October 2024
Hello Farm to Fork Friends!
Get ready, because there’s a lot happening in Farm to School in October!
First up, October is National Farm to School Month! Join us, along with thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities, and organizations nationwide as we celebrate food education, school gardens, and lunch trays filled with fresh, local ingredients.
Registration for Apple Crunch is now open! Sign up your organization today and help us reach our goal of engaging 200,000 community members. What does that mean? It means over 200,000 people will be biting into or learning about locally grown produce while supporting Utah’s farmers.
Are you passionate about connecting youth with local food? Then join our new Utah Farm to Fork Online Community!
Sign up today for all the latest Apple Crunch updates, explore the platform, and receive notifications as new resources are added. Utah Farm to Fork is a growing network aimed at increasing engagement between farm-to-school advocates. Whether you’re cafeteria staff, a parent, producer, teacher, or simply someone who cares about connecting youth with local food, this community is for you! This is a soft launch, and more resources will be added regularly—so let us know what you think or what else you'd like to see!
Recipients of the Healthy Meals Incentive Award
We are thrilled to announce that the Sevier School District has been recognized for their outstanding work in promoting healthy meals for their students. They have received the Small and/or Rural Lunch Trailblazer award from the Healthy Meals Incentive initiative, a joint project of USDA FNS and Action for Healthy Kids. This award honors their efforts in reducing sodium in their lunch menus and recipes to support student well-being.
Sevier is the first school in Utah to receive this award, and we celebrate them for their leadership and innovation. Please join us in congratulating the Sevier School District on this remarkable achievement!
What to Harvest This Month
Apples are ready for harvest this month—find your local U-pick farm here and enjoy the freshest picks straight from the orchard! The Utah’s Own website is a great place to start!
What better way to celebrate Apple Crunch Month than by sinking your teeth into a locally grown apple? Try this tasty Apple Breakfast Crisp recipe in your cafeteria or home kitchen! It's simple, delicious, and a healthy treat for all ages.
Get Involved!
Agritourism promotion opportunity! The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food looks forward to launching the Utah Agritourism Program. This free program promotes, supports, and provides resources to agritourism operations across the state. Upon joining, your farm will be added to the Utah Agritourism online registry, where people can find the location, hours of operation, activities offered, and more information about your farm.
If you wish to have your farm listed on the registry before the official launch, please send the
following information to adriannafranco@utah.gov:
Farm name
Picture of farm logo
Season open and close dates
Address
Farm description/background (1-3 paragraphs)
Owner name, title, and bio (1-2 paragraphs)
Owner(s) headshot photo
Social Media links/website link
Agritourism activities offered (fall festival, pumpkin patch, u-pick, field trips, baby animal days, etc.)
Any additional photos of your operation
Stay tuned for the official program launch! The program's official website will be accessible at agritourism.utah.gov on September 16th. In the meantime, stay updated on all things Utah Agritourism by following @utahagritourism on
Instagram and Facebook.
Resources and Trainings
Did you know? Each Local Education Agency (LEA) with an agreement to operate the National School Lunch Program is required to have a Local Wellness Policy. If you have new LEA administration, school principals or other key staff playing a role in implementing, updating, or assessing the Local Wellness Policy, here are some great resources to share.
USDA FNS Local Wellness Policy resources:
Local School Wellness Policy, USDA FNS, Local
SP24-2017, Local School Wellness Policy Guidance and Q&As,
Check out Utah Agriculture in the Classroom’s new educational flowchart! These flowcharts take students through the various stages of food production, from livestock to grains. Visit their online Curriculum Matrix and search “flowchart” to view them all!
Farm-to-School Partnerships: Expanding Market Opportunities for Farmers and Food Producers | October 16 | 4:00 PM MT | Register here!
Join the USDA Southwest Regional Food Business Center for our second webinar focused on Farm-To-School initiatives. The webinar will feature Center partners, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Speakers will highlight how Farm to School programs can help farmers and food businesses expand their market reach and create sustainable revenue streams.
The Lunch Line: The Impact and Potential of Quality School Food Jobs | October 3 | 11:00 AM MT | Register here!
Join the Center for Good Food Purchasing and our panel of experts to explore the impact and potential of good food and quality jobs related to food service in schools across the United States. This webinar will feature conversation geared toward those with interest in food systems, school meal programs, education, valued workforces, local economic development, and food policy.
Food Justice
Wasatch Community Gardens does a lot within the food justice realm, such as farm-based job trainings and managing dozens of community gardens, particularly in food deserts throughout the community. Check out these amazing opportunities to participate and support their programs!
Wasatch Garden Field Trips
A number of Field Trip slots are open in October for K-6th grade programs. Their field trips are FREE to all Salt Lake County public schools and can accommodate up to 35 students (25 for kindergarten) per time slot. Bus reimbursements are available to a limited number of SLCSD Title 1 schools upon request, and are awarded first-come, first-serve based on time of request.
For those who are interested in a WCG Campus garden experience but fall outside of field trips, please sign up for a Group Visit! They encourage youth groups of all kinds to explore the Wasatch Community Gardens' Campus through a guided tour and hands-on activities led by knowledgeable youth educators. The workshops are each two hours long and include a garden tour, a healthy snack, and a seasonal, garden-based activity. Group Visits typically cost a fee of $100 for up to 12 students, and $3 per student over the 12 cap. If you need any fee reduction, please contact their team for information.
Job Opportunities
Wasatch Community Gardens is hiring an Executive Director! This position is responsible for providing ultimate leadership, strategic direction, and long-term financial viability of the organization and overseeing all activities of the organization. This position will steward the organization through the Principles and Pillars of growth, determined by the 2023-27 Strategic Plan, which provides the framework for our three departments’ role: Programs, External Relations, and Agricultural Operations. Learn more here!
Nutrition Education Assistance | Utah State University | Apply here!
Utah State University Extension's Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is seeking two qualified individuals to work part-time (20 hours per week) teaching nutrition and cooking skills to limited income families and youth. Training and teaching materials will be provided.
Do you have a farm to fork job opportunity you'd like us to share? Let us know! Jobs must be located in Utah or fully remote.
Funding Opportunities
Stay up to date on USDA Farm to School Grant! Sign up for the Dirt, the e-letter from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, here. Are you interested in applying? Let us know!
$500 Classroom Award | Utah Agriculture in the Classroom | Due October 14 | Apply here!
Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is awarding ten $500 awards to Utah pre-kindergarten through 12th grade core education teachers (currently teaching) whose innovative classroom projects use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, healthy lifestyles, science, or social studies. The deadline for award applications is October 14, 2024, at midnight.
The Lorri Otto Seeds for Education Program (SFE) | Due November 15 | Apply here!
For more than 25 years, this vital Wild Ones donor-funded program has provided grants ranging from $100 to $500 for native plant gardens and landscaping projects throughout the United States. The funds are designated for acquiring native plants and seeds for outdoor learning areas that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly in planning, planting and caring for native plant gardens.
Fruit Trees for Your Community Grant | No deadline | Apply here!
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city/state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries.
You'll hear from us again next month. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you!
コメント