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Marketing specialist likes what she sees in Farm to School Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Agri News staff writer
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa -- The Iowa Farm to School Program was created in 2007 by the Legislature, said Tammy Stott, a marketing specialist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. She and marketing specialist Emily Wadle coordinate the program.
The program has grown from chapters in four school districts to nine for the coming year, Stott said. She and Wadle were in Independence earlier this month to help freeze sweet corn and zucchini.
Activities in the various chapters include locally-grown Iowa food procurement, eating fresh fruit and vegetables from Iowa, school gardens, field trips to local farms and orchards, purchase of kitchen equipment to better serve students' needs, educational presentations and materials, food fairs and classroom activities.
In addition to the chapter program, several statewide initiatives are available. "A is for Apple" initiative was launched last year to encourage the purchase of locally grown apples. More than 20 schools applied, and 10 schools in five counties were selected. More than 1,789 students were served apples on at least one occasion.
A new initiative this year is "Wrap Your Own-Iowa Grown." The initiative promotes the purchase of locally-grown vegetables and products to create Iowa grown wraps. Participating schools will receive $200 to help purchase of locally-grown food.
"I think this is great," said Wadle as she sliced zucchini with Independence volunteers Jon Holland and Teresa Nenning.
In addition to serving locally grown foods in school lunches as part of the Independence Farm to School program last year, third- to fifth-graders at West Elementary received samples of jicama, bok choy and snow peas, said Kelly Duritsa, director of food service for the Independence School District.
Iowa State University Extension worked with third graders on an activity that compared the food route of vegetables from the grocery store vs. the route from the local farmers' market. Seventh graders visited Applecart Orchard in Vinton, Hansens' Dairy in Hudson and Priebes' family farm in Brandon.
Duritsa said that her Farm to School Chapter sees the program as a way of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among students and improving the quality of the fruits and vegetables they eat. It's good for the environment, and it benefits the local economy.
For more information about Iowa Farm to School Program see www.iowaagriculture.gov/AgDiversification/farmToSchoolProgram.asp.
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