SE Minn. Farmers Excited about New National Farm to School Legislation
McCollum Bill Introduced in Congress May 28
CONTACT: Mark Schultz, LSP, 612-722-6377; mschultz@landstewardshipproject.org
Caroline van Schaik, LSP, 507-523-3366; caroline@landstewardshipproject.org
6/01/10
RIDGEWAY, Minn. —A farm to school bill introduced in Congress last week will benefit southeast Minnesota farmers, school kids and rural economies, say Land Stewardship Project (LSP) farmer-members who have been involved in initial efforts to sell food to local schools in the region. The National Farm to School Act of 2010 (H.R. 5456) was introduced May 28 by U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN), Tom Latham (R-IA) and Bobby Scott (D-VA). The bill has original 22 co-sponsors, including Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN), and is aimed at providing healthy, fresh meals to school children and boosting income for family farmers.
“It makes sense-let’s feed our kids local food, expand markets for farmers and encourage both better nutrition and positive economic activity around school lunches,” said Jackie Hoch, co-owner of Hoch Orchard in La Crescent, Minn.
Hoch is one of several LSP members who have been selling food to Ridgeway Community School in southeast Minnesota on an experimental basis during the 2009-2010 school year. LSP organizer Caroline van Schaik is working with 10 local farming operations to coordinate delivery of produce and meat to Ridgeway.
“We’ve shown that a small, rural school like Ridgeway can serve locally-produced food in the cafeteria on a consistent basis,” said van Schak. “It’s exciting to see Congressional support for making healthy, local food in our schools more of the norm.”
A central component of H.R. 5456 is a competitive matching grant program of up to $100,000 to support planning, implementation, training and technical assistance for communities to implement farm to school programs. The legislation would also direct the USDA to identify existing federal programs that can be used to facilitate participation of small- and medium-sized farmers in farm to school programs. It would create an online exchange so that data on farm to school programs is widely available and best practices can be shared nationwide.
Farm to school programs have taken off in popularity in Minnesota. Sixty-nine school districts now have programs, which is more than double the number of Minnesota districts with farm to school initiatives in 2008.
Such institutional markets hold great potential as a good source of income, but the logistics of making it work with schools can be challenging, said LSP member Sandy Dietz, who sells produce to Ridgeway, as well as schools in nearby Winona.
“Interest and demand in local foods is growing, but the next step, consistent institutional buying of local food, takes more effort and energy to figure out,” said Dietz, who is a co-owner of Whitewater Gardens in Altura, Minn. “Federal support for farm to school efforts is planting the seed that could grow and develop into real prosperity for local farmers.”
