FOOD FOR KIDS IN THE SUMMER

The President’s FY2017 Budget will invest $12 billion over 10 years on a permanent Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program to provide supplemental food benefits during the summer months for all families with children eligible for free and reduced price school meals.  Currently only a fraction of the children eligible to receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year get them when school is not in session.  Summer EBT provides benefits on an electronic debit card that can only be used for food at the grocery store and fills the food budget gap in the summer. Rigorous evaluations of Summer EBT pilot programs have found that they can significantly reduce food insecurity among children and improve their diet.

Source: White House Press Office, 1/27/16, Summer EBT

MORE KIDS TO GET FREE SCHOOL LUNCH

The Obama administration has announced new plans to launch a pilot program aimed at increasing poor children's access to food through the National School Lunch Program. The program will allow participating states to use Medicaid data to automatically certify students for free and reduced-price school lunches. Currently, families have to submit an application — a laborious process for parents and a costly one for schools — even when they have already proven that they are income-eligible through their participation in other government assistance programs. States must apply to participate in the new effort. USDA plans initially to work with about five states in the 2016-2017 school year and eventually hopes to extend the program nationally. It has already tested a smaller-scale version of the new program in seven places, including New York City, where the program has led to a 7% increase in meal enrollment.

Source: Washington Post, 1/27/16, School Lunch Expansion

UVM Farmer Training Program accepting applications

If this winter has you plotting your next move in sustainable farming, you are in luck! The University of Vermont Farmer Training Program is now accepting applications for the 2016 season on a rolling basis until spots are filled. Vermont is an exceptional place to immerse yourself in the sustainable food movement and it will be an exciting year at the Farmer Training Program - we've added chickens to the farm, a diversified farm rotation to the curriculum and a mobile farmstand to our marketing outlets. Apply now to join an incredible group of students and amazing staff for six months of sustainable farming and food systems education.

UVM’s Farmer Training Program is a 6-month, hands-on program (May 9 - October 28, 2016) that provides an experiential, skill-based education in sustainable farming. Candidates include, but are not limited to:  new and beginning farmers, urban and community gardeners, farm educators and students interested in deepening their understanding of sustainable farming systems in an intensive and focused learning environment. Students in this program get a unique and comprehensive education by running the Catamount Educational Farm from seed to market, learning from expert farmers and educators in the classroom, and by working in the field alongside successful, inspiring farmers in the Burlington area.

Participants leave with a Certificate in Sustainable Farming from UVM, a deeper understanding of agricultural management and small-scale farming, the entrepreneurial skills to start their own operation, and a network of incredible people to support them along the way.

To learn more, visit our website Farmer Training Program, follow us on Facebook , or contact us at farmer@uvm.edu or (802) 656-5836.

SNAP SHOULD FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL RECIPIENTS’ NEEDS

A recent House Agriculture Committee hearing on SNAP focused on special populations like seniors, veterans, and military families. The elderly make up 9% of the SNAP population, veterans constitute 4%, and as many as 20,000 active military families also participate. Subcommittee Chairperson Jackie Walorski (R-IN) asserted that SNAP fails too many vulnerable Americans because it uses a one-size-fits-all approach that cannot possibly address this diverse population. The SNAP benefit calculation assumes that all eligible households fit into the same box, with a few extra considerations for elderly and disabled people. But food costs might be higher for seniors than the typical family because of diet restrictions, and active military families face very different financial decisions around housing and other necessities than the typical household. Yet, for the purposes of calculating SNAP benefits, all households are assumed to spend about 30% of their income on food, even though food expenses vary greatly.

Source: American Enterprise Institute, 1/27/16, Individualize SNAP

Associates Degree in Sustainable Agriculture now being offered

UMass Amherst recently announced that the Stockbridge School of Agriculture is offering an all online Associates Degree in Sustainable Food and Farming. If you wish to explore a career in sustainable agriculture but are not able to take classes on campus, this degree is a perfect match. 

The major offers flexibility in designing a personal program of study, allowing students to focus on farm production and marketing, food systems, agricultural education, public policy, advocacy and community development.  A wide range of courses are offered from experienced instructors such as Introduction to Permaculture, Organic Vegetable Production, Urban Agriculture, Soils, Global Food Systems, Nonprofit Mgt of Comm. Food Programs and Land Use Policies, to name just a few.
Students in this program will also be encouraged to consider their dreams and how to make them a reality, through independent studies and agricultural practicums that allow students time "off-line" speaking with professionals in their field of interest.

Applications for the Fall semester are due April 15th

Please see the following website:

https://stockbridge.cns.umass.edu/onlinesustfarm

SENATE NUTRITION BILL COULD IMPROVE SUMMER MEALS PROGRAM

Changes in the Child Nutrition Act that the Senate Agriculture Committee approved last week could improve the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), according to the Food Research & Action Council. The Senate bill:

•      Allows an additional snack for kids in care for nine or more hours a day.

•      Simplifies eligibility for for-profit childcare centers.

•      Reduces paperwork for parents, providers and sponsors.

•      Requires USDA to encourage CACFP institutions to work with state agencies, school districts, and schools to access donated commodity foods.

•      Allows residential childcare institutions to choose to participate in CACFP in addition to the National School Lunch Program.

•      Provides for nutrition education for parents and participants emphasizing the relationship between nutrition, physical activity, and health.

Source:  Food Research & Action Council, 1/18/16, Child Nutrition Programs

Webinar: Healthy Schools Campaign

The ABCs of School Gardens Webinar

Wed., March 9, 9-10am CST

Interested in starting a school garden or need help gathering excitement for an existing one? Join this webinar to learn: how garden-based learning positively impacts student learning and to explore ways school gardens offer hands-on, experiential learning opportunities in a wide array of disciplines and promote student health. This seminar is part of Healthy Schools Campaign’s highly-regarded Fit to Learn professional development for principals and educators. Register here.