This Week in Farm to School from NC: April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023

This Week in Farm to School

Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.

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Apex High Team Wins 2023 North Carolina Jr. Chef Cook-Off

Eight high school finalist teams competed in the annual North Carolina Jr. Chef cook-off this month to create unique school lunch entreé recipes. The “Waffle House” team from Apex High with Wake County Public Schools won first place in the 2023 North Carolina Jr. Chef Competition. The Apex High team worked to create a healthier version of fried chicken and waffles, a student favorite. They made sweet and savory waffles from scratch incorporating sweetpotatoes and chives. Baked maple-barbeque glazed chicken and a fresh slaw with cabbage, apples, and carrots accompanied the waffles.

Learn more here.

How to Sell to K - 12 Schools Webinar

April 11, 2023 // 1 pm ET

Join the Center for Environmental Farming Systems’ Farm to School Initiative for a webinar to learn more about the Local Food For Schools Program and selling to K -12 schools in NC. Elena Toro Rogers, Food Specialist at NC State, will share NC Cooperative Extension Food Safety resources. Heather Barnes, Marketing Specialist at NCDA&CS will walk through what farmers need to know to sell to schools directly and through NCDA's Farm to School Program. Gabe Cumming, Co-Founder and Associate Director of Working Landscapes will share his experiences as a vendor.

Strength-Based Approach and Centering Community Agency in Grant Writing

April 11, 2023 // 2 pm - 4 pm ET

Please join the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN) for a webinar with Dr. Anne Phibbs, Founder and President of Strategic Diversity Initiatives. Even with the best intentions to impact positive change, public health professionals often fail to recognize the ways in which their biases prevent them from acting as allies to the communities they serve. If we only see the problems and deficiencies within communities, we perpetuate constructs like saviorism, classism, and racism, while hindering our ability to partner and promote health and wellbeing. In this workshop, we address the shortcomings of a ‘deficit approach,’ explore allyship through strength-based communications, and how to center community agency in grant writing.

Learn more here.

District Organization and Management

April 19, 2023 // 2 pm ET

This is the first of a two-part webinar series, hosted by the School Garden Support Organization Network, that is focusing on school district-wide garden programs led by school district staff and the unique opportunities and challenges they face.

Celebrating National Garden Month with USDA

April 26, 2023 // 3 pm ET

Join the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service for the inaugural People’s Garden Initiative webinar to kick off National Garden Month. They will have a special message from Mrs. Christie Vilsack, learn about our country’s rich gardening history, and feature success stories from the Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School grantees.

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The Farm to School Coalition of NC (F2SCNC) Wants to Hear from You!

The Farm to School Coalition of NC is working with the NC Farm to Preschool Network to assess the pros and cons of potentially merging our two groups or working together in some ways. Please take five minutes to complete this short SURVEY - your input is anonymous and will help inform the future direction of our work. Thank you!

Take the survey here.

Recycled Rain Gauge Activity

Knowing how much rain has fallen helps young gardeners understand the relationship between weather and garden growth. This activity, created by NC Cooperative Extension, gives gardeners the opportunity to build their own rain gauge.

Learn more here.

Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten

Explore the expanded edition of Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten, created by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. The updated set includes additional food cards, Spanish-language components, and fun new resources showing where food comes from. Discover MyPlate is fun and inquiry-based nutrition education that fosters the development of healthy food choices and physically active lifestyles during a critical developmental and learning period for children.

Learn more here.

Landscape Design for Youth Gardens

This course is designed by KidsGardening. Learn the basic steps and elements of landscape design for an interactive, fun, and sustainable youth garden.

Learn more here.

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Distinguishing Between Native Food Sovereignty and Native Food Security in Indian Country

This resource is from the First Nations Development Institute. Distinguishing Between Native Food Sovereignty and Native Food Security in Indian Country is a three-part series that includes Perspectives on Native Food Sovereignty and Health Equity, Native Food Security from Lack to Abundance, and Serving Native Youth: A Dialogue on Native Food Sovereignty and Native Food Security. Get a glimpse into how four Native-led organizations pushing youth food and cultural education forward think about their approach to Native Food Sovereignty and Native Food Security.

Learn more here.

Resources for Educators on Children’s Racial Learning

These resources accompany the EmbraceRace and EdWeb joint webinar, The Key Role of Educators in the Emerging Field of Children’s Racial Learning. They give you more information and starting points to learn about the science and practice of supporting healthy Children’s Racial Learning.

Learn more here.

NC Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Going Local Grant

Deadline: April 15, 2023

North Carolina Farm Bureau is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to North Carolina teachers through their Ag in the Classroom Going Local program. These grants value up to $500. Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and the NC Standard Course of Study. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply.

Learn more here.

USDA NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program RFA

Deadline: April 27, 2023

The primary goal of the BFRDP is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability. Applications from partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural education organizations (SAEOs) with expertise in agricultural training and outreach for beginning producers will be given priority in funding. Awards may range from $49,000 - $750,000.

Learn more and apply here.

North Carolina House Bill 398

A section of NC House Bill 398 proposes providing lunches at no cost to public school students in the state. This bill was filed on March 15, 2023.

Learn more here.

Federal Government Actions to Support Local Processing

The Strengthening Local Processing Act of 2023 (US HR 945) was introduced in February 2023 to support small meat and poultry processing establishments. The National Farm to School Network shares more information about this Act, other federal support for local processing, and how these actions bolster farm to school activities in their new blog post.

Learn more here.

Federal Bill Would Permanently Increase School Meal Reimbursement Rates

This article by Benita Gingerella shares more information about the Healthy Meals Helps Kids Learn Act and other state-level school meals for all campaigns around the country.