October is National Farm to School Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the connections happening all over the U.S. between children and local food and farms.
From taste tests in the cafeteria and nutrition education activities in the classroom, to farm visits and school garden harvest parties, schools, early care and education sites, farms, and communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and U.S. Territories are taking part in the National Farm to School celebrations this month.
An organization called The National Farm to School Network advocated to Congress for the creation of National Farm in 2010 and just a little over a decade later in 2023 it successfully organizes the annual celebration with hundreds of partners across the country.
Additionally, The National Farm to School Network is growing the farm to school network and is asking farmers/producers, nutrition professionals and others who care about improving their communities to sign up to be a member for free at www.farmtoschool.org/join.
Here in California a coalition called the California Farm to School Network (CFSN) is leading the charge, providing leadership around farm to school programming through workshops, information sharing, policy advocacy and networking.
Current partner organizations include: Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Center for Ecoliteracy, Farm to Pantry, Life Lab, My Green Lunch, Sage Garden Project, S.C.R.A.P Gallery, The Farmworker Project, Lunch Assist and Farm to Fork Equity.
The National Farm to School Network is looking to add partner organizations in all 50 states, including here in California, which has one of the largest National Farm to School Month celebrations. If you represent an organization and want to get involved in the coalition, you can sign up to be an NFSN partner here: farmtoschool.org.
The California Farm to School Network operates as a “one-stop-shop” for everything related to farm to school in the Golden State, based on the model of the National Farm to School Network. It’s working to align farm to school efforts, share resources and bring farmers, schools, distributors and agriculture practitioners together to continue building the farm to school movement and link specialty crops to the state’s K-12 schools. A key goal is to have all schools teach about and provide access to healthy, locally-grown food, creating future generations of healthy children and economically vibrant farms.
Here are a few ways readers of My Job Depends on Ag Magazine can participate in National Farm to School Month this month:
- Be Inspired: Follow the National Farm to School Network on National Farm to School’s blog, Facebook,  Twitter , and Instagram to see inspiring examples of farm to school success stories.
- Get Involved: Explore the national calendar of Farm to School Month to see how you can celebrate in your state.
- Spread the Word: Shout out about farm to school and share what you’re doing for National Farm to School Month with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool on social media.
- Explore Resources: Check out the free resources for planning and promoting celebrations in your community at: farmtoschool.org: Farm to School Month
To get more information, check out National Farm to School Month at this link: farmtoschool.org: Farm to School Month
Children are the future of agriculture and all else and bringing agriculture into our schools is essential to food and farming in the USA.
My Job Depends on Ag Magazine columnist and contributing editor Victor Martino is an agrifood industry consultant, entrepreneur and writer. One of his passions and current projects is working with farmers who want to develop their own branded food products. You can contact him at: victormartino415@gmail.com.
