Maine Farm to
School News
December 2020
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2020 Farm To School Success Story
In 2020, the Falmouth Farm to School program continued to integrate nature, gardens, and nutrition into the curriculum across all grades. With schools moving to distance education in the spring, they developed a YouTube channel for the program. The Farm to School team also spearheaded their ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) program, working with teachers, administration, and facilities to develop outdoor classrooms.
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Thank You for a Successful Maine
Food Convergence Work Session!
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Click to learn more about the Maine Food Convergence - a collaboration between five Maine local food and climate networks, hosting a series of virtual networking events in Feb-March.
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Food and Agriculture Policy in New England Webinar Recording
Watch the recording of the Dec. 16th Food Solutions New England webinar:
The Time is Now: Assessing the Policy Landscape for New England's Food Future.
featuring Chellie Pingree, Amanda Beal and Vanessa Garcia Polanco
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Upcoming 2021 Events
"How Maine Feeds Our Children During the Coronavirus Pandemic"
January 21, 2021
10am - 12pm
Virtual Food System Networking Events
Feb 16 - March 11, 2021
Virtual Summit
April 1, 8, and 15, 2021
"Nutrition From the Sea"
Bar Harbor, ME
April 29, 2021
Reeds Brook Middle School
Hampden, ME
May 1, 2021
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Photo: Tammy Robinson's hogs |
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December School Spotlight: Sebago Elementary School
The Sebago Elementary School students had a very special Maine harvest lunch. The wonderful kitchen staff prepared roasted root vegetables made from locally sourced beets, carrots, and potatoes. For dessert, apples from Douglas Hill Orchard, owned by the Lucy family, were made into a delicious apple crisp. The most special part of this fantastic meal was the amazing roast pork. This portion was special because part of the ration the pig received was food waste from our school cafeteria. The food had come full circle, and it was amazing.
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—by Ted Bridge-Koenigsberg, Fourth Grade Teacher at Sebago Elementary School
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Harvest of the Month Program |
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December is Maine Winter Squash Month! |
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January is Maine Potatoes Month! |
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Share your Harvest of the Month photos & stories on Instagram @hom.maine #mainehom. Contact Robin Kerber at robin.kerber@maine.gov to learn more about participating in Harvest of the Month
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Harvest of the Month Curriculum from Maine Ag in the Classroom |
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Center for Science in the Public Interest's State and Local Policy Campaign Grant Funding Opportunities
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CSPI is excited to announce a new funding opportunity for state and local advocates working to advance innovative policies to measurably improve the food environments in schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and federal, state, and local programs to support public health, especially for low-income families and communities of color. Deadline: Rolling basis until December 31. Learn more and apply.
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The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) establishes a Farm to School Program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. Deadline is January 8, 2021.
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Funding is available for six priority areas in fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. Deadlines vary based on program.
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Policy Updates from National Farm to School
1. USDA Publishes Proposed Rule Maintaining School Meal Flexibilities
The USDA announced it will publish a proposed rule maintaining flexibility for schools to serve tasty meals their kids will be eager to eat. These proposed changes respond directly to the needs of nutrition professionals who are the experts on-the-ground, hearing from our children every day. The proposed rule would maintain flexibility in USDA child nutrition program meal requirements related to milk, grains, and sodium, by:
- Allowing flavored, low-fat milk in the Child Nutrition Programs;
- Allowing half of the weekly grains offered through the school meal programs to be whole grain-rich; and
- Providing schools more time for gradual sodium reduction by retaining Sodium Target 1 through the end of SY 2023-2024, continuing to Target 2 in SY 2024-2025, and eliminating the Final Target. The proposed rule was publish in the Federal Register on Nov. 25th, followed by a 30-day public comment period.
2. NFSN's 2021 Transition Recommendations for USDA
The transition to a new Presidential administration comes with a change in leadership at important federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This moment is an inflection point, where farm to school and farm to early care and education advocates can call for new leadership in how policies and programs are administered. Karen Spangler, National Farm to School Network Policy Director, shares recommendations that President-elect Biden's new USDA administration can act on to advance farm to school and ECE, as well as support a more just food system for all. Read more.
3. Justice for Black Farmers Act Introduced
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have announced landmark legislation aimed at addressing and correcting historic discrimination within the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal farm assistance and lending that has caused Black farmers to lose millions of acres of farmland and robbed Black farmers and their families of hundreds of billions of dollars of inter-generational wealth. Read more.
4. COVID-19 NFSN Sign-On To Endorse NFSN's COVID-19 Federal Policy Platform
National Farm to School Network's federal policy platform calls on Congress to strengthen its support for school meal and child nutrition programs, farmers and those who feed us, Native communities, essential workers, children and families, and others who have been historically underserved and underrepresented. Please add your voice by endorsing our federal COVID-19 policy platform, and help us advocate for key food systems priorities on Capitol Hill. Sign on here.
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Thank you all so much for your tireless work promoting farm to school during this difficult year! |
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Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) is the fiscal and staffing home of MFSN. HCCA's mission is to convene and support people, organizations, and communities to collaborate on quality of life and public health issues. |
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The Maine Farm to School Network is supported by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. |
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