February 8 was Farm to School and Early Childhood Awareness Day in the Legislature, and we invited champions of the movement — educators, farmers, state agencies, service providers, students, food hubs, and more — to share how farm to school is making a difference in their communities.
Through these stories, we’re advocating for the strengthening and expansion of Vermont farm to school and early childhood programs. To reach our network goal, we need to invest $500,000 in two programs:
Twenty years ago, Vermont was the first state to establish a farm to school grant program, which is the foundation for the USDA program, the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. Today, Vermont continues to be at the forefront of farm to school efforts, leveraging partnerships across the state to connect students to the food they eat and create equitable access to local, nutritious foods in schools.
Farm to school in Vermont integrates food access, food education and local purchasing, so that while we are providing our children critical nutrition, they are understanding what that food does for the health of their bodies and their communities, while benefiting our local farmers and building healthy habits and a connection to Vermont foods, for a lifetime.
Our sustainability program fosters students who have found their passion for tending to chickens, those who have tried new vegetables, and those who have learned that they can make salad dressing that tastes better than store-bought. One of the best parts of this program is that it reaches students who tend to struggle in traditional classrooms. The hands-on, experiential learning that takes place in this classroom gives them the space to thrive and learn to be compassionate by caring for living creatures and finding value in the real-world applications.
The most apparent value of farm to school education is the practical skill set students gain for life beyond middle school, but there are other benefits that aren't as obvious. It is an opportunity for students to experience the positive impacts that farming can provide and shift their perception that food comes only from the grocery store.
Watch three of Kayla’s students testify to the Vermont House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry:
Aligned with the state’s local purchasing goals, the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network has the goal of reaching 30% local purchasing by 2030. We’re not going to achieve that goal without intention and significant investments. National supply chains and corporate consolidation are the default in our food system. To reach our target goal, we need to make local foods affordable, easy to procure, and available for schools. When we invest in K-12 local purchasing, we invest in our students, our local economies, and our rural communities.
Vermont school meal programs spend $20 million dollars on food. That is a huge market opportunity for Vermont farmers. We know when we spend $1.00 on local food, we circulate $1.60 back into the local economy. Using those current numbers as an example, when we reach our goal of 30% local, that will mean $6 million dollars spent on local food for schools, circulating $9.6 million in our local economy.
We have been able to work with local business owners and farms to give students the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from and how to make it. Our students worked with Stefano Coppola, owner of Pearl Street Pizza and Morse Block Deli in Barre, to make mozzarella cheese from fresh milk purchased at Buttercup Mountain Farm in Orange. Students also made bread from scratch, and these items were served along with items from our school gardens at the Farm to School Showcase event.
Our students have greatly benefited from the lessons, hands-on learning, and opportunities farm to school has brought to them. They have been provided with knowledge of local food systems, gardening skills, community engagement, and nutrition that will stay with them for a lifetime. The pride and excitement students exude in my time working with them regarding farm to school is also something that will forever stick with me.
I feel this is incredibly important—there are a lot of reasons why farm to school is important. Not just to farms, but the larger community. Without that engagement and understanding between farmers and the community, we continue to push in the direction of disassociation and ignorance, not just of farms, but what it means to live in a rural community and be connected to nature. It’s incredibly important for farm to school to continue, and frankly should even be more funded and reimagined as how it could continue to grow and be a long-term, stable part of the education system.
Since the implementation of the Local Foods Incentive Program, sales of Vermont beef have drastically increased. Before, it was really difficult to sell Vermont proteins to public schools, primarily due to food service budgetary constraints. Now that schools have a financial incentive to source Vermont products, this barrier to entry has been reduced. In fact, one of the easiest ways for Vermont public schools to increase their local purchasing percentage is by sourcing Vermont “center of the plate” proteins, like ground beef and beef patties.
Mark Boyden of Boyden Farm in Cambridge is a fifth generation family farmer and cares deeply about serving public schools. He says, “The big thing is getting kids to expect local food, and they keep that when they grow up. That’s more important than sales.” During the school year of 2021-22, Food Connects sold approximately $35,000 of Boyden Farm beef to Vermont public schools. During the following school year, we sold approximately $48,000... During the current school year, we have already sold approximately $50,000 with five months remaining in the school year.
I am confident that more Vermont public schools will continue to increase their ordering of Vermont beef so that they can meet the local purchasing thresholds for the LFI.
Learn more about the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network’s advocacy for state-level support for connecting the 3Cs of farm to school — classrooms, cafeterias, and communities.