Farm to School: Local program supports community food systems

Farm to School programs bring nutritious, locally-produced foods to school children and communities nationwide, including the state of Wyoming.

Each program provides opportunities to teach students about where food comes from, who grows it and helps instill healthy eating habits. 

Using local produce in school cafeterias gives producers a new direct market and mitigates the effects of transporting food long distances.

The Farm to School network endeavors support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, reduce childhood obesity and improve student nutrition habits, states the Farm to School website.

According to Wyoming Farm to School Coordinator Bobby Lane, “Farm to School programs extend beyond using local foods in the cafeteria, including programs like composting, hands-on educational opportunities such as planting school gardens, cooking demonstrations, farm field trips and educational videos.”

Farm to School not only aids children in gaining agricultural and nutritional knowledge, it also benefits local producers and helps foster a stronger community.

The goal of the Wyoming Farm to School Program is to support healthy children, schools, farms and communities by utilizing local agriculture.

The program

Farm to School is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, officially called the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program.

According to the Wyoming Farm to School website, the Farm to School program helps school nutrition programs incorporate local foods in the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program and all other associated programs.

Though a growing network, Lane has helped increase the number of schools who receive locally-grown foods for their school meals and snacks while providing complimentary educational activities which emphasize food, farming and nutrition. 

“I encourage producers – large or small – to reach out to me as I can help identify opportunities for their locally-sourced goods which will nourish children in the community,” he stated. “It is my passion. I love making connections that will benefit everyone involved in the program. It’s exciting to see it full circle and the educational piece it brings to many.”

Here in the Cowboy State, the Farm to School program is growing, and local food and agricultural education activities are showing up in the cafeteria, the classroom and local gardens.

The program means more fresh, local food is on the menu in school cafeterias, and school gardens are becoming a popular extension to the classroom.

Lane said, “Across the curriculum, school gardens can bring learning to life and produce food to serve in school meals.”

School gardens, hydroponic growing and hoop houses are among the top activities in the Wyoming Farm to School program, he noted.

Recently, the legislature passed a bill aiding schools in processing local beef, and now with local meats and school gardens, Wyoming schools and childcare facilities are seeing more fresh, local foods.

“Fresh and nutritional locally-sourced foods can help cultivate long-term healthy eating habits in students,” Lane explained. “Offering locally-grown foods in the cafeteria gives teachers, parents and students the chance to learn and understand where their food comes from and who grows it.”

Events

In April, Lane brought Bringing the Farm to School Training to a group of 20 individuals from around the state to learn about the intricacies of school markets, including how to develop their products and package them for school market channels. 

This diverse group included sheep ranchers, Tribal food sovereignty advocates, cattle ranchers and vegetable farmers.

On Oct. 2, Wyoming will be celebrating Farm to School Day to celebrate all of the agricultural products Wyoming has to offer by serving schools across the state, bringing agriculture into the cafeteria. 

“Wyoming has over 60 percent of the state’s school districts participating in the Farm to School program, including 42 active school districts,” Lane noted.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.