Developing and

Implementing

Farm to School

Policy:

Learning Best

Practices from

Alaska,

Washington,

D.C., and States

In-between

Workshop Presenters

Matt Benson PhD Candidate, Virginia Tech

Johanna Herron Alaska Farm to School Program Coordinator

Andrea Northup Founder & Former Director of D.C. Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network

Workshop Outline & Format

1. Policy Presentations

1. National Overview

2. Washington, D.C. Case Study

3. Alaska Case Study

2. Breakout Activity

3. Discussion & Questions

Farm to School Legislation

In 2001, states started to develop

and implement legislation

supporting Farm to School (National

Farm to School Network, 2010).

California (SB19) and New Mexico

(HJM34) were first two states

(National Farm to School Network, 2010).

Currently, 38 states have passed at

least 80 locality-based policies. Whitehouse.gov

President Obama signing

Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act.

Types of State-based Farm to School Legislation

Category of Legislation Number of Policies

(Thru Sept. 2011)

Project implementation 15

Local preference 15

Promotional event or program 12

Grant money allocation 11

Budget appropriations/ official state fund 10

Creating a task force/council/ working group 10

Resolutions 9

Creating a directory or database 8

Additional reimbursements 4

Wellness policies 4

Pilot program implementation 3

State Legislation Summary Status

Alabama HB670 (2012) The Farm to School

Procurement Act Passed

Alaska SB 160 (2012) Nutritional Alaskan Foods for

Schools Passed

Connecticut

Governor

Proclamation

(2011)

Connecticut Grown for

Connecticut Kids Week Passed

Connecticut HB5326 (2012) Taskforce to encourage the

purchase of CT Grown foods. Passed

Michigan

Governor

Proclamation

(2012)

May 2012 as Michigan

Asparagus Month Passed

Mississippi HC112 (2012) Mississippi Farm to School

Week Passed

Recent State-based Farm to School

Legislation (Post September 2011)

Growth of State-based Farm to School Legislation (To Date)

2 4 4

8 9 13

17

22

27

33 36

38

2 4 4

9 12

20

30

40

50

65

74

80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total Number of Jurisdictions with Farm to School Legislation Total Number of Farm to School Policies

Recent State-based Farm to School Legislation (Failed)

State Legislation Summary Status

California AB909 (2012)

Additional $0.05

reimbursement for every meal

served with California

produce.

Failed

Hawaii HB1718 (2012) The Farm to School Bill Failed

Indiana HB1089 (2012) Development of “Farm to

School" plans in schools Failed

Mississippi HB828 (2012) Creation of an interagency

Farm to School Council Failed

Five Recommendations for

State-based Farm to School Legislation

1. Legislation that provides incentives and allows for

Food Service Directors and/or School Nutrition Directors

to purchase more local, regional, and in-state food.

Such as legislation that:

Increases the small purchase threshold for school districts.

Provides greater emphasis and incentives to purchase in-state

products over out of state products.

Provides tax credits for in-state producers selling to schools.

Establishes a minimum percent of commodity funds that must

be used to purchase local and regional food.

Mandates a minimum percent of local food purchases.

States new school construction projects must consider kitchen

facilities.

Asks school food officials to report types and amounts of in-

state farm products purchased.

2. Legislation that brings together diverse individuals and

organizations from agriculture, public health, education, and

community development to form a Farm to School network,

advisory board, task force, or working group. Often times the focus of this legislation is to:

Assess or implement Farm to School programs and make

recommendations for future actions.

Explore ways Farm to School related activities can be

incorporated into existing positions.

Explore external funding sources to support and strengthen Farm

to School.

Examples states and legislation include:

Colorado (SB 10-081),

Maine (HP 784), or

Texas (SB 1027).

In Missouri and North Carolina, Farm to School has been written

into legislation that creates a state food policy council.

3. Legislation that establishes a designated Farm to School

day or week within the National Farm to School Month taking

place each October. Often times this legislation:

Gives farmers, schools, state agencies, and communities an extra incentive to develop and promote local Farm to

School programs.

Allows for those individuals involved with Farm to School to

share in celebrating local, healthy food and better child health and nutrition.

Can come from a variety of decision makers including the

state legislature, governor, and secretary or commissioner

of agriculture or education.

Examples states and legislation include:

Maryland (SB 158/ HB 696),

New York (2002 Laws), or

Virginia (HJR 95).

4. Legislation that establishes an official state Farm to School

program in a state department of agriculture, education,

public health, or cooperative extension service.

State agencies are often tasked with matching up farms, distributors, and schools that are looking to buy, sell, or

distribute local and regional foods.

One example is the Oklahoma Farm to School Program Act

(2006).

Formally establishes the Oklahoma Farm to School

Program and designates the Oklahoma Department of

Agriculture, Food and Forestry as the lead agency.

Other excellent examples include:

Alaska (HB 70),

Oregon (HB 3601), or

Washington (SB 6483).

5. Legislation that creates a Farm to School grant program to

fund Farm to School pilot projects, needed infrastructure,

school gardens, experiential education programs, or the

purchasing of more local and regional healthy foods.

Seed money to help grow Farm to School Programs.

Funds can support purchasing school food equipment such

as salad bars, stovetops, ovens, extra pots, pans, and

utensils.

Funds can compensate for school staff members’ time

when preparing local food or planting and maintaining a

school garden.

Some examples include:

Alaska (HB 70),

Illinois (HB 78), or

Michigan (W.K. Kellogg Foundation).

Recommendation Conclusions

Recommendations 1-4:

Best suited for states or localities that are in the process of

developing Farm to School programs.

Recommendation 5:

Better suited for states or localities that have already

researched best Farm to School practices, developed

programs, and are looking to further strengthen Farm to School.

Passage of legislation is often best done through:

Partnership building and collaboration between individuals and

organizations.

Working closely with a key representative.

Including a mix of education and advocacy.

Connecting Farm to School to pressing social issues.

Case Studies Exploring Farm to School Policy

Five case studies exploring the development and

implementation of primarily state-based Farm to School

legislation.

1. Alaska

2. Texas

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Washington State

5. Wisconsin

Acknowledgements

CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work Program Grant

Special thank you to the many individuals and organizations who

provided contributions and significantly improved the case studies

including individuals at the:

Community Food Security Coalition,

National Farm to School Network, and

W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Washington, D.C. Farm to School

Policy Case Study

Mission

To improve the health and well-being of

schoolchildren in the District of Columbia, and of our

local environment and food economy, by increasing

access to healthy, local, sustainable foods in all

Washington, DC schools; and to connect D.C.

schoolchildren with where their food comes from.

Housed at:

Activities

Direct assistance

Tools/resources

Website, e-newsletter

Trainings/workshops

Advocacy

Local committees/coalitions

National farm to school efforts

D.C. Farm to School Week

Strawberries & Salad Greens

Approx. 100,000 school-aged children

3 in 10 live in poverty

5 in 10 at risk of hunger

4 in 10 in DCPS overweight/obese

8 in 10 NOT getting enough fruits & veggies

Washington, DC

Approx. 100,000 school-aged kids in DC

46,000 students in D.C. public schools (126 schools)

32,000 students in public charter schools (96 schools)

49,000/day participate in school lunch (NSLP)

30,000/day participate in school breakfast (SBP)

Approx. 72% eligible for free/reduced price meals

School Food Landscape

School Food Pre-HSA

Primarily “vended” school food through food

service management companies

Huge variety in school kitchen facilities

Both dry and cold storage space very limited

School food an “afterthought”

Mainly pre-packaged airplane-food style meals

Key Developments

D.C. Farm to School Network

Founded

Oct. 2008

Tales from a DC School Kitchen

Jan. 2009

Michelle Obama launches

Let’s Move

Feb. 2009

First D.C. Farm to School Week

Sept. 2009

Email from Councilmember Mary Cheh’s

office

Nov. 2009

Healthy Schools Act introduced

Dec. 2009

Formulated Policy “Ask”

Gathered stakeholder input

notices, emails, calls and meetings to identify common issues

Researched state-level farm to school policies

Talked with experts across the country

Collaborated with other local organizations

Formulated policy recommendations

Drafted one-pager of recommendations

Drafted sample policy language

Advocacy

Educated stakeholders

Meetings with councilmembers

Call-ins

Sign-ons

Formal letters from organizational partners

Advocacy trainings

Participated in working group meetings

Testified at hearings

Healthy Schools Act Passed May 2010,

Effective August 2010

Extra five cents/meal with a fresh, local fruit or vegetable component

Schools must participate in at least one farm to school educational event each year

Higher nutrition standards (whole grains, fruits & veggies) tied to extra ten cents/meal reimbursement

School garden FTE

Central kitchen/warehouse

Environmental Literacy Plan

Funding Battles

Initially, proposed excise tax on soda in April 2010

Coke/Pepsi lobbied Council

Petitions, signatures, meetings with councilmembers, organizational sign-ons

Council approved extending sales tax to include soda May 2010

Huge budget shortfall ($188 million) – Mayor proposes cutting HSA in December 2010

More testimony, meetings with councilmembers, sign-ons

HSA funding restored in FY2010 budget (even amidst huge cuts)

Implementation

Lessons Learned

Think through your position – from policy language through implementation

Make sure your law has measurable outcomes

Make friends in the Council to win the inside game (especially with funding)

Be creative and touchy-feely with your advocacy

Broad based partnerships are hard to get in the way of – draw upon farm to school’s diversity

Make it easy for folks to show their support

Break policy into easy-to-remember sound bites

Identify specific, dedicated funding source

Get to know your local fiscal policy watchdog organization

Thank you!

Andrea Northup

(Formerly) D.C. Farm to School

Network Director

andrea.northup@gmail.com

www.dcfarmtoschool.org

www.dcfarmtoschoolweek.org

Karissa McCarthy

karissa@dcfarmtoschool.org

Alaska Farm to School Policy

Case Study

Johanna Herron Farm to School Program Coordinator

Department of Natural Resources,

Division of Agriculture

www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FTS.htm

www.facebook.com/AlaskaFarmToSchool

Interest

Plan

Action

Sustain

Background

May 2010 – House Bill 70 Signed into

Law

• Sunset date, end of June 2013

Top priority: Local

procurement in schools

Implementation

• Strategic plan

• Feasibility studies

• Product development

• Resources

Planning

• Grants & scholarships

• Contests

• Tours

Engaging • Resources

• Media

• Listserv

• Newsletters

Communicating

• Process Evaluation

• Data tracking

• Reports

Tracking

Farm to School

Schools

• Food Service Professionals

• Cooks

• Youth

• Administrators

Middlemen

• Processors

• Distributors

Other

• Co-ops

• Policy makers

• Community members

• Parents

Food Producers

• Farmers

• Fishermen

• Ranchers

Identify Stakeholders

House Bill 70 legislation

Goals – Objectives – (Tasks)

Professional planner

Advisory group input

Public input

Program purpose A state-wide program that will offer expertise and support to all

areas of the state to pursue farm to school activities and interests.

Involve Stakeholders in Strategic Planning

School gardens

2 gardens / year

Create toolkit

Outreach about available resources

Distribute AK resource book

New users of resources

‘Seasonal Harvest’ pilot

Create toolkit

Participation rates

Agriculture statistics

On Farm Food Safety Workshop

2 workshops / year

3 farms and 3 school districts represented

Resource guide for using local or school garden produce

Distribute to interested stakeholders

Goal #2: Resource Development and Sharing

• 5 farmer tours

• 5 schools kitchen tours

School / Farm Tours

• 20 product availability forms from farms

• 20 product use forms from schools

Product availability

and use • Communicati

ng projects

• Discussion, input, and questions

Tri-annual farm to school summits

Goal #3: Strengthen Relationships between Food

Producers and School Food Services

- Resource distribution

- FTS monthly newsletter

- 20 FTS presentations

- 200 people in contact database

- Reach 1000 students with Alaska Agriculture in

the Classroom

- Connect stakeholders

- Serve as a resource and information

center

Create fact sheets and

promotional materials

Create a resource

guide adapted from Vermont FEED

publication

Goal #4: Networking, Education, and Marketing

Interest

Plan

Action

Sustain

Reminder – Background

May 2010 – House Bill 70 Signed into

Law

• Sunset date, end of June 2013

Top priority: Local

procurement in schools

Revisit: Implementation

• Strategic plan

• Feasibility studies

• Product development

• Resources

Planning

• Grants & scholarships

• Contests

• Tours

Engaging • Resources

• Media

• Listserv

• Newsletters

Communicating

• Process Evaluation

• Data tracking

• Reports

Tracking

Farm to School Grant 34 funded state farm to school mini-grant projects

16 urban

18 rural

Sample Projects

Bison farm visit and meat purchase

Fish to school effort

Taste testing Alaska grown product

School gardens

Growing potatoes and cabbage for

school kitchen use

Alaska Farm to School Challenge

When

• Opened October 3rd, 8am

• Ends November 4th, 5pm

Who

• Anyone in Alaska who plans to engage in a farm to school activity during the 2011-2012 school year

• Idea’s and examples at: http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_challengeFTS.htm

How

• Quick and easy!

• Electronic application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FTS_challenge2011

• Paper applications available

Why

• Change the way we think about food

• Support local economy

• And much much more!

Resource Development

Product Development

Cabbage Project

1. Alaska Gateway School District

Calculated the cabbage purchase was ½ the cost of

what they purchase commercially

Cooks were surprised and thrilled to find the kids

noticed the difference and really liked it!

2. Fairbanks School District – 1 batch comparison

Yield Labor Total cost

including

labor

Local

[$1/pound]

~75% (Need

850 pounds to

get 640 pounds

shredded)

12 hours $1150

($1.79/pound)

Pre-cut

[$2.32/pound]

100% 3 hours $1558

(2.43/pound)

Into the Schools

Legislation passed

Housed in a different

state agency

than farm to school

Producers and food

service not prepared

Quick Solutions

Food Policy

Council

Provide suggestions

for future success

Agency collaboration

Webinar Conference

presentations

Recent Policy Update

Not everything works

Make your program visible

Utilize your collaborations

Breathe; you can’t do everything!

Lessons Learned