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Agenda for farm to school summitWelcome

Alaska Farm to School Strategic Plan: Johanna Herron

Guest Speaker: Anupama Joshi

Question / answer

Open discussion

Farm to School Programwww.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FTS.htm

Johanna HerronProgram Coordinator

Department of Natural Resources,Division of Agriculture

Vote for the logo

Objectives of summitGain a general understanding of how the program will work in

Alaska

Understand the strategic plan for the program

Learn ways to get involved and stay informed

Overview

• Background• Alaska farm to school• Strategic plan• Current projects• Staying informed

Happy 5th Birthday, Jethro!!!

My background• Moved to Fairbanks in 2000• Met my husband and had two kids• Got interested in childhood nutrition and school

food environment About me

• Restaurant industry (10+ years)• Research experience (5+ years)Work experience

• BS in Anthropology• MS in Community Nutrition underway

• Thesis project MEALSEducation

Basic goals of farm to school programs

School Nutrition Programs

• To meet the diverse needs in an efficient manner

• To increase youth exposure to locally grown foods

Local Food Systems

• To strengthen local food systems by supporting regional and local food producers

Education

• To provide support for health and nutrition education

• To increase youth understanding of how food gets to their plate

Health, economy, and environment

Overview

• Background• Alaska farm to school• Strategic plan• Current projects• Staying informed

How do we define farm to school in Alaska?

Any activity that connects students, teachers, and the school food service with product grown and harvested in Alaska

• Increasing Alaska grown food sales to the school meal programs

• Distribute information for school garden development

• Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom curriculum/education

• Farm visits

• Participation in programs that educate youth about the food system

• State-wide contests promoting farm to school activities

• Harvest of the month promotions

• Resource / marketing development

• Supporting existing farm / fish to school efforts

• Facilitating discussion between school food service and food producers

Nutrition facts

Overview

• Background• Alaska farm to school• Strategic plan• Current projects• Staying informed

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.

Strategic plan developmentHouse Bill 70

Professional planner

Advisory group input

Public input

Strategic plan design5 Goals

Objectives (straight from HB-70)

Task

Who, when, measurement, barriers, and assumptions

Advisory groupIdentify members

Identify tasks and projects for each member

Utilize strategies to track progress and revisit plan

Maintain momentum

Contributors

• Franci Havemeister• Amy Pettit• Bryce Wrigley• Jo Dawson• Michelle LeBeau• Diane Peck• Karol Fink

• Dave Schauer• Anupama Joshi• Stacey Sobell• Victoria Naegele• Lorinda Lhotka• Kathryn Quanbeck

Big picture of goalsFunding and

support

Statewide Data

Collection

Goal #1: Statewide AssessmentStatewide

assessment of school food

service professionals

Participate in the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) census survey• Measurement: • 70% (~385)

response rate from schools

Interview various stakeholders• Measurement:• 4 distributors • 4 processors• 5 food producers• 5 community

advocates

Goal #2: Resource development and sharing

School gardens2 gardens / yearCreate toolkit

Outreach about available resources Distribute AK resource bookNew users of resources

‘Seasonal Harvest’ pilotCreate toolkitParticipation rates Agriculture statistics

Good agricultural practices2 workshops / year3 farms and 3 school districts represented

Resource guide for using local

or school garden produce

Distribute to interested

stakeholders

Goal #3: Strengthen relationships between food producers/harvesters and school food services

• 5 farmers visit schools’ kitchens• 5 schools’ food services visit farms

School / Farm Tours

Goal #4: Networking, educating, and marketing

- 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 promotion

al materials

Create a resource

guide adapted

from Vermont

FEED publication

Back to the basics

Apply

for grants

• Grants

awarded

FTS grant

program

• # of applicants

• # of stude

nts reach

ed

Utilization of

other

money

• Amount of

$ given

to suppo

rt progr

am

Goal #5: Enhance program through grants and funding

Overview

• Background• Alaska farm to school• Strategic plan• Current projects• Staying informed

School / Farm tours

Palmer district

Potato production

Carrot production

Palmer School / Farm Tour

Highlights of the tour

Potential utilization of central production kitchen during summer months when it is dormant.

• Potentially affordable product for schools • New market for farmers, this size potato was previously sold for pennies as animal feed

A 'Seasonal Harvest' promotion has potential.

Small potatoes are a good size for schools!

School / Farm tours

Fairbanks district

Anchorage district

Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom

Outreach to 35 Anchorage

Health Educators

Outreach to 400 students in Fairbanks

Helped recruit volunteers for

Fairbanks Alaska Agriculture day, May 3rd

Helping with Fairbanks Alaska

Agriculture during the week of May 3rd

www.agclassroom.org/ak

Some current projects

• Creating resources to help facilitate foods into the schools safely (school garden and local producers)

• Garden to cafeteria pilot

• Increasing communication and knowledge to interested stakeholders

Alaska teacher scholarship program www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag

Implement agriculture into curriculumFocus on Alaska Grown specialty cropsAvailable for all teachersAward amounts: $300-$500Application open: August 2011Minimum # of students reached = 20

What is a specialty crop?

• YES:–Fruits &

Vegetables–Flowers–Mushrooms–Sod & Turf–Bees & Honey–Nursery

• NO:–Livestock–Dairy–Feed crops–Oil crops–Aquaculture

Alaska farm to school grant program www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FTS.htm

Overview

• Background• Alaska farm to school• Strategic plan• Current projects• Staying informed

Stay informed and connectedwww.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FTS.htm

1. Get in the farm to school contact database2. Get on the Division of Agriculture newsletter

list3. Get listed with one of the many resources

available4. Contribute to surveys that come out

Alaska grown source bookhttp://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/FFPD2010/FFPD.pdf

Farm to school contact database

36%

14%13%

14%

23%

Stakeholder Distribution

School district State employee University Community advocateAlaskan food producer

Farm to school contact database

1%

31%

7%

3%

58%

1%

Region

Northern arcticInteriorSoutheastSouthwestKenai peninsula / southcentralOutside Alaska

Questions and input always welcome!johanna.herron@alaska.gov

(907) 374-3714

Thank you!