm to School Network) will be taking place in Detroit, Michigan from May 17-19. The conference, entitled Taking Root, will offer workshops, speakers, short courses, movie.... read more >>

Jamie Oliver’s ‘Food Revolution’ Stirs the Pot
by Kim O'Donnel
Published: Fri, Mar 26th, 2010
 In her Civil Eats essay, Debra Eschmeyer, of the Farm to School Network, expresses her wish that Oliver “would bring to the surface the myriad obstacles to bring fresh local food to the lunch room, most of which can be overcome, but it can’t necessarily b.... read more >>

Jamie Oliver Turns the Spotlight on Our Own Homegrown Heroes
by Kerry Trueman
Published: Fri, Mar 26th, 2010
 It's local cooks, teaching local people, it's free cooking lessons in the main street...this is real, tangible change...around America, there's plenty of wonderful things going on, there are angels in America doing great things in schools: farm to school .... read more >>

Jamie Oliver: Stirring Up a Food Fight
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Fri, Mar 26th, 2010
 Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is cooking up more than home made meals from fresh ingredients. The show has already stirred up deeply seeded emotions about school food feeding systems...all before the first episode airs tonight!. read more >>

Senate Advances School Lunch Reform: Is A 6 Cent Increase Enough?
by Mary Clare Jalonick
Published: Fri, Mar 26th, 2010
 The legislation would also provide money for farm-to-school programs, encouraging schools to buy foods from local farms and grow food gardens on campus. It would be partly paid for by reducing conservation subsidies paid to farmers for using environmental.... read more >>

Senate panel takes aim at unhealthy school lunches
by Associated Press
Published: Wed, Mar 24th, 2010
 The legislation approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee would allow the Agriculture Department to create uniform standards for all foods in schools, including vending machine items, to give students healthier meal options. The legislation allocates a.... read more >>

MSU researchers endorse farm-to-school programs
by Associated Press
Published: Mon, Mar 22nd, 2010
 Michigan State University scientists say schools that buy produce from local farmers can save money while giving students healthy food they enjoy.. read more >>

Senator Leahy introduces “farm to school” bill
by Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy
Published: Fri, Mar 19th, 2010
 Their "Growing Farm To School Programs Act" would provide $50 million in startup funds to local schools and districts, through competitive grants, for technical help in connecting school food service providers with local small- and medium-sized .... read more >>

Senator proposes $4.5 billion for child nutrition
by Jane Black
Published: Thu, Mar 18th, 2010
 For more than a year, advocates of school food reform have been calling for more money to improve school lunch. Today, they're one step closer to getting it, but some say the amount is far less than they had hoped.. read more >>

It Takes a Rocket Scientist?
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Thu, Mar 11th, 2010
 U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), an actual rocket scientist and five-time Jeopardy winner, has introduced legislation that would create a Farm to School grant program to fight childhood obesity and support local farmers. . read more >>

Farm to School program has third-graders scrambling to the salad bar
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Mar 2nd, 2010
 The third- and fourth-graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions, and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know h.... read more >>

Farm to School 'Real Food Is' Video Contest
Published: Tue, Mar 2nd, 2010
 Due on March 29th, 2010 - Create a short video that completes the phrase "Real Food is..." and you can win $1,000 for your school food project. Produce a 30 second to 3 minute video that informs, inspires, and encourages student advocacy to .... read more >>

Gettin Real with Sustainability
by Anya Fernald
Published: Tue, Mar 2nd, 2010
 There are challenges for anyone entering into a sustainable food business today. The titanic industrial agriculture machine that feeds the bulk of America provides cheap, assembly-line food that costs less to produce than nutritious food grown with consid.... read more >>

Farm to School program plants seeds of healthy eating in kids
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The 105-student school is part of the National Farm to School Network, aimed at getting healthier meals into school cafeterias, teaching kids about agriculture and nutrition and supporting local farmers. "Vermont has really taken it on in quite the m.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids‘ views on food
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The 105-student school is part of the National Farm to School Network, aimed at getting healthier meals into school cafeterias, teaching kids about agriculture and nutrition and supporting local farmers. "Vermont has really taken it on in quite th.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they’ve visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they’ve studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School program plants seeds of healthy eating in kids
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Tue, Feb 16th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School program plants seeds of healthy eating in kids
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Thu, Feb 11th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm To School Program Changes Kids' Views On Food
by Lisa Rathke
Published: Thu, Feb 11th, 2010
 About 40 states have farm-to-school programs, but Vermont is a leader in incorporating all three missions into its programs. "Vermont has really taken it on in quite the most holistic way and not just in a couple of school districts but statewide,.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
by Lisa Rathke, Associated Press
Published: Thu, Feb 11th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School Program Changes Kids' Views on Food
by Lisa Rathke, Associated Press
Published: Thu, Feb 11th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
by Associated Press
Published: Thu, Feb 11th, 2010
 The third and fourth graders at Sharon Elementary know where the veggies in their soup come from because they've visited the farms. They know the nutritional value of the carrots, onions and cabbage because they've studied them in class, and they know how.... read more >>

Some schools opting for local, farm fresh lunches
by Vivian Luu
Published: Tue, Feb 9th, 2010
 Some schools opting for local, farm fresh lunches By Vivian Luu February 2, 2010 More schools are stepping away from processed food and jumping into the Farm to School (FTS) program, which brings local food into lunchrooms and gets students in touch .... read more >>

Obama Budget Doesn’t Thrill School Lunch Advocates
by Kim Severson
Published: Wed, Feb 3rd, 2010
 President Obama’s budget proposal is getting mixed reviews among the people watching over the quality of public school lunches. Some say it’s too little to make any meaningful change, while others are relieved school food programs are getting anything whe.... read more >>

State of the Union's School Lunch: Nutrition as National Defense and Fiscal Health
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 Don't make us tighten our belts on child nutrition programs while the girth of the nation grows. The government spends $1 million per soldier in Afghanistan, yet barely spends $1 on the food in a school lunch. When President Obama addresses the nation .... read more >>

$25 MILLION FOR NEW SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT
by USDA
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $25 million in grants to help schools operating a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) replace outdated equipment with new, energy efficient, appliances such.... read more >>

Bill seeks more fresh produce in U.S. school meals
by Charles Abbott
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 The government would spend $150 million to put more fresh fruits and vegetables into school meals under a bill filed by 16 lawmakers on Wednesday with an eye to next year's overhaul of school food programs. Congress delayed work on child nutrition unt.... read more >>

Farr bill would increase fruits, vegetables in schools
by The Free Lance Staff
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in school breakfasts and lunches, according to a press release from his office. The bill includes several strategies that will impr.... read more >>

Farm to Table calendar captures the beauty of Humboldt County
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 The Community Alliance with Family Farmers’ (CAFF) Farm to Table calendar is an annual fundraiser that helps keep important programs running for farmers and supports outreach to the community. Farm to Table illustrates a story of place. Local photographer.... read more >>

Green Report Card: Is Your Child's School Flunking the Environment?
by Adria Vasil
Published: Tue, Feb 2nd, 2010
 You’d think schools would be role models for good behavior now wouldn’t you? Oh sure they might talk a good game about the importance of recycling paper and protecting polar bears, but are they walking the walk? Not if they’re leaving the lights on day an.... read more >>

Call for Site Visits by USDA Farm to School Tactical Teams
by USDA Food & Nutrition Services
Published: Tue, Jan 19th, 2010
 . read more >>

Leaders of the Pack: Farm-to-School Programs Feed Kids Across the Country
by Kathy Shorr
Published: Thu, Jan 7th, 2010
 Quietly, whether in rural communities or large cities, schools are finding novel ways to feed kids healthier, locally grown food, often cultivated by the children themselves as part of the curriculum. You might picture this as the province of wealthy scho.... read more >>

Christina’s a Lunchroom Hit — John Steward’s Next
by Madie Murray
Published: Thu, Jan 7th, 2010
 Lunches like these, which are mostly made from scratch and from fresh, locally procured sources, take a considerable amount of preparation time over the pre-packaged, highly preserved items previously served in school cafeterias across the Country. read more >>

Food Safety: Another Benefit of Healthy School Lunch Programs'
by Kim Ukura
Published: Tue, Dec 22nd, 2009
 At the risk of sounding repetitive, I'd like to add to the growing list of the benefits for healthy school lunches and school lunch reform that we blogged about yesterday. On Tuesday, USA TODAY ran an investigative story about tainted school lunches that .... read more >>

Obama's chef and policy wonk
by E. B. Solomont
Published: Tue, Dec 22nd, 2009
 On any given day, White House chef Sam Kass can be found grilling fish for the Obama family, tending the first lady's organic garden or hashing out food policy ideas with senior administration advisers. Indeed, it is a unique role for a 29-year-old chef .... read more >>

USDA Announces More Funding for Beginning Farmers
by Paula Mohr
Published: Tue, Dec 22nd, 2009
 . read more >>

Soil & Water annual dinner and awards
Published: Mon, Dec 21st, 2009
 The annual celebration and awards ceremony for Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District will be held in Eagle Point, Friday, Jan. 15. The catered dinner will feature local products in keeping with the event theme of "from Farm to School." .... read more >>

Farr bill would increase fruits, vegetables in schools
by Team X
Published: Mon, Dec 21st, 2009
 Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in school breakfasts and lunches, according to a press release from his office. The bill includes several strategies that will impr.... read more >>

Farr bill would increase fruits, vegetables in schools
by Charles Abbott
Published: Thu, Dec 17th, 2009
 Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in school breakfasts and lunches, according to a press release from his office. The bill includes several strategies that will impr.... read more >>

National Farm to School Network has exploded from simple beginnings
by Bob Luder
Published: Mon, Dec 14th, 2009
 Those were the humble beginnings of what today is the National Farm to School Network, a program that brings food - a vast majority of which is fresh produce - from local farms to school children nationwide. What started as a few pilot programs in Califor.... read more >>

'Evangelist' for Organics Going Against the Grain in Iowa
by Allison Winter
Published: Thu, Dec 3rd, 2009
 This is a totally new direction for us," said Debi Durham, president and CEO of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. "We are an agribusiness economy, but there is room for an alternative lifestyle." Durham added, "Within the next 10 y.... read more >>

Princeton Student Wins Rhodes for Farm to School Study
by Jason Jung
Published: Thu, Dec 3rd, 2009
 Henry Barmeier '10, a Wilson School major earning certificates in environmental studies and Spanish, is the University's sole Rhodes Scholarship recipient for 2010. The Rhodes Trust announced this year's winners late Saturday evening.. read more >>

The New and Improved USDA Supports Local, Sustainable Food
by Vanessa Barrington
Published: Wed, Dec 2nd, 2009
 . read more >>

The Top 20 Real Food Advocates To Follow On Twitter
by Beth B.
Published: Wed, Dec 2nd, 2009
 Here are 20 Twitter Users (in no particular order) who have dedicated their lives, both on and offline, to changing the way we grow, purchase, and eat food. Farm to School is included in this list.. read more >>

School Lunches Go Back to the Land
by Fran Smith
Published: Wed, Dec 2nd, 2009
 One year ago, in a defunct orphanage on 33 weed-choked acres outside of Baltimore, Anthony Geraci found his field of dreams. Today, the Great Kids Farm is all that he imagined and more: the centerpiece of a focused effort to transform school food service .... read more >>

Farm to School Initiative offers Field Guide for parents to bring food curriculum to schools
by Suki Wessling
Published: Mon, Nov 9th, 2009
 The Community Alliance with Family Farmers, a California non-profit that promotes the interests, rights, and health of small farms, has released a Farm to School Field Guide with information for parents and community members about integrating farms with s.... read more >>

Let's Talk Honestly About Improving School Food
by Dana Woldow
Published: Mon, Nov 9th, 2009
 The official party line is that "it costs no more" for schools to do farm to school because purchasing locally grown produce is cheaper than buying food shipped in from all around the country.. read more >>

Big Plans for Small Farmers
by Kim Severson
Published: Mon, Nov 9th, 2009
 "Americans are more interested in food and agriculture than at any other time since most families left the farm," said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan in a statement announcing the initiative. The U.S.D.A.'s new "Know Your Fa.... read more >>

The Farm to School Program for School Lunches: Sowing Seeds of a Healthier Future for Children
by Beverly Bright
Published: Mon, Nov 9th, 2009
 There are 30 million children eating school lunches, 5 days a week, 180 days a year in the United States. Schools participating in the Farm to School Programs purchase fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, honey, meat, and beans for use in the school cafeteri.... read more >>

Farr bill aims to get students to eat their veggies
by Kurtis Alexander
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, is renewing his push for salad bars in schools through legislation that would require more fruits and vegetables on campus menus. The Children's Fruit and Vegetable Act of 2009, which Farr expects to introduce in coming weeks, .... read more >>

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Program Begins
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan says Americans are more interested in food and agriculture than at any other time since most families left the farm. To stir that interest and develop a national conversation, USDA has introduced a program.... read more >>

The South's fruit and vegetable crisis
by Sue Strugis
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 You might not think it could happen in the region noted for a cuisine featuring sweet potatoes, greens, okra and watermelon, but a groundbreaking new federal report shows that no U.S. state is meeting national goals for consumption of fruit and vegetables.... read more >>

Vilsack: For locally grown food, not against GMOs
by Dan Looker
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 Speaking to a group of food activists in Des Moines, Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack got a standing ovation after describing the Obama administration's efforts to promote farmers markets and expand locally-grown foods into schools, hospitals an.... read more >>

Food Policy and Security: from Farm to Table and Classroom
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 Food is at the center of our lives - the average American spends 1 of every 8 dollars on food and public policy plays a crucial role in whether that food is healthy and safe for our families. Disease outbreaks due to unsafe food, rising obesity rates and.... read more >>

A White House Chef Who Wears Two Hats
by Rachel L. Swarns
Published: Thu, Nov 5th, 2009
 Indeed, Obama administration officials describe him as a vital conduit to the first family. "How do I get to the first lady, how do I try to transmit ideas and messages to her" Sam Kass, said Kathleen Merrigan, the deputy agriculture secretary. .... read more >>

To Cut Global Warming, Swedes Study Their Plates
by Elizabeth Rosenthal
Published: Tue, Nov 3rd, 2009
 But if a new experiment here succeeds, she and millions of other Swedes will soon find out. New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food burgers, are appearing on some grocery.... read more >>

School Lunch Revolution Blossoms in Baltimore
by Ralph Loglisci
Published: Tue, Nov 3rd, 2009
 Ralph Loglisci with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future wrote up a fabulous summary on Civil Eats of the Baltimore City Schools cafeteria accomplishments highlighting: -Students' Cafeteria Bill of Rights -Great factoids, i.e.:A case of Maryl.... read more >>

Halton: Farm to School program expands
Published: Wed, Oct 28th, 2009
 Representatives from the Farm to School Steering Committee, of which Halton Region is a member, joined students, staff, community representatives at a school barbeque yesterday at Gardiner Public School in Georgetown to launch the expansion of the Farm to.... read more >>

Eating in America Still Unhealthy: CDC
Published: Wed, Oct 28th, 2009
 The goal for the Healthy People 2010 program is to get at least 75 percent of Americans to eat the recommended two or more daily servings of fruit and for at least 50 percent of Americans to consume three or more daily servings of vegetables.. read more >>

Micro eco-farming and organic small farming: New school markets opening up
Published: Tue, Oct 6th, 2009
 The micro and small farming community knows that to make money farming, it isn't about growing more corn, it's about connecting directly to great markets. A brand new initiative will give $50 million for schools to buy local produce. Previous to this, the.... read more >>

The Push to Get Locally Grown Food to American Children
by Jenn Escalona
Published: Sat, Oct 3rd, 2009
 Farm to School programs can simultaneously fight the childhood obesity epidemic and preserve the livelihoods of local farmers all the while saving taxpayer money. . read more >>

Thinking Outside The School Lunchbox
by Jenna Johnson
Published: Thu, Sep 24th, 2009
 Lunch menus at several local schools are getting a makeover: Less mystery meat, canned fruit and sad-looking green beans. More fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, cheese and meat from farms just down the road. . read more >>

Group promotes better lunches for America's school kids
by Amit Pathania
Published: Wed, Sep 23rd, 2009
 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program therefore Eat-Ins are an effort to draw attention to the need for more nutritious food. The program is part of the Child Nutrition Act that Congress will reauthorize later this year.. read more >>

Minestrone, and Three Other Things That Will Save American School Lunch
by Deborah Lehmann
Published: Wed, Sep 23rd, 2009
 For some, the prospect of reforming American school lunch is dauntingly complex. But for one feisty Italian old woman, the solution was simple: "Minestrone!" she cried out in her heavy accent, interrupting a speech at the Slow Food USA Eat-In I .... read more >>

Farm to School Activist
Published: Tue, Sep 22nd, 2009
 As an activist and organizer for much of his life, Chris Bedford spent a great deal of time highlighting problems. Meeting and filming famed architect William McDonough helped him see the value in talking about solutions and in making transfor-mational, s.... read more >>

Farm to School effort launched
Published: Tue, Sep 22nd, 2009
 Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring announced on Monday that 11 North Dakota communities will be assessed for the possibility of establishing a direct link between local agricultural producers and school lunch programs.. read more >>

School Lunch Punch
by Editorial Board
Published: Mon, Sep 21st, 2009
 CHILDREN ARE back in school. For many, that means regular meals as part of the federally subsidized school lunch program. Unfortunately, it also means, too often, food that isn't good for them. We're encouraged that there is a growing movement to do somet.... read more >>

USDA promises to help school districts buy locally grown produce
by Tom Karst
Published: Wed, Sep 16th, 2009
 Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said new farm-to-school initiatives will help school administrators? transition to purchasing more locally grown foods in remarks about the just-launched "Know your farmer, know your food" initiativ.... read more >>

Close Encounters of the School Lunch Kind
by Robin Shreeves
Published: Wed, Sep 16th, 2009
 Onetray.org has put out short, to the point video about the changes that need to be made to school lunches. I don't know if the kids in the video get the reference to the mashed potato mountain, but most of us will.. read more >>

Eleven NORTH DAKOTA Communities Considered for Farm to School
by Associated Press
Published: Wed, Sep 16th, 2009
 North Dakota`s agriculture commissioner says 11 communities will considered for a program to bring food from area farms to school lunches. Commissioner Doug Goehring said the Farm to School program teaches healthy eating habits while providing farmers .... read more >>

11 NORTH DAKOTA Communities Considered for Farm to School
by Associated Press
Published: Wed, Sep 16th, 2009
 Surveys will be conducted next month in the communities of Bowdon, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Grant County, Hazen, Jamestown, Mandan, Minot, Napoleon and Valley City to consider whether they can be part of the program. He says the surveys also will .... read more >>

New USDA Farm to School Tactical Teams
by Kathleen Merrigan
Published: Tue, Sep 15th, 2009
 Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced a new initiative to better connect children to their food and create opportunities for local farmers to provide their harvest to schools in their communities as part of USDA's 'Know Your Farme.... read more >>

Farming our Schools
by Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl
Published: Tue, Sep 15th, 2009
 As a Government and Economics teacher in a deeply urban school in California, I come face to face with disturbing daily realities. Recently, a 16 year old Latina student came up to me in astonishment and asked, "Are you telling me that a lemon is a .... read more >>

School Lunch: Where the Real Weapons of Mass Destruction Lie
by Hesh Goldstein
Published: Mon, Sep 14th, 2009
 The USDA needs to realize that there needs to be a sound program to deliver food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, from farm to school.. read more >>

Many regions have declared September Local Food Month'
by Robin Shreeves
Published: Mon, Sep 14th, 2009
 Local restaurants featuring local foods and a fundraiser that will benefit the counties Farm-to-School program are two of many events that will take place in Humboldt County this September.. read more >>

Local Food Month
by Robin Shreeves
Published: Tue, Sep 8th, 2009
 As far as I can see it's not a national month long celebration, yet, but, I've been seeing lots of news articles about September being declared "Local Food Month." Here are a few places that are celebrating local foods this month.. read more >>

Schools must lead healthy foods effort
by Ann Cooper, Beth Collins
Published: Tue, Sep 8th, 2009
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that of the children born in the year 2000, 1 out of 3 Caucasians and 2 out of 3 African Americans and Hispanics will contract diabetes in their lifetimes. As a result, that generation will be the.... read more >>

A national movement of foodies, farmers, parents and educators is pushing for better school food
by Dana Hull
Published: Thu, Sep 3rd, 2009
 Serving healthy meals at school is tougher than ever - most campuses don't even have kitchens anymore. And the federal government's low reimbursement rate - just $2.68 for each poor child who qualifies for free lunch - makes it tough to buy high-quality p.... read more >>

Slow Food Eats In for School Lunch Reform
by Jane Black
Published: Thu, Sep 3rd, 2009
 With Congress set to reauthorize childhood nutrition programs, Slow Food is asking Washington to allocate $1 more per student per day for lunch. The organization also wants Congress to establish nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, fund farm-.... read more >>

North Dakota Farming News
Published: Thu, Sep 3rd, 2009
 Backyard Farming and Sharing in North Dakota.. read more >>

School lunch options
by April McCaffery
Published: Thu, Sep 3rd, 2009
 Do your kids buy lunch or participate in the meal assistance program, or do you pack them a lunch? Either way, here are some things to chew on as your kids prepare to go back to school.. read more >>

Taste of Place Garden Soiree Advance Tickets
Published: Thu, Sep 3rd, 2009
 This elegant fundraising event runs from 3 to 6 p.m. and features delicious hors d'oeuvres prepared by Celebrations Catering, regional wine and beer and a silent auction. Visitors can tour the gorgeous Redwood Roots Farm during the height of the growing s.... read more >>

Heirlooms With Taste
by Jane Black
Published: Mon, Aug 24th, 2009
 My article on heirloom tomato snobbery created quite a stir. My electronic in-box was flooded by heirlooms' angry defenders. And by snail mail, I received letters with photos of their successful backyard beauties. It was even worse on Facebook, where one .... read more >>

How Design Can Help farmer's markets Feed a Growing Demand
by Alissa Walker
Published: Sun, Aug 23rd, 2009
 How will these local farmers continue to supply our urban demands- And there are many farm-to-school programs like the one in Santa Monica, California where the public school district has bought farmers' market produce for their salad bars for 11 years.. read more >>

Obama to set up a White House farmer's market
by Bryan Nelson
Published: Sun, Aug 23rd, 2009
 Not long ago, the first lady planted the first seeds for the White House's own organic garden. Now the Obamas want to expand the idea to set up a farmers market just outside the White House. One aim of the market will be to help local farmers deliver fres.... read more >>

Oak Park district meals to have different look, taste
by Lisa McKinnon
Published: Sun, Aug 23rd, 2009
 Urged by concerns about childhood obesity and the promise of additional funds for school nutrition programs from the Obama administration, many educators say the stage is set for change. During a recent School Nutrition Association conference, for exam.... read more >>

Local food movement continues to grow in Lake County
by Terre Logsdon
Published: Sun, Aug 23rd, 2009
 Even youth in Lake County get to participate in the local food movement. Both Kelseyville Unified School District and the Konocti Unified School District purchase some of their fresh produce locally, have school gardens, and participate in the farm-to-sch.... read more >>

Progressive Eaters, Unite!
by Courtney Helgoe
Published: Sun, Aug 23rd, 2009
 America's food industry is in the midst of a dramatic culture shift that's challenging everything we've been taught about eating. Here's how to take advantage of this exciting new movement and eat more healthfully than ever before.. read more >>

A White House Farmers Market?
by Jane Black
Published: Fri, Aug 21st, 2009
 Obama also stressed the importance of creating distribution systems that could link small, local farmers to public schools who want more fresh fruits and vegetables on their menus.. read more >>

Farm-To-School Programs Featured On New NCAT Radio Show
by Holly Michels and Jef Birkby
Published: Thu, Aug 20th, 2009
 Sustainable Agriculture Spotlight airs Thursdays at 11 a.m. MDT from July to October. This week's program discusses techniques to bring local food to lunch trays in school and college cafeterias.. read more >>

Stars Aligning on School Lunches
by Kim Severson
Published: Wed, Aug 19th, 2009
 The Department of Agriculture is expected to upgrade school food nutrition standards this year, many of which haven't been changed for nearly 15 years. And because many Obama U.S.D.A. appointees are focusing on improving student health through better food.... read more >>

Community Garden Meeting Held
by Stacie Gruntman
Published: Wed, Aug 12th, 2009
 The garden was also part of the "farm to school salad bar project" where a local high school would prepare salads with the fresh vegetables and sell to students twice weekly. All the money goes back into the garden to produce more food.. read more >>

Time for Lunch campaign promotes slow food movement
by Abby Chou
Published: Mon, Aug 10th, 2009
 Slow food is a way of eating and living that focuses on whole foods and local farming. One major supporter of slow food is the National Farm to School network.. read more >>

Ristorante Italiano features local organic produce
by JoAnn Saccato
Published: Mon, Aug 10th, 2009
 Leonardis' produce is available through various outlets including Zino's Ristorante, Nature's Bounty in Lakeport, Lake County Community Co-op's CSA boxes, Ukiah Co-op, Finley Farmers' Market and direct from the farm sales. Farmer Jim Leonardis of Leonardi.... read more >>

Cooking The Books: Why We Need Home Economics (back) in Schools
by Sarah Sliwa
Published: Mon, Aug 10th, 2009
 While there is significant and laudable momentum around school gardening, farm-to-school procurement, school wellness policy implementation, and improved nutrition for school food offerings, there are several unique reasons to advocate for home economics .... read more >>

A lesson in 'farm to fork'
by Eleanor Greene
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 Summer school students learned the importance of locally grown foods last week at Paradise Canyon Elementary. Moira Beery and Emily Dwyer from the Farm to School program visited Marcia Van's "Cooking Around the World" class to discuss the agricu.... read more >>

Local Food for Local Schools
by Jonathan Pitts
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 The Jane Lawton Farm to School Conference in Crownsville, a joint production of the state's agriculture and education departments, was a success once again this year. Last year, the Maryland General Assembly charged the divisions with promoting fresh and .... read more >>

Insights by Goldie
by Goldie Caughlan
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 The National Farm to School Network, the Community Food Security Coalition, and School Food FOCUS are collaborating to implement programs that provide fresh, nutritious food to schools and a profitable, stable market for local farmers. Their project, &quo.... read more >>

NH schools are learning to offer healthier foods
by Denise Brewitt
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 High-sugar items are being nixed from menus. Tasting events are offering students unusual fruits like plantains and kumquats. And communities are becoming involved with programs such as New Hampshire Farm to School, which helps connect schools with local .... read more >>

Planting the seeds: Eureka parents propose the city's first garden school
by Donna Tam
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 Michelle Wyler, manager of Farm-to-School Humboldt, said the program Riggs and Smart are trying to start seems to be the first of its kind in the county. She said while there are many schools that integrate some curriculum with a school garden into their .... read more >>

Podcast #16. OurNakedFood: The Farm to School Program
Published: Tue, Aug 4th, 2009
 Our Naked Foods interviews Debra Eschmeyer, Program Media & Marketing Director of the Farm To School Network, via skype. This podcast opens by emphasizing the climbing obesity rates in New Zealand, as is currently the 3rd most obese nation in the deve.... read more >>

School Lunch Program: A Prime Opportunity to Serve Up Improvements
by Aimee Witteman
Published: Tue, Jul 28th, 2009
 This year, Congress plans to reconsider the Child Nutrition Act - federal legislation that authorizes the school lunch program - and a grassroots effort is underway to improve the state of affairs in school cafeterias. Specifically, good food advocates wo.... read more >>

PROJECT LEAN: Maximize nutrition by using local food
by Joyce Houston
Published: Fri, Jul 24th, 2009
 The Community Alliance with Family Farms is best known in Humboldt County for its Farm to School program. This year the alliance has launched a "Buy Fresh Buy Local" campaign.. read more >>

The Next Course
by Jane Black
Published: Wed, Jul 15th, 2009
 The garden has been an unqualified success; on the first family's trip to Moscow last week, Russians were far more interested in Obama's garden than in her fashion sense. The challenge now is to craft a strategy to capitalize on Obama's newfound clout to .... read more >>

Local Promotes Program
by Angela Weaver
Published: Wed, Jul 15th, 2009
 Farm to school programs ensure that our children eat the highest-quality food available. These programs deliver food that not only nourishes children's bodies immediately, but also knowledge that enhances their educational experience and cultivates long-t.... read more >>

Is your state fit or fat?
by Catherine Holecko
Published: Wed, Jul 8th, 2009
 The "F as in Fat" report shows how states are reacting to the climbing obesity percentages. For laws enacted between June 2008 and June 2009, the report says that 19 states have passed legislation regarding farm-to-school programs, which can imp.... read more >>

Obama Administration Begins Naming State Executive Directors for the Farm Service Agency
Published: Wed, Jul 8th, 2009
 Obama appoints Jim Barber as the NY Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency at the USDA. Barber is very active on agricultural organizations and co-founded NY Farms!, an organization that developed the Farm-to-School program which was later adopted.... read more >>

Local foods galore
by José Quezada
Published: Wed, Jul 8th, 2009
 Humboldt Community Alliance with Family Farmers was formed in October 2006 by uniting the Friends of Humboldt County Farmers Markets with the Farm to School program.. read more >>

From Farm to School: The Push to Get Locally Grown Food to American School Children
by Jenn Escalona
Published: Fri, Jun 26th, 2009
 Farm to School programs can simultaneously fight the childhood obesity epidemic and preserve the livelihoods of local farmers all the while saving taxpayer money.. read more >>

It's Time for Lunch: Slow Food USA Pushes to Get Real Food into Schools
by Slow Food USA
Published: Fri, Jun 26th, 2009
 Slow Food USA launches a national campaign to get real food into schools highlighted by a national day of action on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009. The national day of action will consist of more than 100 local Eat-Ins across the country. As part of the campaig.... read more >>

Farm to School Opportunities
by Lauren Ware
Published: Fri, Jun 26th, 2009
 The national Farm to School program is taking off in many parts of the United States! More and more schools are setting up programs.. read more >>

Attacking Hunger at Its Roots
by Hillary Clinton
Published: Fri, Jun 12th, 2009
 "The Obama Administration is committed to providing leadership in developing a new global approach to hunger. We will look to 7 guiding principles to support the creation of effective, sustainable farming systems in regions around the world where the.... read more >>

Cartwright family art in Waldoboro
Published: Thu, Jun 11th, 2009
 Chelsea graduated from Finger Lakes School of Massage in 2006 and has worked with young children and for the Flannel Shirt Fund, established in memory of Joel. Through small grants the fund encourages children to grown their own food and foster farm-to-sc.... read more >>

UCSC grad, thinking baby food should be local and green, wins $12,000 in startup cash
by Jondi Gumz
Published: Thu, Jun 11th, 2009
 Not only did Olin have experience as a chef in New York, she knew about "farm to school" programs.. read more >>

School garden beginning to take shape at Hennessy
by Aimee Retzler
Published: Thu, Jun 11th, 2009
 Hennessy Elementary School in Grass Valley is taking a first step in helping students learn where their food comes from. Volunteers from Hennessy, in partnership with the University of California Cooperative Extension and Live Healthy Nevada County, recen.... read more >>

The school lunchroom grows green
by Yvonne Zipp
Published: Thu, Jun 11th, 2009
 From kindergarten to college, school cafeterias become ecofriendly by banishing trays, growing veggies, and composting waste.. read more >>

The school lunchroom grows green
by Yvonne Zipp
Published: Tue, Jun 2nd, 2009
 At a private school in Newark, N.J., students dine daily on ingredients grown on the building's roof. In Baltimore, city schools have their own 33-acre organic farm, while in Riverside, Calif., elementary school students trundle wheelbarrows of lettuce an.... read more >>

A fresh classroom approach
by Melissa Flores
Published: Wed, May 27th, 2009
 Farm to school programs were the topic of discussion at a May 18 workshop presented by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers that was attended by school officials, food service directors, parents and teachers.. read more >>

Insider guide to Fort Bragg: 20-plus delicious reasons to go there now
by Wanda Hennig
Published: Wed, May 27th, 2009
 Their biggest win to date has seen them turn several acres of school district property, previously strewn with trash and junk and adjoining Fort Bragg High School, into a thriving model garden sprouting abundant seasonal produce. They've trained about 1,0.... read more >>

New College Announces Seven 2009 Fulbright Scholars
Published: Wed, May 20th, 2009
 Fulbright Teaching Assistantship to Germany A double major in German studies and anthropology, Lee Ellen plans to further develop her abilities as a language teacher while also completing a collaborative photograph-centered project in a German Eco-School.... read more >>

Farm to School Program at Mountain Bounty Farm
by Carlyle Miller
Published: Mon, May 18th, 2009
 At Mountain Bounty Farm, the long rows of broccoli and tomatoes are loving the warm weather. But vegetables aren't the only thing sprouting up at Mountain Bounty. This spring, students at Grizzly Hill School will also be doing a lot of growing at Nevada C.... read more >>

Minnesota School Food Survey
by Sam Hurst
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 A new commitment to childhood nutrition, coupled with the re-authorization of the School Lunch Program this year, will increase the opportunity to implement a little-known provision in the Farm Bill that encourages schools to use "local preference&qu.... read more >>

Rural ag forum tackles local buying
by Shannon Sollinger
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 Farmers are growing crops. Ranchers are raising beef and lamb. Shoppers are buying food. But they are not buying locally in great numbers. The fifth annual Forum for Rural Innovation, held March 13 in Winchester, focused on how to get the local buyer a.... read more >>

Eagle Rock's 'Action Research Institute
by Jeremy Rosenberg
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 One of UEPI's many Centers & Projects is the Center for Food & Justice. Some of those projects include: Farm to School, Farm to Hospital, and the Healthy School Food Coalition -- each as straightforwardly named as Eagle Rock itself.. read more >>

Best of Monterey County '09
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 When the Otter Bay Café opened on campus in the mid-1990s, it was similar to most institutional dining halls - the veggies were overcooked and, despite our unsurpassable local agricultural credentials, there was not a single local piece of produce on the .... read more >>

Halton Region to host Food Forum
by Anna Larson
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 The Halton Region Health Department will host a Food Forum on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Country Heritage Park to begin a community discussion around food issues and community food security in Halton Region. . read more >>

Study: Local Purchasing Pays Dividends
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 A recent economic impact analysis indicates that Oregon's investment in purchasing locally produced foods for school lunchrooms fortifies the state's economy with dollars previously spent elsewhere. The study by Ecotrust examines the impact of investing s.... read more >>

Gardening Grows More than Flowers and Food
by Dr. Nedley
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 Getting youngsters to eat what they grow is only one of the benefits attributed to the gardening programs springing up around the country. Leaders of programs such as the "Edible Schoolyard" in California and "National Farm-to-School Progra.... read more >>

Locally Grown Benefit Concert 2009
by Tyler Suchman
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 As in years past, proceeds benefit Food for Thought's farm-to-school program, which educates children about healthy food choices, where their food comes from, and the importance of good environmental stewardship. Food For Thought's programs are in six of .... read more >>

Food for Everyone :: Resource Guide
by Anna Stern
Published: Mon, May 11th, 2009
 People across the country and throughout the world are realizing that to confront the climate crisis and create secure and healthy communities, we'll need vibrant regional food systems. National Farm to School Network brings healthy food from local farms .... read more >>

Baltimore's Geraci Grows a Hands-On Program
by Jane Black
Published: Thu, May 7th, 2009
 Nationwide, there have been years of discussion about how to improve school lunches; this summer, the debate heats up again as Congress takes up the reauthorization of child nutrition programs that President Obama has made a centerpiece of his domestic ag.... read more >>

Reconnecting Schools to Real Food
by Tom French
Published: Mon, May 4th, 2009
 Chef Tom French, director of the Experience Food Project, has a broad vision of a new school food system that provides students with healthy food, reconnects them with the source of their meals, and builds bridges between the classroom and the kitchen.. read more >>

Organic Wednesdays start at valley schools
Published: Mon, May 4th, 2009
 Carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and a host of other fresh organic vegetables from the Shumei Farm in Bonny Doon will be part of elementary school lunches on Wednesdays for the remainder of the school year in San Lorenzo Valley.. read more >>

Green is the new black
by Catherine Traywick
Published: Mon, May 4th, 2009
 Washington is going green. From Michelle Obama's White House vegetable patch to the organic "people's garden" that will soon span the lawn of the Department of Agriculture, our nation's capitol has jumped aboard the sustainability bandwagon and .... read more >>

From Field to Plate: Farm to School Programs Take Root
by Tim Weldon
Published: Fri, Apr 24th, 2009
 Farm to School article in State News, a publication of The Council of State Governments, Vol. 52, No.4, April 2009. read more >>

Healthful Food
by Diane Rehm
Published: Mon, Apr 13th, 2009
 Baltimore schools nutrition director Tony Geraci was on The Diane Rehm Show as part of a panel on sustainable food and Michelle Obama's vegetable garden. He talked about the city schools' 33-acre organic farm, where schools can have their own gardens, as .... read more >>

Advocates brief Congress on food program
by Ben Goad
Published: Mon, Apr 13th, 2009
 Rodney Taylor traveled thousands of miles this week so that the fruits and veggies headed to school cafeterias around the country wouldn't have to. Taylor, nutrition services director for the Riverside Unified School District, helped pioneer a national.... read more >>

School Lunch Crunch
by Sarah Mirk
Published: Sat, Apr 11th, 2009
 At a sustainable chili factory on the outskirts of Salem, several dozen school lunch ladies and local food activists are witnessing the creation of what they hope will be the cafeteria food of the future. Forget meatloaf trucked in from 1,000 miles away. .... read more >>

Where Policy Grows
by Jane Black
Published: Thu, Mar 26th, 2009
 Take the school lunch program, which Congress will review this year. Food activists have long argued that more fruits and vegetables from local producers should be included to help improve childhood nutrition.. read more >>

Yolo County women honored at annual luncheon
by Crystal Lee
Published: Tue, Mar 10th, 2009
 Six Yolo County women were honored Thursday for "Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet," the theme of the 22nd Annual Women's History Month Luncheon.. read more >>

Small, Green and Good: The role of neglected cities in a sustainable future
by Catherine Tumber
Published: Wed, Feb 25th, 2009
 One of MLUI's highly successful programs is Farm to School, which is part of a growing nationwide movement that connects local farm products with school cafeterias. MLUI links the program to a larger state initiative based on a study showing that helping .... read more >>

The School Lunch Revolution
by Kristen DeLeo
Published: Mon, Feb 16th, 2009
 By spending so much time on elementary and middle school campuses, I'm privy to the world of school lunches. Yes, tater tots are still being served. Ketchup is still deemed a vegetable at some schools. Change is good - but there needs to be a revolution.. read more >>

Good people doing great things
Published: Mon, Feb 16th, 2009
 Yolo Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization, hosted the Yolo County Philanthropy Day Awards last week at the Heidrick Ag History Center. Ten Yolo County Nonprofits participated. Thirty-seven awards were given.. read more >>

Memorial held for woman who promoted agriculture
Published: Mon, Feb 16th, 2009
 Sheri Rudd Klittich was involved in the Farm to School program, which connects local growers with the school lunch program, and the Ag Futures Alliance, where she worked to advance sustainable agriculture in the county.. read more >>

Let
by Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter
Published: Mon, Feb 16th, 2009
 According to Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet, "A study of 57 countries with about 13 million farmers has shown 50 to 100 percent increases in yields where farmers are using local resources and organic sustainable methods.".... read more >>

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb-part 3
Published: Tue, Feb 10th, 2009
 In this final segment, Marion Kalb, director of the Farm To School program, suggests practical ways to work with food service directors, and others, to bring fresh, locally produced foods, into the school cafeteria lunchroom. Kalb shares success stories o.... read more >>

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb 2
Published: Wed, Feb 4th, 2009
 Marion Kalb continues the conversation around the Farm To School program, acknowledging that added costs for fresh foods are a challenge, but also explaining practical ways to overcome some of those obstacles. Pointing out, in some cases, the cost of fres.... read more >>

Farm To School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb
Published: Wed, Feb 4th, 2009
 Marion Kalb, 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.... read more >>

Thornhill Elementary "shining" example of program's success
Published: Wed, Jan 28th, 2009
 Joanne Bays, the provincial coordinator for the Farm to School initiative undertaken by the Public Health Association of BC, visited with school staff and others involved in the program as part of her road trip to the three Northwest schools with salad ba.... read more >>

How to fight America's obesity epidemic
by Richard A. Daynard and Mark Gottlieb
Published: Thu, Jan 8th, 2009
 Public health, unlike the banking, insurance, or automobile industries, cannot be rescued or bailed out. Prevention is the only viable option. A sophisticated and aggressive federal approach to obesity is needed. Promote and fund innovative farm-to-school.... read more >>

Aramark's Cool*Caf draws kids to healthy eating
by Ashley Bentley
Published: Fri, Jan 2nd, 2009
 A new cafeteria format designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and encourage healthy choices by children is set to be introduced in hundreds of schools in 2009.. read more >>

Mr. Diabetes(R) Completes 10,000+ Mile Walk of U.S. Perimeter
by Defeat Diabetes Foundation
Published: Thu, Dec 18th, 2008
 Programs that focus on diabetes, nutrition and obesity are critical. Access to healthy food through farmer's markets, community and school gardens, farm-to-school programs and food cooperatives are just a few of the components to reducing the rates of dia.... read more >>

Weak economy puts more kids in line for free meals, report says
Published: Wed, Dec 17th, 2008
 The sagging economy is taking a bite out of federal school-meal subsidies as more students take advantage of free or low-price breakfasts and lunches, nutritionists say in a report released Thursday. About 425,000 more students are participating in the N.... read more >>

Choices 4 Health at work to promote healthy living
Published: Mon, Dec 8th, 2008
 These will include a Farm to School program to promote eating more local fresh fruit and vegetables. read more >>

Halton program brings produce to local school
by Tim Whitnell
Published: Wed, Nov 19th, 2008
 Halton Region wants to bring fresh, locally-grown produce into the area's elementary schools, and it plans to do so through the Farm to School Committee.. read more >>

School Garden Teach Kids
by Kathryn Nichols
Published: Fri, Nov 14th, 2008
 New school gardens are blooming in California's Monterey County with almost every year. Teachers and administrators are finding that the garden can be woven into just about every aspect of the curriculum, even history, cultural studies, foreign languages,.... read more >>

Improve School Lunches with Locally Grown Food
by Laura Weldon
Published: Fri, Nov 14th, 2008
 Connecting school lunch programs directly to local farms is good for everyone. Schools save money, farmers find nearby buyers and student health improves.. read more >>

Local, healthy eating program launches for lunch
by Steve Arstad
Published: Thu, Nov 13th, 2008
 The Public Health Association of BC launched the "Farm to School Salad Bar" initiative last Tuesday in a two day celebration.. read more >>

AUSD prepares for new school year
by Nancy Forrest
Published: Sun, Nov 9th, 2008
 State officials have commended AUSD for its quality food program, as well as its ongoing involvement in fresh produce and Farm to School programs.. read more >>

Getting Children to Eat Fruits and Vegetables at School
by Gayle Trent
Published: Sun, Nov 9th, 2008
 Researchers at the University of Maryland have announced initial data that shows school-based intervention efforts help kids buck a national trend by increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables. To the researchers' knowledge, these results are t.... read more >>

National Farm To School Movement
Published: Sun, Nov 9th, 2008
 If you're not familiar with the farm to school movement, it's all about getting fresh, clean, good food to our kids in school and help create new markets for local farmers. It started as a grassroots movement and has spread across the country. Get in on t.... read more >>

Learn how to get fresh fruits and vegetables in local schools
Published: Sun, Nov 9th, 2008
 The event, for both adults and kids, will provide information on how to get more fresh local produce on school menus and teach kids about local agriculture. While adults are attending workshops, the children can have fun with farm and food activities.. read more >>

Farm to School Program
by Barbara Howard
Published: Sun, Nov 9th, 2008
 Interview segment from Blog Action Day broadcast featuring Anupama Joshi of the National Farm to School Network. Their programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition.... read more >>

Ojai film series focuses on food, agriculture and environmental issues
by Lisa McKinnon
Published: Sat, Nov 8th, 2008
 Organized by Food for Thought Ojai, a nonprofit group devoted to implementing farm-to-school salad bars and other health-related programs, the series includes documentaries and short films that focus on food, agriculture and the environment.. read more >>

Cultivating Minds: Food-Related Curricula Take Root Nationwide
by Bernice Yeung
Published: Sat, Nov 8th, 2008
 Rochester Roots is one of many public school programs nationwide that uses food as a pathway to learning. The concept, popularized by chef Alice Waters's Edible Schoolyard and the Community Food Security Coalition's Farm to School programs, has been quie.... read more >>

Homegrown helpings
by Lauren M. Whaley
Published: Wed, Nov 5th, 2008
 The best response to an increasingly dire financial crisis is to take a deep breath and return to our communities, says the founder of Slow Food in the Tetons.. read more >>

Farm-To-School Programs Grow Students' Appreciation for Locally Grown Food
by Diane Raymond
Published: Fri, Oct 31st, 2008
 As farmers struggle to mitigate the increasing cost of transporting produce from farm to store and schools face smaller budgets and increasing concerns over the nutritional content of school lunches, some schools opt to bring the farm to the lunch table. .... read more >>

Who has what it takes?
by Harmony Groves
Published: Fri, Oct 31st, 2008
 Susan Ornelas is a long-time community leader and a firm advocate for sustainable agriculture and local food. I am very impressed by her work establishing our local Farm-to-School program to improve the health of local children and the viability of local .... read more >>

School to open salad bar
Published: Thu, Oct 30th, 2008
 Mom may have told you to eat your vegetables at mealtimes and even maybe served fruit for dessert to raise healthy children. Now mom's advice is moving into the classroom for lunch.. read more >>

Educators Hungry for Farm-to-School Programs
by Isabel Cowles
Published: Thu, Oct 16th, 2008
 Rising food costs and increasing requests by parents have encouraged many schools across the country to adopt farm-to-school programs so that kids can get fresh, local produce, and see how it is grown and prepared.. read more >>

Farm To School
Published: Tue, Oct 14th, 2008
 Farm To School has supported over 70 school garden programs and taught better eating habits to nearly 8,000 students. The Farm To School program is working on developing a workbook for interested parents to present to their Parent Teacher Association, to .... read more >>

Farm To School
Published: Tue, Oct 14th, 2008
 A non-profit program called Farm To School is promoting healthy eating habits in school. The program partners with local farms, parents and school cafeterias to make eating fruits and vegatable the norm in a child's diet.. read more >>

Lunches go organic in some schools
by Associated Press
Published: Sun, Oct 12th, 2008
 The Academy is one of three Kansas City-area private schools that participate in Bistro Kids' Farm 2 School program, which is committed to improving students' health by offering lunches from organic, natural, locally-grown food. "It's really, really .... read more >>

Kimberly replaces playground
by Miranda C.R. White
Published: Sun, Oct 12th, 2008
 For the opening ceremony, Bob Knight of Farm to School, a program that provides local produce to schools, donated freshly picked apples. Knight also donated oranges from his Old Grove Orange farm for the volunteers on the build day to thank the Redlands U.... read more >>

Farm to School Day is Oct. 18 in Watsonville
Published: Mon, Oct 6th, 2008
 Learn how to get more fresh local produce on school menus and teach children about local agriculture at Farm to School Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at Crystal Bay Farm, 70 Zils Road, Watsonville.. read more >>

Class Notes
Published: Mon, Oct 6th, 2008
 The Monterey County Partnership for Farm to School will host an information table about how connecting schools with local produce and start school gardens. The table will be at the Pacific Grove Certified Farmers Market, 5 to 6 p.m., Oct. 13 on Lighthouse.... read more >>

Learning About State's Growth Industry
by Jenna Johnson and Lori Aratani
Published: Sun, Sep 28th, 2008
 The farm-to-school program was created during the last legislative session to honor Jane Lawton, 63, a Maryland House of Delegates member from Montgomery County who died in November. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Raskin, (D-Montgomery) is calle.... read more >>

School Foodservice: Get Smart - US Food Trends
by Cheryl Sternman Rul
Published: Wed, Sep 17th, 2008
 As another academic year unfolds, school foodservice directors are bracing for what's in store: calls for more-healthful fare, climbing food costs and requests for more excitement and variety in the cafeteria. None of the challenges is new, but each is mo.... read more >>

A new field of thought
by Todd Guild
Published: Sun, Sep 7th, 2008
 Officially, the project is called the Community Alliance with Family Farmers' Farm to School program. Program coordinator Jenny Hansen, acknowledging that the name is a bit dry, let the students pick their own name. They chose "True Farm Invasion,&qu.... read more >>

Fundraiser fêtes fresh fare
by Sharon Letts
Published: Fri, Sep 5th, 2008
 The event is part of the monthlong celebration of "Local Food Month," declared as such by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26. The fundraiser will benefit the Community Alliance of Family Farmers' "Farm to School" progr.... read more >>

Garden soiree at Redwood Roots Farm
Published: Tue, Sep 2nd, 2008
 The event will kick off Local Food Month and raise funds for CAFF's Farm-to-School Program. Farm-to-School hosts educational farm and farmers market tours for schoolchildren in our community, exposing them to the places and faces that feed them, as well a.... read more >>

Eat Up, Kids, This Spud's for You
by Anne Marie Chaker
Published: Thu, Aug 28th, 2008
 With the dawn of the 2008-09 school year, districts across the country are signing on to the burgeoning "farm-to-school" movement. As a result, a number of school districts have cut back on fruits and vegetables purchased from large distributors.... read more >>

Farm bill funds bulk up fruit and vegetable programs
by Elizabeth Larsen
Published: Sun, Aug 24th, 2008
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that nearly $49 million will be provided in fresh fruits and vegetables for elementary school children during the school day this year, in addition to school lunch programs. The farm bill amended the Richard B. .... read more >>

Taste of Place Garden Soiree kicks off Local Food Month
Published: Fri, Aug 22nd, 2008
 The Community Alliance with Family Farmers announces Humboldt County's 2nd annual Local Food Month, a celebration of local farms, local food, and local abundance.. read more >>

Organic grower uses orchard as laboratory
by Elizabeth Larson
Published: Tue, Aug 19th, 2008
 Lars Crail of Kelseyville, Calif., isn't afraid to experiment with what he grows or how he farms in order to keep his farm both sustainable and profitable. . read more >>

USDA Ready to Listen About School Lunch
Published: Tue, Aug 19th, 2008
 The best way to ensure that kids get food that is safe, healthy, and economical is by expanding farm-to-school programs. Schools are linked with local farmers who provide food for meals and teach children how it is grown. Children learn to appreciate th.... read more >>

Agriculture and education: a winning combination
by Kelly Cormier
Published: Wed, Aug 6th, 2008
 Successful farmers from Southern California stressed the important link between agriculture and education during this year's National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference that took place in late June.. read more >>

Village Feast under the trees
by Gloria Glyer
Published: Thu, Jul 31st, 2008
 The Davis Farm to School Connection will benefit from a slow food dinner, with proceeds providing for school gardens, farm visits for second-graders, school recycling programs, and seasonal produce in school lunch programs.. read more >>

From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals
by Stacy Kish
Published: Tue, Jul 29th, 2008
 Improving the nutritional value of school meals is a growing priority among school systems across the United States. In an effort to provide a solution for school administrators, the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSR.... read more >>

Village Feast
by Don Guthrie
Published: Tue, Jul 22nd, 2008
 The Village Feast benefits the Davis Farm to School Connection, which supports programs within the Davis schools such as school gardens, second-grade farm visits, recycling programs and local produce in the school lunch program.. read more >>

Using Our Kids to Destroy the Family Farm
by Judith McGreary
Published: Tue, Jul 15th, 2008
 Some school districts are taking action to provide better food for our kids. The rapidly-growing farm-to-school movement has been working to bring local, healthy, and sustainably-raised foods into the schools and reconnect children with the source of the.... read more >>

Report Tracks Anti-Obesity Efforts
Published: Tue, Jul 8th, 2008
 Lawmakers in 16 states enacted legislation to increase farm-to-school programs or to improve the nutritional quality of school breakfasts, lunches, á la carte selections or vending machine offerings.. read more >>

Chef Proves School Lunch Can Be Healthy, Cheap
by Eleanor Beardsley
Published: Wed, Jul 2nd, 2008
 At the school, he prepares meals for about 800 students, using all fresh, local ingredients. The introduction of healthy school lunch programs, like this one, is one major reason France has been able to curb childhood obesity rates after two decades on th.... read more >>

D is for Dirt
by Julie Flaherty
Published: Mon, Jun 30th, 2008
 School gardens are springing up like daffodils. But will they make children enjoy science, respect the earth and occasionally eat their veggies? An overview of school garden programs around the country and the work of Tufts' graduates to further the schoo.... read more >>

Farm-to-school: It's what's for lunch
by James Raia
Published: Fri, Jun 27th, 2008
 Gail Feenstra can't get the embarrassingly small sum of 75 cents out of her mind. This is the amount spent on food per meal, per day for every child in federally funded school lunch programs.. read more >>

Tomatoes Join the List of School Inedible Edibles
by Suzanne Guldimann
Published: Thu, Jun 12th, 2008
 According to local farm advocates, the current salmonella outbreak, and other recent food scares that have led the U.S. Academy of Sciences this week to announce that vegetables and fruits are the "leading vehicles" of food-borne illness in the .... read more >>

Field trip leaves schoolchildren ripe with knowledge
by Gwen Schoen
Published: Sun, Jun 8th, 2008
 They have seen produce in grocery stores, but never sold like this, out in the open by people who actually grow the food. It gives them a whole new perspective.. read more >>

Let Them Eat Kale
by Debra Lau Whelan
Published: Sun, Jun 8th, 2008
 Schools Get Serious about Nutrition: With America's kids in danger of becoming obese, a growing number of schools are thinking outside the lunchbox. . read more >>

Talking farm and food politics with the candidate
by Ari LeVaux
Published: Thu, May 29th, 2008
 As president, I would implement USDA policies that promote local and regional food systems, including assisting states to develop programs aimed at community supported farms. I also support a national farm-to-school program and am pleased that the Farm Bi.... read more >>

WHS students get their hands dirty in internship program
by Eric Anderson
Published: Wed, May 28th, 2008
 The Watsonville High Agricultural Academy internship program helps students learn basic agriculture skills and about jobs in the field, while getting an idea of what it's like to run a farm.. read more >>

The Rise of the 'Locavore'
by Pallavi Gogoi
Published: Tue, May 27th, 2008
 As many as 1,200 school districts around the country, from Alabama to Iowa, have linked up with local farms to serve fresh vegetables and fruit to children.. read more >>

Lawmakers Push For Better School Nutrition
by Amy Winterfeld
Published: Wed, May 21st, 2008
 Kids and local farmers all benefit when states support farm-to- school programs that make it easier to bring local produce to cafeteria tables. Making healthy food choices available to school kids is a priority for many lawmakers. You are what you eat, th.... read more >>

Economics, ecology meet in lunchroom
by Aaron French
Published: Wed, May 21st, 2008
 Today's children, largely due to poor diet, are the first generation in U.S. history predicted to have shorter life spans than their parents. And while Americans spend less than 10 percent of their household budget on food, we spend more than 17 percent o.... read more >>

Costs hard to swallow
by Ryan McCarthy
Published: Thu, May 15th, 2008
 Food prices, increasing more than 4 percent in the Unites States last year, have hit schools here. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the food cost climb is the largest since 1990 and that a similar increase is expected this year.. read more >>

Teaming local food with area students
by Natalie Ragus
Published: Sat, May 3rd, 2008
 Small farmers and school districts along the Central Coast may soon team up in a partnership designed to help bring local produce directly from the family farm into school cafeterias. While logistics such as pricing and distribution have traditionally .... read more >>

Grant to promote local produce
by John Arendt
Published: Sat, May 3rd, 2008
 A local organization would like to see Summerland-grown produce served at the high school's salad bar. The Summerland Food Action Coalition is applying for a $20,000 grant for its proposed Farm to School Salad Bar Program.. read more >>

Thinking Outside the Lunchbox for Healthy School Food
by California Endowment Videos
Published: Sat, May 3rd, 2008
 About 29 million children eat school lunches every day. The five foods those kids are most likely to see on their plates are pizza, chocolate chip cookies, corn, French fries or chicken nuggets, according to the American School Food Service Association. S.... read more >>

'Farm to School Conference promotes buying school food localy
by Melissa Mecija
Published: Fri, Apr 25th, 2008
 Agriculture leaders promote a program that aims to improve nutrition in schools, and help the local economy. Organizers held the first "Farm to School Conference" in San Luis Obispo Thursday afternoon. The program encourages healthy eating for s.... read more >>

Md. joins Oklahoma in movement to put local food in schools
by Associated Press
Published: Sun, Apr 20th, 2008
 A bill in Maryland would allow that state to join Oklahoma and others in establishing a Farm-To-School program. The goal of such programs is to encourage the placement of more local produce on cafeteria trays. The program has twin missions of boosting .... read more >>

Better meals for students
by Cathe Olson
Published: Fri, Apr 18th, 2008
 Some schools in the United States are implementing Farm-to-School Programs to improve the quality of school meals and the effectiveness of nutrition education. These programs not only offer healthy, local foods to students, they provide hands-on education.... read more >>

Local produce is good for kids and economy
by Kim Pasciuto
Published: Tue, Apr 15th, 2008
 Children get almost two-thirds of their daily nutrition during school. By teaching better eating habits and providing fresh, local, healthy food at school, Farm to School programs lead to healthier lives for children.. read more >>

Fresh Food Program Promotes Healthy Eating Habits Among Children
by Stacy Kish
Published: Thu, Apr 10th, 2008
 Gary Cuneen founded the advocacy group Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) in 2001, located in Oak Park, Ill., to find local solutions to global environmental problems. The group offers a comprehensive "farm-to-school" program called Fresh from the Fa.... read more >>

Farm to School Food Program
Published: Mon, Apr 7th, 2008
 School districts are trying to save money, boost the economy, and avoid food recalls by doing one thing: buying local. They're participating in the national Farm to School program. In 1997, only six school districts participated. Now, there are nearly .... read more >>

Gross School Cafeteria Food- Go Organic!
by Whole Earth Generation
Published: Mon, Mar 31st, 2008
 Mike Botticello meets with kids from Hawthorne Elementary, where the school cafeteria food is provided by local organic farmers. The program is provided by 'Farm to School' a organization committed to making sure kids eat healthy, organically grown meals..... read more >>

Farm to School Lunch Table
by Annie Bell Muzaurieta
Published: Fri, Mar 28th, 2008
 The National Farm to School Program, a non-profit that aims to connect farmers with nearby school cafeterias, has emerged to address the growing effort to get kids to eat fresh produce. The program provides schools with produce, meats, and dairy products .... read more >>

Food program brings together schools, farmers
by G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Published: Mon, Mar 24th, 2008
 The National Farm to School Program, a non-profit effort to connect farmers with nearby school cafeterias, is going strong. In 1997, only six local programs existed, but now nearly 2,000 programs operate in 39 states. That means about 9% (11,000) of the n.... read more >>

Mystery meat for our kids?
by Rebecca Clarren
Published: Wed, Mar 19th, 2008
 The Farm to School Movement has been around for over a decade now and according to the Farm to School network, 38 states now host such programs, involving more than 10,000 schools.. read more >>

Provide safe, healthy meal options
by Mark Vallianatos and Moira Beery
Published: Mon, Mar 3rd, 2008
 In support of farm to school: With increased funding and a renewed commitment to providing truly healthy meal options, we would face fewer nightmare scenarios of untraceable tainted ingredients, and school food would no longer be a "downer," but.... read more >>

We chow down on a diet salted with mystery
by Julie Deardorff
Published: Mon, Feb 25th, 2008
 One of the most important outgrowths of farmers markets, however, is the growing popularity of farm-to-school programs, which are popping up all over the country, including Chicago, Oak Park, Grayslake and the northwest suburbs. Some of the efforts lin.... read more >>

Meat is a mystery to schools
by Victoria Kim and Janet Wilson
Published: Fri, Feb 22nd, 2008
 Officials at Chino and other school districts around the country have little clue where the food supplied through the National School Lunch Program comes from. After this week's largest-ever recall of beef -- nearly 50 million pounds of which went to scho.... read more >>

Renegade lunch lady saving kids' lives, one plate at a time
by Fran Fifis
Published: Thu, Jan 24th, 2008
 Ann Cooper is on a whirlwind campaign to change the way kids eat in schools. "We're killing our kids with food," she says. Half of all the Hispanic and African-American kids born in 2000 and one-third of Caucasian kids will have diabetes in the.... read more >>

Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Meals
Published: Tue, Jan 15th, 2008
 A University of Minnesota study that appeared in the Review of Agricultural Economics shows school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served and that more nutritious foods don't necessarily cost schools more to produce. The study contra.... read more >>

Eat Your Vegetables- Only at a Few Schools
by Elizabeth Becker and Marian Burros
Published: Wed, Jan 9th, 2008
 A school lunch often looks like an exercise in fat loading, with a supersize soft drink from a vending machine, followed by a candy bar from another machine. The meal is more in keeping with one from a fast-food outlet than what the Department of Agricult.... read more >>

Farmers Going Back to School
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Tue, Jan 8th, 2008
 The move underway in America, to connect schools to local farms, will be the best educational and nutritional enhancement to public health and education in this century. By virtue of their educational missions, community-building potential, and purchas.... read more >>

Fresh Food Nation
by Cathe Olson
Published: Mon, Jan 7th, 2008
 Some US schools now make it a priority to feed students fresh, wholesome food, and are turning to farm-to-school programs to improve the quality of school meals and the effectiveness of nutrition education. Farm-to-school programs not only offer healthy, .... read more >>

Things you can do now at your school
by Tara Roberts
Published: Tue, Dec 11th, 2007
 Eat locally and healthfully. Farm to School connects school cafeterias to local farms. Instead of shipping frozen foods across the nation in huge trucks, which uses tons of fuel, you can eat fresh produce and meat from around the corner. More than 700 sch.... read more >>

Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Food
by Associated Press
Published: Tue, Dec 11th, 2007
 Maybe getting schoolchildren to eat healthy foods isn't a hopeless struggle. Bucking some common notions, a University of Minnesota study has found that school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don.... read more >>

Empty bellies -- the real issue in homeland security
by Andrew Fisher and Mary Embleton
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 At first glance, America's food system may seem exemplary, at least for those of us with access to stores and who can afford grocery prices. We can visit a local supermarket almost anywhere in the country and buy Mexican mangoes in May, Chilean grapes in .... read more >>

Farmers, educators to talk lunch
by Sara Watson Arthurs
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 EUREKA -- Farmers, educators and parents will meet this week to discuss the possibility of including food from local farms in school lunches. Food for People is hosting the "Farm to School" conference, part of a national movement to make school .... read more >>

Food Fight
by Jerry L. Van Marter
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 At it's Nov. 10 annual meeting in Boston, the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) urged passage of The Farm to Cafeteria Projects Act, which is designed to help schools create a healthy menu through grants to school districts to buy local food fro.... read more >>

Lincoln schools to offer local greens for lunch
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 With its own rodeo grounds and plenty of nearby farms and ranches, Lincoln might seem like meat-and-potatoes territory. But the folks who plan school lunches say the area's rural roots make it ideal for offering kids a lighter menu option - a salad bar s.... read more >>

Educators talk about improving school lunches
by Sara Watson Arthurs
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 Remember the sickly green "mystery meat" of the school cafeteria -- how it had the texture of a well-used dish sponge? Around 70 people met at the Humboldt County Office of Education on Friday to try to come up with creative alternatives. School.... read more >>

Fresh, local food for kids will have long-term benefits
by Margaret Krome
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 Given the chance, children gobble freshly picked fruit. My favorite volunteer role at my daughter's urban elementary school is accompanying children to the outdoor classroom during lunch recess. Kids enjoy planting and weeding, but no activity compares to.... read more >>

Learning about agriculture
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 The kids are plant and soil savvy because they are members of the school's Garden Club, which is one facet in a coalition between the nationwide Farm to School program and the Valleywide Community Alliance With Family Farmers (CAFF). . read more >>

Parents learn how to create healthy school environment
by Jennifer Morey
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 About 40 parents interested in learning about or improving school meals attended the second annual Farm to School Conference put on by Food for People at the Humboldt County Library on Saturday. The focus of the conference was on empowering and assisting .... read more >>

Strawberries' Spring on the menu for Ashe County Schools
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 North Carolina school children will soon begin enjoying the fresh, sweet taste of locally grown strawberries at lunch as part of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services? Farm-to-School Program. Forty-one of the state's 116 school syst.... read more >>

The Best Food For Our Children
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 The Farm-To-School program operated by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Service (NCDA&CS) is good news for schoolchildren and good news for agriculture. This beneficial state program is helping to provide students with the b.... read more >>

Farm-to-School teaches kids to eat right
by Joy Agcongay
Published: Fri, Dec 7th, 2007
 Erik Zarco returned to the front of the line to get another bite of chard. "It's good. One more, please," he said. The recent High Ground Organics farm visit is part of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers? 2-year-old Farm-to-School pr.... read more >>

The Farm to School Program
by The Los Angeles Unified School District Nutrition Network
Published: Mon, Dec 3rd, 2007
 Farm to school program video: connecting farms and farmers to the classroom. read more >>

Stirring up nutrition goals for farm bill
by Nicole Gaouette
Published: Mon, Nov 26th, 2007
 Parents, nutritionists and physicians want Congress to overhaul the legislation, which they say promotes fatty school lunches, in an effort to fight obesity. Those changes would have a direct impact on Los Angeles children, said Elizabeth Medrano, an org.... read more >>

Community Food Projects and the Farm Bill
by Debra Eschmeyer
Published: Tue, Nov 6th, 2007
 Anyone who eats has an interest and stake in the farm bill. Passed by Congress approximately every five years, the farm bill is a giant piece of legislation that forms the foundation of our food system. It sets policies and budgets for everything from cro.... read more >>

Weed It and Reap
by Michael Pollan
Published: Mon, Nov 5th, 2007
 There's an important provision in both bills that will make it easier for schools to buy food from local farmers. And there's money to promote farmer's markets and otherwise support the local food movement.. read more >>

EPA Announces First-Ever Ag Advisory Committee
Published: Thu, Oct 18th, 2007
 "Continuing efforts to strengthen relations with the agriculture community, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the establishment of the first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. The panel is being formed unde.... read more >>

Oral Health America Celebrates National School Lunch Week
Published: Thu, Oct 18th, 2007
 Good oral health and good nutrition go hand-in-hand, and National School Lunch Week (October 15-19) is a great opportunity to ensure that children are eating healthy foods for lunch. . read more >>

Real food for real hunger
by Traci Hukill
Published: Tue, Oct 16th, 2007
 One afternoon in 1995, Oakland teacher David Roach was talking with one of his high school students when he had a life-changing realization. 'She was feeding her child some candy,' recalls Roach, a slightly built 40-year-old with waist-long dreadlocks. 'I.... read more >>

Somes schools, students make a hash of anti-junk food law
by Stacy Finz
Published: Tue, Oct 16th, 2007
 &quot;It seems that while kids were preparing to go back to school this fall, food manufacturers were busy re-creating their products - shrinking portions, eliminating trans fats and baking instead of frying - to make them meet the requirements of the.... read more >>


Published: Mon, Oct 15th, 2007
 . read more >>

Federal Rule Kills Proposal On Farm Sales to Schools
by Daniel de Vise
Published: Mon, Oct 15th, 2007
 State Del. Jane E. Lawton (D-Montgomery) abruptly withdrew a bill yesterday that would have allowed Maryland school systems to give farmers a small competitive advantage in selling food for consumption in schools and other facilities.. read more >>

School lunch with more local touches
Published: Sat, Oct 13th, 2007
 Last week I took my two kids with me to a farmers' market. That in itself is nothing new. But for whatever reason - alignment of planets or phase of the moon - this time they were filled with excitement over the bounty before them. "Do you want to ha.... read more >>

Beach Café promotes healthy eating at high school
by Sarah Bates
Published: Fri, Oct 5th, 2007
 Featured as one of the leaders in healthy meal plans, Fallbrook High School strives to better itself by implementing programs which are both tasty and healthy. These changes have been the result in rising concern from parents on a national scale which led.... read more >>

A Tamer of Schools Has Plan in New Orleans
by Adam Nossiter
Published: Fri, Oct 5th, 2007
 Despite the two year anniversary this August of Hurricane Katrina, it is safe to say that the emotional and social impacts far outweighs the physical devastation caused by this natural disaster. As the new year starts in New Orleans, vocal school administ.... read more >>

The School Cafeteria, on a Diet
by Andrew Martin
Published: Fri, Oct 5th, 2007
 Due to Senate Bill 965, there are now tighter limitations as to what good food is and what junk food is. Ever since the banning of deep fryers in school cafeterias, schools have replaced formerly deep fried food for its baked counterpart, lowering meals? .... read more >>

Mayor Hazel McCallion and Mississauga middle school students to harvest healthy "local food" snack
by Diana Crosbie
Published: Tue, Oct 2nd, 2007
 <p> Children and families in Greater Toronto urban communities such as Mississauga are missing a strong sense that local farms are a big source of healthy food. They are separated from nearby Greenbelt farms, not only by miles of highways and roads .... read more >>

School Food Should Lead to Help
by Jennifer Wilkins
Published: Tue, Oct 2nd, 2007
 A&nbsp;familiar proverb claims &quot;all roads lead to Rome.&quot; Well-engineered roads were a key strategy for the Roman Empire&#39;s military, commercial and political expansion. At the Community Food Security Coalition&#39;s Nation.... read more >>

Family Meals during Adolescence Are Associated with Higher Diet Quality and Healthful Meal Patterns
by Nicole I. Larson, MPH, RD, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Peter J. Hannan, MStat, Mary Story
Published: Tue, Oct 2nd, 2007
 <p>An interesting study proving that &quot;Family meals during adolescence may have a lasting positive influence on dietary quality and meal patterns in young adulthood.&quot;</p>. read more >>

"Advocates push for school grown lunches"
by Walter Yost Bee
Published: Mon, Oct 1st, 2007
 &quot; Getting up close and personal with a homegrown tomato could help combat the high incidence of childhood diabetes and ...&quot;. read more >>

Tory Pledge: Schools, Hospitals to Buy Local
by GLORIA GALLOWAY AND DAVID ANDREATTA
Published: Thu, Sep 20th, 2007
 <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px" class="Apple-style-span">Hospital patients, school children, civil servants and provincial prisoners would eat Ontario broccoli, apples, pork and everything else grown and raised o.... read more >>

Watsonville
by Matthew Sommer
Published: Thu, Sep 13th, 2007
 UC Santa Cruz students will be building a garden at Watsonville&rsquo;s Renaissance Continuation High School this quarter and teaching the students about sustainable farming techniques. . read more >>

Bringing the Farm Home
by Sharon Letts
Published: Thu, Sep 13th, 2007
 <span id="ArticleControl1_lblBody">According to a poll conducted by California Food Policy Advocates, in Humboldt County, 42 percent of youths over the age of 5 and 46 percent of adults are overweight. The study goes on to state that unhea.... read more >>

Green Food in the School Cafeteria: Is it Healthy?
by Earth Talk
Published: Wed, Sep 5th, 2007
 Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria food is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators. And luckily for the environmen.... read more >>

Eat the earth
by Loren Haar
Published: Tue, Aug 28th, 2007
 Remember school lunches? Those tater tots and ochre-colored hamburgers, the canned green beans and- what was it?- Chef&#39;s Surprise? Things are different now in Ventura County. Farm-to-school programs are bringing fresh food and nutrition education .... read more >>

Program connects farmers to HSU
by Cerena Johnson
Published: Thu, Aug 9th, 2007
 <span id="ArticleControl1_lblBody">This month, Humboldt County&rsquo;s chapter of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers will launch a pilot program for local farmers to provide food to Humboldt State University.<br /></.... read more >>

How does your garden grow?
Published: Thu, Aug 9th, 2007
 Students from Mississauga&#39;s Thomas Street Middle School will get their hands dirty next Monday when they travel to a working farm to plant tomatoes.&nbsp; About 30 Grades 6-8 students will visit farmer Lorenz Eppinger to help him plant his .... read more >>

Program to Improve School Nutrition, Support Local Farms to Go National With $2.3 Million Kellogg Gr
by Public Interest Newswire
Published: Tue, Jul 17th, 2007
 Building on previous success in several states, a $2.34 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will make it possible for the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College to establish and coordinate - in collaboration with the Community Food S.... read more >>

Media That Matters: Good Food
by Arts Engine Inc.
Published: Thu, May 3rd, 2007
 A number of short documentaries about food, farming, gardening, youth involvement, soda in schools and more! . read more >>

Teaching Kids about Real Food
by Umut Newbury
Published: Tue, May 1st, 2007
 School lunch is a serious matter for Alice Waters, a California chef, restaurateur and a longtime organic food advocate. In her newest school initiative, Waters has convinced the Berkeley Unified School District to include food as part of its academic cur.... read more >>

Schumer outlines plans for Farm Bill 2007
by Eric Monnat
Published: Tue, May 1st, 2007
 Sen. Charles E. Schumer proposes farm bill for 2007 that gives farmers a voice.. read more >>

Offering a Fresh Alternative
by Richard Dymond
Published: Tue, Feb 27th, 2007
 For the past year, students at Jefferson Elementary School in Riverside, Calif., have had a choice at lunchtime. Along with the usual hot entree option the Jefferson Unified School District offers for about $2, for the same price children can choose a sal.... read more >>

We get to eat the food!
by Ali Bay
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 In the morning shade that surrounds Birch Lane Elementary School in Davis, Calif., the chirping of birds is replaced with the quiet clanking of hoes and shovels. A handful of eager fifth-graders has attacked a few pesky weeds and withering crops that have.... read more >>

Environment Grants Awarded
by The Republican
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The New England Grassroots Environment Fund in Montpelier, Vt., has awarded $32,000 in grants to 20 community groups across the Bay State.. read more >>

How a School Salad Bar Can Be a Learning Experience, Too.
by Robert Gottlieb and Michelle Mascarenhas
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 &quot;Picture this: Lunchtime for 900 students at Castelar Street Elementary in Chinatown, one of L.A. Unified&#39;s 430 elementary schools.&nbsp; Less than half the students grab fried tacos, while more than half line up for the farmers&#.... read more >>

BUSD Wins Food Award For Improving Child Health
by J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Berkeley Unified School District has received a Golden Carrot&mdash;a top national award for food service&mdash;from the Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).. read more >>

Windsor students buying into healthy food
by Nathan Wright
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Sarah Lemmon knows exactly why she eats salad every day at school. &quot;It&#39;s good vitamin C,&quot; said the Windsor Creek Elementary School third grader. &quot;It will make me strong, and healthy, and smart.&quot; . read more >>

Editorial: Nutritious school lunches a boon for Windsor
by B.W.D.
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 To many of us who recall the offerings of the school cafeteria, nutritious school lunches would appear to be an anomaly. Stewed prunes and sloppy joe&#39;s hardly fit today&#39;s standards of a healthy diet.. read more >>

Davis school program supports life-long healthy eating habits in children
by Heather Graham, Gail Feenstra, Ann M. Evans, and Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The school environment can positively affect students in areas beyond traditional academic achievement. An innovative program in Davis, the Farm to School Connection, sought to promote the development of life-long healthy eating habits in children and to .... read more >>

If You Build It, Children Will Come to the Salad Bar
by Mary MacVean
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 In the cafeteria at Caldwell Elementary School in Compton one day recently, not a single child was in line for the standard lunch of corn dogs and canned fruit. A few feet away, though, a dozen children stood waiting for the salad bar, where the line has .... read more >>

Alliance introduces guide to locally grown food
by Gwen Mickelson
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Locally grown food tastes better, according to Liv Nevin of Community Alliance With Family Farmers. The alliance is about to release its first edition of the Local Food Guide, designed to make finding Central Coast-grown food easier for consumers.. read more >>

Community Alliance With Family Farmers produces guide to fresh foods from Central Coast farms
by Register-Pajaronian staff
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The first edition of the Local Food Guide, produced by the Community Alliance With Family Farmers, is rolling off the presses. This free, 32-page resource is a guide to local food and farming in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties. Copies will be.... read more >>

Coffee House venturing to locally grown produce
by Angela Pang
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 For fans of organic food or those interested in trying something different and healthier, the ASUCD Coffee House recently began featuring locally grown produce as salad bar selections.. read more >>

UC researchers find farm-to-school programs shift students
by Lynn Halprin
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 If given a choice of fresh fruits and vegetables, children will eat them, according to a University of California study.. read more >>

Chef To Plant Health Garden To Feed Fremont's Students
by Amy Bentley-Smith
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Is it possible for an elementary-aged child to want a stalk of celery instead of a candy bar, to be excited about making a broccoli casserole as if it were Rice Crispy treats?. read more >>

Gobbling Greens
by Jacquie Paul
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 On pizza day at Jefferson Elementary School, most youngsters were more interested in lettuce, broccoli and strawberries. A long line formed outside the school&#39;s cafeteria as students waited to heap trays with fresh goods from the new Farmer&#3.... read more >>

Let'em eat salad
by Josh Miner
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Here are a few statistics from the California Department of Health Services that every parent should find alarming: 7 in 10 kids consume two or more servings of junk food a day, while only 3 in 10 eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vege.... read more >>

Forums seek ways to put health foods in schools
by Jeff Tobin
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 A growing number of parents, teachers and health specialists are looking toward fresh, locally grown foods to convert children from sugar cane to sugar snap peas.. read more >>

No Kidding. School Food that Tastes Good
by Diane Conners
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 &quot;In 1997, when Rodney Taylor directed food service for the public schools in Santa Monica and Malibu, Calif., he juggled menu planning, orders, deliveries, and supervised the cooks who made lunch for 15,000 students. Mr. Taylor believed his finel.... read more >>

Food-community ties put on the front burner
by Sara Watson Arthurs
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Eat local. That was the basic goal in a series of sessions Tuesday where farmers met with produce-buying groups and businesses to see how to get area residents eating more locally grown food.. read more >>

Redman House to open stand
by Roger Sideman
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 After a rainy winter, strawberries, sweet peas and carrots, those heralds of spring, are hot sellers. Organic farmer Stephen Pedersen is eager for this weekend&#39;s opening the Redman House Farmstand beside the historic home on Lee Road.. read more >>

Pine Hill shows off salad bar
by Sara Watson Arthurs
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The new cafeteria addition is the latest in the county wide Farm to School movement, which aims to promote connections between schools and local farmers for both nutritional and economic benefits. Students will also be taking field trips to area farms to .... read more >>

Fresh food goes to urban classes
by Judith Gerber
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The highly urbanized city of Compton might seem an unlikely place to find farm-fresh produce, but that&rsquo;s just what elementary students in the Compton Unified School District find on a daily basis as the district now operates farm-to-school salad.... read more >>

Farm Collectives Cultivate Ties to School Lunch Plans
by Fred Alvarez
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The Rodriguez brothers were ready to call it quits. After a quarter century of farming, the Oxnard strawberry growers couldn't manage to turn a buck anymore between soaring costs and sinking prices. Then they went back to school.. read more >>

Students Seek Food That
by Cara Mia DiMassa
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The corner of Alvarado Street and Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles is a fast-food lover&#39;s paradise. A Winchell&#39;s doughnut shop shares the mini-mall there with a liquor store that also sells an array of chips and sodas, a frozen yogurt stor.... read more >>

Farm-to-School bill in the works
by Judith Gerber
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 As farm-to-school programs spread throughout California, a proposed bill to create a California Farm to School Nutrition Improvement Program is working its way through the state legislature.. read more >>

Schools Cutting Back on Junk Food: Soda Pop, Candy Gone
by Jose L. Sanchez Jr
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Ongoing changes in food service at Petaluma city schools and a new computer system that will eliminate the stigma associated with subsidized meals should result in better nutrition, school officials said.. read more >>

Farm-to-School Programs Promote Healthy Lifesyle
by Anupama Joshi and Moira Beery
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Picture a school food service staff strolling through a farmers&#39; market, chatting with farmers and ordering the freshest of produce for the school cafeteria. A few years back, this was unheard of but not any more!. read more >>

With a little work, there's hope for preventing diabetes
by Liz Koch
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 For many of us, diabetes can be crossed off our list of possible diseases if only we are willing to take action. Prevention is the key. Easier said than done, prevention includes personal lifestyle changes and even more difficult cultural and social chang.... read more >>

Go All-Organic!
by Jeanne Howard
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Demand for organic foods has been steadily expanding from what was an esoteric stratum into a demographically mixed consumer group&mdash;yet still only a handful of chefs in Monterey County restaurants are committed to using organic ingredients. In a .... read more >>

Offering a Fresh Alternative
by Richard Dymond
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 For the past year, students at Jefferson Elementary School in Riverside, Calif., have had a choice at lunchtime. Along with the usual hot entree option the Jefferson Unified School District offers for about $2, for the same price children can choose a sal.... read more >>

Obesity war
by Stacy Finz
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 There&#39;s a cartoon circulating among nutritionists these days: two really overweight parents -- one sprawled on the couch in front of the television with a soda resting on his belly, the other dishing up ice cream in the kitchen -- and their chubby.... read more >>

Healthy eating puts money in pockets of Fresno-area growers
by Robert Rodriguez
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 The federal government&#39;s new guidelines urging Americans to drink more milk and eat more fruits and vegetables are drawing cheers from many central San Joaquin Valley farmers.. read more >>

Advocates push for homegrown school lunches
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 Getting up close and personal with a homegrown tomato could help combat the high incidence of childhood diabetes and obesity nationwide.. read more >>

Fertile Minds
by Shirin Parsavand
Published: Wed, Feb 21st, 2007
 To many students, working in a school garden feels more like play. Even pulling weeds is a break from the classroom. Their teachers, though, know they are learning all the while, about how plants grow and how to work together.. read more >>

Farm Fresh Idea
by Dennis Pollock
Published: Tue, Feb 20th, 2007
 Bridges between Valley farmers and school food-service programs aren&#39;t built in a day. But if a meeting this week in Fresno is any indication, some of the building blocks are starting to move into place &mdash; thanks to some on-the-spot conne.... read more >>

Fate of ag bills decided
by Ali Bay
Published: Tue, Feb 20th, 2007
 More than 950 bills slid across Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger&rsquo;s desk this year, tackling everything from country-of-origin labeling and air quality to organic aquaculture and farm to school programs.. read more >>

Local Food Program Focuses on Schools
by Dale Rodebaugh
Published: Fri, Feb 16th, 2007
 Southwest Coloroda tries to create a connection between farm and plate in their community.. read more >>