January 2024
Hello Farm to Fork Friends!
As the new year begins, Utah Farm to Fork is excited to introduce an exciting lineup of opportunities for 2024! Join us on this journey as we share experiences and initiatives that strengthen our community's bond with fresh, healthy food and local food producers.
Movement Building Nights - Registration now open!
We are excited to extend an invitation for the upcoming regional Movement Building Nights. This series of events serves as a gathering point for dedicated advocates in the Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education realms, providing an invaluable opportunity to celebrate shared achievements, foster meaningful connections, find inspiration, and collaborate to nurture the growth of farm to school.
This is a great opportunity for teachers, parents, farmers, school nutrition providers and anyone interested in learning more about farm to school!
Have suggestions for your region? We want to hear from you!
What to Harvest This Month
Embracing the winter season doesn't mean compromising on flavor. It’s still possible to cook with locally sourced ingredients, such as honey, cheese, eggs and dried berries.
Warm up with a delicious recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken!
Get Involved!
Farm School Act of 2023. In 2010, Congress provided $5 million annually in mandatory funding for the farm to school competitive grant and technical assistance program. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program increases the use of and improves access to local foods in schools – thus boosting farm income and economic opportunities – while also fostering experiential food education for our nation’s children. The Farm to School Act of 2023 would increase mandatory funding from $5m to $15m annually in the Senate version, and from $5m to $10 annually in the House version.
Read the one-pager here.
Resources and Trainings
New resource! Nibbles for Health: Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children. These colorful and engaging newsletters for parents of young children can be shared by Child and Adult Care Food Program providers to communicate information about popular nutrition topics. There are 15 newsletters available in both English and Spanish. Download here!
Food Justice
Webinar opportunity! Advancing Racial and Social Equity in Wisconsin Farm to School: Strategies for Investing in Historically Underserved Producers | January 17 at 11:00am
How can schools, support organizations, and policymakers improve access for historically underserved producers to participate in farm to school procurement? Allison Pfaff Harris of REAP Food Group and Jess Guffey Calkins of University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension will share findings from their 2023 study report that delved into the needs and opportunities of historically underserved Wisconsin producers for engaging in farm to school markets. This report’s in-depth information about barriers faced by producers and detailed stakeholder recommendations are relevant for anyone looking to improve farm to school procurement.
Job Opportunities
Wasatch Community Gardens has multiple full time positions as well as seasonal positions. Applications close early January, so apply today! The gardening season will be here before you know it! Click here to learn more and apply today!
Enjoy working in a kitchen with quality ingredients? Liberty Heights Fresh is hiring a Prep Chef! Click here to learn more and apply today!
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
Chef Ann Foundation is seeking proposals for projects led by groups of local partners with systemic and equity-driven approaches to transforming school food supply chains. Projects should seek to build and strengthen relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and School Food Authorities (SFAs) as well as expand scratch cooking in schools in order to build more nourishing school meal programs. Apply by January 22, 2024.
Farm to School Grant Request The USDA Farm to School Program is excited to announce the official release of the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA). USDA will award up to $12 million in competitive grants to eligible entities through the grant program this fiscal year. Each grant will help implement farm to school programming that increases access to local food in eligible schools, connects children with agriculture for better health, and inspires youth to consider careers in agriculture. Apply by January 24, 2024
Funding of Innovation and Partnerships in Rural School Food Systems As part of the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, funding and learning support is now available for a cohort of up to 35 rural school food authorities (SFAs) across the nation. Project SCALES (Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems) will work with SFAs over a two-year period as they engage in projects to build partnerships for innovative solutions to increase local procurement in their school meal programs. The Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University will provide a grant (up to $150,000) for each SFA, with expert technical assistance from LunchAssist. Apply by January 26, 2024
Young Farmer Grant Program - The National Young Farmers Coalition is partnering with Chipotle to offer $5,000 grants to 50 young farmers and ranchers to support them in building careers in agriculture. Learn more and apply today!
Fund a Farmer Grants - FACT awards competitive grants of up to $3,000 to working, independent farmers located in the 50 United States and five major U.S. territories who raise beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, ducks, geese, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Learn more and apply today!
You'll hear from us again next month. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you!