March 2, 2023

This Week in Farm to School 

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

Beaufort County Schools Receives the Silver Turnip the Beet Award

Congratulations to Beaufort County School's Summer Nutrition Program for receiving the US Department of Agriculture's Turnip the Beet Award. The district received the Silver Turnip the Beet Award for going above and beyond to serve nutritious and appealing summer meals that feature locally grown ingredients, solicit and incorporate student input into menus, and encourage healthy eating.

Learn more here.

2023 Racial Equity Challenge Launch Webinar

March 7, 2023, 2:00 pm EST

Join Food Solutions New England (FSNE) for an informational introduction to their 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge which will be held in April. This webinar will be held over Zoom where you'll learn more about the 21-Day challenge and what you can expect from getting involved whether you participate as an organization, group, or individual. The Challenge is a great way to learn about the history and impacts of racism on our current food system while inspiring participants with resources and tools to build racial equity in their work and lives. 

Register for the launch webinar here.

Non-Linear Garden Design as an Identity-Affirming Garden Practice

March 15, 2023 // 2 pm ET

Join the Academy for Global Citizenship in a conversation on exploring nonlinear garden designs as a way to re-center the practices of ancestral growers and invite conversations about identity and heritage into our garden programs. Get inspiration and concrete strategies for culturally affirming garden education to translate for any garden program.

Register here.

2023 Community Food Gathering - Forging Our Food Future

March 15 - 16, 2023 // Rocky Mount, NC

The Community Food Gathering is Community Food Strategies’ signature statewide event which brings together farm and food system leaders, public service and nonprofit leaders, local food councils, key partners, and community food advocates across the state. This gathering organizes various food system stakeholders to explore solutions, learn skills, and strategize around how to create a food system built by us and for us. 

Learn more here.

2023 Chatham County Spring Ag Fest

March 25, 2023 // 10 am - 2 pm ET

Chatham County invites everyone to join them for their 4th annual Spring Ag Fest at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center (CCACC). The Spring Ag Fest is a celebration of Chatham County’s agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. The event will offer something for everyone: livestock arena events, demonstrations, food, and more. 

Learn more here.

Eastern and Western North Carolina Planting Guide

Springtime is approaching! Deciding what to plant in your spring garden can be overwhelming. When do you plant carrots in Western North Carolina? How deep do you tuck the chard seeds into the soil? NC State Extension has developed fun and engaging planting guides for Eastern and Western North Carolina to assist communities on their school garden journey. 

Piedmont and Coastal Plain Guide and Western North Carolina Guide.

Register Your Garden with the NC School Garden Network (NCSGN)

NC School Garden Network aims to cultivate a community of support among school gardens in North Carolina. Connect with NCSGN and other school gardens by following them on Instagram and registering your school garden!

Register here.

Teaching Environmental Issues in Social Studies: Education for Civic Sustainability in the 21st Century

This National Council for Social Studies’ e-book offers essential information and recommends exemplary methods for teaching about environmental issues and challenges of sustainability in the social studies classroom. 

Learn more here.

How to Plan a Student-Centered Farmer Visit to Your School

The Center for Ecoliteracy has created a guide for schools to plan and host student-centered visits from local farms. 

Learn more here.

Farming While Black in America

This Anti-Racism Daily article shares the experience of Black ranchers in Colorado who have been the target of racial harassment after purchasing land in a predominately white area.

Learn more here.

Native Farmers Push for More Equitable Training and Support in the Farm Bill

This Civil Eats article explores how expanding the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) could level the playing field for Indigenous food producers as they address climate change and food sovereignty.

Learn more here.

Confronting Racial Bias at Work

Race Fowards' resource reviews the systemic barriers impacting workers of color drawing upon academic research, interviews with discrimination lawers and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) officials, and surveys of worker advocates.

Learn more here.

2023 NCDA&CS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Tomorrow! Deadline: March 3, 2023 

The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Nonprofits and government agencies wishing to apply should send a pdf draft application to jenni.keith@ncagr.gov. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. The department will accept grant requests up to $200,000.

Learn more here.

RAFI-USA Beginning Farmers Stipend

Deadline: March 13, 2023

RAFI-USA is accepting applications for the 2023 Beginning Farmers Stipend, a new granting program. Stipends support the success of beginning farmers by helping to reduce financial barriers and may be used to cover farming start-up and/or production costs. Individual applicants may request between $3,000 - $5,000 in funding. 

Learn more here.

Growing Justice: The Fund for Equitable Good Food Procurement

Deadline: March 16, 2023

GROWING JUSTICE aims to invest in efforts to solidify leadership, dignity and power of Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and immigrant people to identify and drive solutions that expand the market for good food from locally or regionally owned, and environmentally and economically sustainable farms, ranches, fisheries and food businesses. Awards of $50,000 to $250,000 are available to support community-led efforts to advance the vision and values of GROWING JUSTICE.

Learn more here.

School Nutrition Foundation Equipment Grants

Deadline: March 31, 2023

The School Nutrition Foundation is teaming up with industry partners to provide new kitchen equipment to districts. Apply now for the 2023 SNF Equipment Grant Program, featuring applications for five grants! Eligible applicants have the opportunity to win equipment grants, each worth between $20,000 to $100,000 of equipment. Applications and photos must be submitted by a School Nutrition Director. There is a submission cap of 30 applications for each grant. 

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.

School Meals Day of Action and Appreciation

School Meals for All NC will no longer be meeting in Raleigh on March 14 due to another rally being hosted that day. Instead, join from wherever you are on March 9 to support school meals for all and educate NC legislators and your community about the importance of school meals for all in one or more of the following ways:

• Make a phone call to your legislators. Don’t know what to say? They’ll provide a script!
• Email your legislators. Their action alert system will make it easy and convenient. 
• Post to social media with posts from their toolkit.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
• Share your school meals story.
• Write a handwritten thank you note to the School Nutrition staff at your local school letting them know how much you appreciate them. They managed to keep serving meals on the front lines throughout the pandemic, and they are committed to providing healthy meals to our children no matter what.
• Participate in another way – share your ideas with them and they can help!

Learn more here.

Starting 2023 Strong for School Meals: January/February Policy Updates

FoodCorps’ policy memo shares updates addressing food in schools, Child Nutrition, and more. The memo gives a brief overview of the last two months of policy and advocacy on behalf of kids’ health and well-being.

Learn more here.

Proposed Updates to the School Nutrition Standards

The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service recently issued a proposed rule regarding Child Nutrition Standards. USDA held a briefing on the proposed rule on February 6. The briefing recording, proposed rule, and other related resources are available on the USDA website. The proposed rule is available for public comment from February 7 - April 10, 2023.

Learn more here.

Background on USDA Update to Child Nutrition Standards

The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) has created a guide that provides a background for the proposed updates to the Child Nutrition Standards. NFSN is currently seeking input from farm to school partners to help inform their platform surrounding these standards.

Learn more here.