Hello Farm to Fork Friends,
It’s National Farm to School Month! This month we celebrate the leadership of our school nutrition professionals, farmers, and farm workers for ensuring that Utah’s children are fed. Pandemics, earthquakes, wildfires, and windstorms can’t stop you, and for that we are grateful. It truly takes a community to feed a community. Join us for a virtual Apple Crunch during the week of October 12-16 by enjoying a delicious Utah-grown apple, and post pictures or stories on social media with the hashtags #UTAppleCrunch, #F2SMonth, and #farmtoschool.
What to Harvest This Month
Apples of course! Did you know there are over 7,000 varieties of apple? Challenge yourself to try some different varieties this fall; you just might find a new favorite. Kale and spinach are also good choices this month. How about an apple-kale salad?
Get Involved
Register for the Apple Crunch Apple Crunch Week is October 12-16 this year. Don’t miss out on this annual celebration of local food! Register at tinyurl.com/UTCrunch2020 and then visit utfarmtofork.org/Utah-apple-crunch for our new digital resources. Food Justice is Racial Justice The National Farm to School Network is bringing together both those who have been longtime farm to school advocates and those who are engaged in other branches of justice work to help shape the next steps of progress towards their vision of a just food system for all. On October 14th (11am-12pm MT) Karen Washington, food justice activist, will be leading us in discussion and reflection on community capital, shifting power, and racial justice in the farm to school movement and wider food system. ALL are welcome to join. Register here: http://bit.ly/NFSN-MovementMeeting. World Food Day Poster Contest On October 16, 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day. As part of the celebration, children and teens ages 5-19 are invited to enter a poster contest. Simply draw or paint a poster of your favorite food hero at work. The deadline to enter is November 6, 2020. Learn more and submit your entry here.
Webinars and Trainings
Join Dairy West on a Virtual Farm Tour Want to know where milk, cheese, and ice cream get their start? Using the magic of Zoom, a local dairy farmer will "visit" your classroom and engage students by taking them on a tour, answering questions about dairy farming, and providing insight on agriculture and food production. Join pre-scheduled field trip dates with classrooms all across the state: October 14th at 10:00 am at an Idaho Dairy farm and October 21st at 10:00 am at a Utah Dairy Farm. Sign up for the tours or ask to schedule a separate tour for your class here.
Improving Equity
What is Food Apartheid? You may be familiar with the term “food desert” to describe certain neighborhoods—but activists argue that it’s not necessarily accurate. “Desert” implies that a simple increase in food options is all that is needed, ignoring other factors that impact community resiliency such as race and economics. Instead, the term “food apartheid” highlights the social inequalities behind the differences in food access. Learn more here.
Job Opportunities
Special Events Staff, Wheeler Historic Farm, Murray Wheeler Historic Farm is hiring temporary staff for the Pumpkin Days and Hay Maze Event. Must have excellent customer service and communications skills. We are looking for motivated, reliable, people-friendly staff in the following areas: setup of hay maze, ticket takers, cashiers, cow train drivers, and tour guides. The application deadline is October 15, 2020. Learn more and apply here. Farmer/Market Sales, Better Food Farm, Uintah Better Food Farm is a 2-acre suburban farm that uses organic principles to grow fresh produce for the surrounding community. Full and part-time positions are open for the 2021 season, all jobs pay $10/hr. Learn more and apply here. The application deadline is October 31, 2020. Head Gardener, Sweet Water Kitchen (Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch), Boulder We are a farm to table restaurant in a beautiful and remote area. Our main business is the guest lodge and restaurant, which is supplied by our 1.5-acre garden. The Head Gardener will work alongside the head chef and restaurant staff to maximize garden production and minimize food waste. Monthly salary includes on-site housing. Learn more and apply here. If you are hiring on either the farm or fork side of farm to fork, let us know and we’ll share the job posting here!
Funding Opportunities Budding Botanist Grants The Klorane Foundation, in collaboration with KidsGardening, is offering $1200 grants to school garden programs designed to teach students about environmental sustainability and the importance of biodiversity. Any K-12 public, private, or charter school with a free/reduced percentage of at least 40% is welcome to apply. The application deadline is October 30, 2020. Learn more and apply here. Annie’s Grants for Gardens The Annie’s Grants for Gardens application is now open. These grants can be used to support edible garden activities at public and private schools (but unfortunately, not preschools). The application takes about 30-45 minutes total to complete—this is one of the EASIEST ways to fund your school garden. The deadline is November 2nd, 2020. Learn more and apply here. USDA Farm to School Grants On an annual basis, USDA awards competitive Farm to School grants that support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs. The RFA typically opens in early October, with a mid-December application deadline. If you have a large farm to school project you are looking to get funded, this grant may be a good fit. Learn more here.
You'll hear from us again next month. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you!
