Farm to School Newsletter - October 2020

 

Hello Everyone,

Time flies when you’re crunching local apples, and we’re already over half way through this year’s Farm to School + Early Care Education (ECE) Month. At the beginning of October, our Farm to School + ECE Leadership team was eager to kick things off knowing that the 2020 registration provided a variety of ways for everyone to participate. Despite the challenging and sometimes discouraging nature of this year, over 65,000 people have registered to crunch so far! That is remarkable and I want to give an enormous thank you to everyone who took the time to register. 

Although this celebratory month is going by quickly, it also launches us into a new season of opportunities to engage in Farm to School programming and to continue sharing on-the-ground successes. Just this week, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) opened two grant applications that invite MN schools to grow their Farm to School programming regardless of having prior experience, and last week USDA launched their Farm to School grant program. The MDA is also launching an innovative pilot to explore a regional Farm to School program model. 

This mid-month issue provides information about these exciting grants and the pilot. You will also find a shared story from Kelliher, MN and highlights from the field. 

 

Jackie Billhymer & Stephanie Heim
University of Minnesota Extension
Member of Minnesota’s Farm to School Leadership Team