Northern Veg School

March 15, 2016


Cost of $25 includes lunch and resource materials.

DEC pesticide recertification credits will be available for morning session and afternoon session
separately.

Speakers: Crystal Stewart, Chuck Bornt, Amy Ivy from the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program
Special Guest Speaker: Paul Arnold from Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle, NY will speak on: Growing Salad
Greens Spring through Fall at Pleasant Valley Farm.

• 8:30‐9:00 Registration and coffee
• 9:00‐9:45 Root Vegetables, carrots, beets, parsnips - Crystal Stewart
• 9:45‐10:00 Making the most of soil testing - Amy Ivy
• 10:00‐10:15 Ginger and Edamame market possibilities - Amy Ivy
• 10:15‐10:45 Garlic - Crystal Stewart
• 10:45‐11:00 Break
• 11:00‐12:00 Growing Salad Greens Spring ‐ Fall at Pleasant Valley Farm - Paul Arnold
• 12:00‐12:15 Whole Farm Revenue Protection - Anita Deming
• 12:15‐1:00 Lunch from Clover Mead Cafe

Afternoon sessions include organic and conventional control options
Speakers are Chuck Bornt and Amy Ivy

• 1:00‐1:45 Disease control strategies for sweet corn, pumpkins, field grown vegs
• 1:45‐2:20 Insect control strategies for sweet corn, pumpkins, field grown vegs
• 2:20‐3:00 Weed control strategies in sweet corn, pumpkins, field grown vegs

Happy National Banana Bread Day everyone!

While bananas are not local, most of us do eat them, especially in the winter when there is less local fruit available.  Banana bread is an awesome way to use those browning bananas that most people feel like they should just throw away. Not today folks, because we have an awesome 4-5 ingredient recipe for banana bread muffins that will melt in your mouth! Here’s what you’ll need:

 

  1.  3 cups mashed bananas
  2.  1/2 cup flour, sifted
  3.  1/2 cup butter
  4.  1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  5.  Dairy free chocolate chips/chunks (optional)

This recipe is also incredibly healthy- it’s vegan and gluten free. Cook them for about 12 minutes in a 350-degree oven and add some chocolate chips if you want to sweeten things up a bit!

National Cook a Sweet Potato Day

www.foodimentary.com is a website dedicated to national food holidays and fun recipes! According to their February calendar today is National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. This bright root vegetable is an easy way to sweeten up any dish- breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The following recipe for Sweet Potato Hash goes perfectly under a fried egg. Enjoy!

You’ll need:

1 large pan and cover

1 large sweet potato (chop into 1/2inch cubes)

1 onion (chop)

1 bell pepper (chop)

1 cup sliced Mushrooms

1 cup packed with spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon

Directions:

Fry bacon to preferred crispness and remove it from the pan. Add sweet potatoes and cover until tender, then uncover. Add onions, peppers and mushrooms, cook until onions are translucent. Add spinach salt and pepper and cover until spinach is wilted. Uncover and cook till desired tenderness/crispness. Cut up bacon to preferred size and sprinkle them over the top!

The "community" in CSA

When the first CSA models emerged in Japan around the 1960s, they were called “teikei”—literally meaning ‘relationship’ or ‘partnership¹.’ Similar to why consumers today invest in CSAs, these original shareholders wanted to know the people producing their food so as to support local economies and protect the health of their families. With the onslaught of modern technology, however, the ‘middleman’ is often reintroduced into this relationship. For instance, some farms now offer a CSA delivery service, meaning that shareholders don’t even need to visit the farm to receive their produce. Other farmers are forming online communities that organize multiple farms into one sign-up platform, allowing consumers to decide which CSA shares to purchase without actually coming face-to-face with the producer. These new takes on community supported agriculture are designed to increase the accessibility of fresh produce, but considering the high emphasis that original teikei models placed on consumer-farmer relationships, is a CSA that fails to foster this type of connection really a CSA at all?

When forming opinions about this widened definition of community supported agriculture, consider that 13.6% of the St. Lawrence population is food insecure.² Transportation to places selling nutritious food—including farms, markets, or even grocery stores—proves a major hurdle for many people in this rural region. It’s unreasonable to believe that everyone can easily afford and physically access farm-grown produce, so isn’t anything that acknowledges this difficulty and facilitates innovative solutions—such as delivery CSAs—a step toward bridging the farmer-consumer food gap? With our food system currently in the clutches of factory farms and corn monocultures, isn’t any CSA model, however abstract, better than no CSA model at all?

If the issue preventing you and your family from accessing fresh produce is price, GardenShare may be able to help. Through our CSA Bonus Bucks program, recipients pay a reduced price for a CSA share and the rest is covered by grants and donations. For more information on this program, please be in touch with us at office@gardenshare.org and we will send you an application

¹ http://modernfarmer.com/2013/06/state-of-the-csa/

² http://gardenshare.org/sites/default/files/project-documents/hunger%20facts.pdf

Cooperative Extension planning commercial kitchen

St. Lawrence County Cooperative Extension broke ground late last week in preparation for a new Demonstration and Teaching Kitchen located at the Extension Learning Farm in Canton. The multi-purpose kitchen will host a myriad of equipment for value-added production available for use by local producers. The 750 square foot facility is expected to be completed in April of 2016.

A CONFERENCE EXPLORING LAND AND THE FOOD SYSTEM

This year's Just Food? conference will examine the relationship between people and land, primarily through agriculture and food. Conference events will explore the legal, moral, policy, health, historic and environmental aspects of our modern domestic and international food system, with a focus on the intersection of land and justice. The conference will bring together scholars, farmers, activists, practitioners, and other authorities to discuss the growing concerns about who has access to land, how agriculture changes land, and who is marginalized or dispossessed by our current system. Our goal is to educate attendees, empower them to make changes, and engage them in a larger dialogue about food.

WHEN

Friday, March 25, 2016 at 3:00 PM - Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 4:30 PM (EDT)

WHERE

Harvard Law School - Cambridge, MA 02138

More information

USDA proposes new rules for stores regarding healthy food access

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a proposed rule designed to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increased access to healthy foods by requiring stores that accept SNAP to stock a wider array of food choices.

The 2014 Farm Bill required USDA to develop regulations to ensure that stores that accept SNAP offer a broader variety of healthy food choices. The stocking provisions in the proposed rule would require SNAP-authorized retail establishments to offer a larger inventory and variety of healthy food options so that recipients have access to more healthy food choices. SNAP retailers would be required to offer seven varieties of qualifying foods in four staple food groups for sale on a continuous basis, along with perishable foods in at least three of the four staple food groups. The staple foods groups are dairy products; breads and cereals; meats, poultry and fish; and fruits and vegetables. In addition, the proposal calls for retailers to stock at least six units within each variety, leading to a total of at least 168 required food items per store.

USDA is working to ensure that access to food retailers is not hindered for SNAP participants as a result of this rule. Comments and suggestions on the proposed rule are encouraged to help USDA determine when, where, and if any flexibility should be provided to prevent reductions in SNAP client food access.


Comments on the proposed rule will be received for 60 (calendar) days. For more information see the Federal Register Notice.

PRESIDENT’S BUDGET FIGHTS DEEP POVERTY

The President’s budget proposal includes new initiatives to help deeply poor families improve their circumstances and prevent other families from falling into such poverty.  Among other ideas, it includes:

•  Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children. The budget includes $12 billion over 10 years to provide additional food benefits to low-income families with school-aged children during the summer.  This would serve 1 million children in the first year and then increase gradually over 10 years when all states could participate; the number of children benefited would increase to nearly 20 million. This is roughly four times as many as would initially benefit under the Senate Agriculture Committee’s bill to provide summer EBT cards. Eligible families would initially get $45 a month per eligible child.

•  Improve mobility for low-income families.  Children who move to neighborhoods with less poverty have better long-term outcomes than children who stay in high-poverty neighborhoods.  The budget provides $15 million over three years to implement a Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration program to determine the most cost-effective strategies to help families with housing vouchers move to and stay in better neighborhoods.  It also includes an increase of about $400 million in 2017 to fully fund the cost of effectively administering the Housing Choice Voucher program.

•  Emergency Aid and Service Connection Grants.  Many poor families live on the brink of financial crisis—a car breakdown or stolen phone. The budget provides $2 billion over 10 years to encourage states and local communities to test innovative strategies to stave off problems that can send families on a downward spiral into job loss and homelessness, and to help families who already have experienced such crises find a way out. 

Republicans are unlikely to go along with these initiatives.

Sources: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 2/9/16, Obama Budget; Poverty & Policy, 2/8/16, Summer EBT

CCE offering workshop on local meat this week

Making the Most of Local Meats February 18, 7:00-9:00 pm

This program is for both consumers and farmers who sell meat locally. Join us for an interesting and informative meeting.  You will go home with a meat cookbook and lots of new ideas.  Bring your questions about meat cuts and how to cook certain types of meat. Click Here for More Information

DIVERSE GROUP TO LOSE SNAP THIS YEAR

Some 500,000 to 1 million childless adults will be cut off SNAP during 2016 as a three-month limit on benefits for unemployed childless adults returns in most areas of the country.  This demographically diverse population has multiple barriers to independence and self-sufficiency.  About 45% are women and close to one-third are over 40 years old.  Among those who report their race, about half are white, a third are African American, and a tenth are Hispanic.  About a quarter have less than a high school education, and more than half have only a high school diploma or GED.  Some are veterans, and some are non-custodial parents.  They live in all areas of the country; less than 40% live in urban areas. SNAP benefits for this group average about $5 a day.

Source: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 2/8/16, Who's Losing SNAP?

What to expect in the box if you order a share in a CSA

Fearing an onslaught of zucchini and the lack of creativity necessary to use it all, many would-be shareholders have refrained from joining a CSA. It’s typical for shares to periodically contain a bounty of one item and a deficit of others, so what’s a well-meaning veggie lover to do when there’s only so many plates of squash noodles a person can consume? For one, it helps to have an idea of what produce to expect when, allowing you to anticipate the colorful vegetable procession that will grace your kitchen counter in the coming months, and to prepare your cookbooks accordingly.

A garden’s harvest time scale inevitably differs from year to year, but there are basic patterns shareholders can expect. Uncommon but possible, some shares start promptly in late May. Be ready for a whole lot of salads if you decide to subscribe, since these boxes are dominated by lettuce, arugula, and other greens, as well as herbs like oregano and lemon balm. Generally, most shares begin in mid to late June, when variety such as scallions, garlic scapes, and beet greens are added. Moving into early July brings young beets and herbs such as dill, and maybe some fresh green garlic. Mixed greens are still common in these boxes.

Mid July offers summer squash and cucumbers, along with collards and cauliflower. The kale leaves get hardier and the beets get larger as the weather heats up. Snap and sweet peas become ready for harvest. Late July brings the true variety, with the addition of chard, small carrots, eggplant, and string beans. Potatoes and onions make their appearance in early August, along with kohlrabi (here’s where the creative recipes come in handy!). Mid to late August brings the tomatoes, and early September brings sweet peppers.

For farms that offer them, September typically marks the start of fall shares, which begin with a continuation of the produce that thrives in late summer’s heat—tomatoes, beans, eggplant, peppers, and the like. A continuous supply of favorites like onions, carrots, and potatoes are also offered. Since cabbage is readily available by this time of year, slaws take precedence over leafy salads, although the kale and collards still come in strong. Winter squash begins to take center stage in late September, holding this place throughout the fall. Brussels are offered by the stalk in October.

Some farms offer CSA shares in the winter, but because the growing season wilts away for most fruits and vegetables with the coming frosts, the produce provided must store well. Thus, winter squash like butternut, which can store for several months at room temperature, is a cold-season staple. Parsnips and carrots, which actually become sweeter the longer they stay in the ground, are also common in these shares, along with cabbage, which can be stored in a cool place or made into sauerkraut for enjoyment throughout the winter. Some farmers even make fermented veggies to give out in their shares, or offer canned produce prepared during the summer or fall in anticipation of the cold months.

If all else fails during the brunt of zucchini season, you can turn to this zucchini bread recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant to hold you over until the next veggie comes to fruition and overflows every nook of your fridge.

Zucchini Nut Bread

Prep time: 20 mins, Cook time: 1 hour, Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 16

Ingredients

●       1 cup vegetable oil

●       1 cup brown sugar

●       3 eggs

●       1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

●       2 cups grated zucchini

●       1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

●       1 ½ cups unbleached white flour

●       1 teaspoon cinnamon

●       1 teaspoon salt

●       1 teaspoon baking powder

●       ½ teaspoon baking soda

●       1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

●       1 cup raisins

Instructions

1.      Preheat the oven to 325°

2.      Oil two 5 X 9-inch loaf pans.

3.      In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar.

4.      Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

5.      Stir in the vanilla and zucchini.

6.      In a smaller bowl, sift together the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and soda.

7.      Stir the dry ingredients into the oil and egg mixture until just moistened.

8.      Fold in the raisins and walnuts.

9.      Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans.

10.  Bake for about 1 hour, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

For this recipe and more Moosewood favorites, visit: http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/2012/08/zucchini-nut-bread/

EMPLOYMENT IS UP, SNAP USE REMAINS HIGH

SNAP enrollment remains near record levels, even as the unemployment rate has fallen by half. About 45.4 million Americans, roughly one-seventh of the population, received nutrition aid in October 2015. Unemployment was 5% that month. The last time joblessness fell to that level, in April 2008, 28 million Americans used food stamps, and the program cost less than half of what the government paid out last year. Several reasons explain the phenomenon. Governments have made it easier to sign up for the program and done a better job of outreach to eligible people. More than 85% of eligible SNAP recipients took assistance in 2013, compared to 70% in 2008. The higher sign-up rate accounts for 8.6 million more people on SNAP – about half of the program’s total increase.

The uneven recovery has swelled the ranks of long-term unemployed and reduced the number of people working or looking for work, further boosting demand. Even for those with jobs, pay may be lower than in the past: In real dollars, SNAP recipients in 2014 had net incomes of $335 a month, the lowest since at least 1989.

Source: Albuquerque Journal, 2/4/16, SNAP Numbers Still High

FROM SHIPPING CONTAINER TO YOUR TABLE

When Michael Bissanti opened Four Burgers in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2008, he wanted to create a fast food restaurant whose ingredients were natural and sourced from organic and local farms. Today, Bissanti only needs to walk out the back door of his restaurant to pick all the fresh lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, and herbs he needs. Even in cold Boston winters, Bissanti is just feet away from fresh produce, despite his restaurant being located between Harvard and MIT. That’s because Bissanti is one of more than 50 farmers across the country growing produce in refrigerated shipping containers known as Leafy Green Machines, created by the Boston-based start-up Freight Farms. Outfitted with vertical hydroponics and LED light systems, the Leafy Green Machines are 320 square-foot self-contained farming units that can grow as much produce as two acres of farmland using less water per day than the average American needs for a single shower.

Source: Think Progress, 2/4/16, New Urban Farms

SENATE BILL ADDRESSES SUMMER HUNGER

The Senate Agriculture Committee’s revisions to the Child Nutrition Act seek to narrow current gaps that can leave low-income children without enough nutritious food, especially over the summer when free and reduced-price school meals end, there are no more free snacks in after-school programs. And SNAP benefits don’t increase to cover a family’s extra costs. The bill goes at the summer hunger problem in three different ways. First, it would allow some Summer Meal Program sites to serve meals kids can eat at home, though the program usually requires “congregate feeding.” Second, the bill tries to simplify administration for non-school sponsors that offer both after-school and summer programs. They now have to do all the paperwork for each separately and comply with two different sets of standards. Third, the bill creates a limited option to the summer feeding program. States could issue electronic benefits transfer cards, loaded with $30 per month, per child to some parents.

Source: Poverty & Policy, 2/1/16, Senate Child Nutrition Bill

If There Are No New Farmers, Who Will Grow Our Food?

Programs across the country are trying to make it easier for new farmers to get started and put down roots. Here's why: There's only one farmer under 35 for every six over 65. By 2030, one-quarter of America's current farmers will retire.  Read more in this article in YES! magazine.

VISUALIZING FOOD INSECURITY

Since 1995, USDA has monitored the food security of U.S. households through an annual, nationally representative survey.  In addition to publishing reports on its findings, the agency has produced a set of graphics that illustrate current data and trends dealing with the prevalence of food insecurity, food insecurity rates by demographic, and spending on federal food aid, among other topics.

Source: USDA, 9/15/15, Food Insecurity Graphics

GARDEN CORNER: NEVER TOO EARLY TO THINK SPRING

RECEIVE $250 TOWARD ESTABLISHING OR EXPANDING AN EDIBLE GARDEN!

One of the goals at Food Bank of Central New York is to engage partner agencies and community members in projects supporting community food security. With our Garden Grant program, awards of $250 each will be given to agencies that want to establish a “growing food” garden, or would like to expand their current garden.

Awards will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is a rolling application process with no deadline to apply. Programs will have to meet the criteria outlined in the application and provide all the information to receive the award. The application can be accessed online under Get Help/Community Services. The Food Bank accepts applications year round, allowing for spring, summer or fall garden installations, meaning your edible garden can be planted and grown throughout the year.

The grant provides a $250 reimbursement for all your growing needs. If requested, garden installation and start-up may be assisted by Beth Seeley, Community Nutrition Educator at (315)437-1899 ext. 222. The Food Bank partner agency will be responsible for maintaining and sustaining the garden and, of course, reaping the reward of freshly grown produce!

Edible gardens help increase food security in your area and nurture a meaningful connection between our community and growing nutritious fresh foods. So Let’s Get Growing!

National CSA sign-up day in three weeks!

According to the indisputable knowledge of Punxsutawney Phil, spring is officially on it's way. Soon enough, vibrant tomatoes will once again grace green vines, and the mysterious kohlrabi will present itself to eager and adventurous kitchen pioneers. Meaning, it's the perfect time to sign up for a share of summer vegetables, especially with CSA Signup Day approaching on Friday, February 26th.

CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture, is a mutually supportive business model between farmers and consumers. The consumer purchases a certain amount of boxes (or shares) of farm-produced foods, which differ depending on the share and the consumer’s needs. They can range from vegetables to shares of meat, eggs, and even maple syrup or honey. The pay-forward model provides farmers with the revenue they need ahead of the growing season to buy necessary supplies, as well as ensures that if the harvest is plentiful, the consumer and farmer share in the bounty. The same goes for an unfruitful season—a financial security net for the grower.

Last year, most CSA signups happened in late February, so Small Farm Central—a organization that supports the economic success of farmers as a means of developing a viable local food system—has set the 2016 CSA Signup Day to reflect this. It's a time to celebrate what it means to be part of community supported agriculture, both in terms of bringing together local farmers with local eaters, as well as in highlighting the culinary enjoyment that fresh, nutrient-rich food can induce.

Meaning, it's also a great time of year to live in the North Country. With multiple local CSA farms holding varying degrees of shareholder commitment—ranging from those that distribute produce right to the consumer, to those that require shareholders to work a certain amount of hours per month as part of their membership—there's bound to be one to fit the needs of any veggie lover.

If you and your family would like to enjoy the healthy, fresh, local food offered by a CSA but feel as though purchasing a share is outside your budget, GardenShare may be able to help. As part of the CSA Bonus Bucks program, qualifying recipients pay a reduced price for their share, and the rest is covered by grants and donations. For more information on this program, please email GardenShare at office@gardenshare.org.

More information on Small Farm Central and CSA Day 2016: http://www.smallfarmcentral.com/Blog-Item-Announcing-CSA-Day-2016

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.