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October 2020: Farm to School Grant Applications Are Open!
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Hello Everyone,
Time flies when you’re crunching local apples, and we’re already over half way through this year’s Farm to School + Early Care Education (ECE) Month. At the beginning of October, our Farm
to School + ECE Leadership team was eager to kick things off knowing that the 2020
registration provided a variety of ways for everyone to participate. Despite the challenging and sometimes discouraging nature of this year, over 65,000 people have registered to crunch so far! That is remarkable and I
want to give an enormous thank you to everyone who took the time to register.
Although this celebratory month is going by quickly, it also launches us into a new season of opportunities to engage in Farm to School programming and to continue
sharing on-the-ground successes. Just this week, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) opened two grant applications that invite MN schools to grow their Farm to School programming regardless of having prior experience, and last week
USDA launched their Farm to School grant program. The MDA is also launching an innovative pilot to explore a regional Farm to School program model.
This mid-month issue provides information about these exciting grants and the pilot. You will also find a shared story from Kelliher, MN and highlights from the field.
Jackie Billhymer & Stephanie Heim
University of Minnesota Extension
Member of Minnesota’s Farm to School Leadership Team
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Apply for an AGRI Farm to School Grant!
Contributed by: Jackie Billhymer, University of Minnesota Extension
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This year, two tiers of
 Agricultural
Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Farm to School grants are available through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This grant funding supports public or private school districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program and serve food
to K-12 students. School districts serving sovereign nations are encouraged to apply. Both applications are due by 4 p.m. on December 18, 2020. Below is key information about each grant and a link to their official application pages where full details can
be found.
AGRI
First Bite Mini Grant provides an intentional learning process to school districts that have little to no experience procuring local food as part of the Farm to School Program. Eligible projects will receive between $2,500 - $5,000 to focus on
high-impact Farm to School
efforts that highlight local food. No matching funds are required.
AGRI
Full Tray Grant supports schools with some Farm to School experience and will allocate between $2,500 and $35,000 to eligible applicants. Eligibility is based on the number of reimbursable breakfasts and lunches served in October 2019. The formula
for eligibility, as well as examples of eligible procurement items can be found
through the Full Tray Grant link. Matching funds are required.
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A New Pilot to Support Farm to School!
Contributed by: Helen Schnoes, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
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Introducing PARSNIP
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Pilot to Accelerate Regional Support for Nutrition at Institutions from Producers. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is looking to contract with one organization to execute a regional farm to school coordination pilot and provide recommendations to the
MDA and partners about promising models and approaches for future regional Farm to School support in Minnesota.
The MDA will hold a webinar on Thursday, October 29 at 3pm to review the open Request for Proposals. Participants will be able to submit questions that will be
answered via email after the webinar.
Register for the webinar.
To receive a copy of the Request for Proposals,
and to submit a question about the RFP, email Helen Schnoes at
helen....@state.mn.us
Questions must be submitted by Friday, October 30 at 4pm to be answered as part of this process.
Final proposals will be due Friday, November 13 at 4pm to Emily Jerve,
emily...@state.mn.us
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Share Your Story!
Contributed by: Amy Mastin, Kelliher Middle School
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My name is Amy Mastin and I am the middle school science teacher in Kelliher, Minnesota. This year, I was given an
elective class that I call Food Production and Systems. We are Focusing on farm to plate this year.
Since we are hybrid (online and in-person), we needed to get creative with our projects. My students are creating a video for the elementary students to help get them excited about the Great Lakes Apple Crunch Day on October 8th. They partnered with the kitchen
staff to put on an apple taste test that day and will be analyzing the data for the elementary school.
For Farm to School Month, we just started an "adopt a farmer/rancher" project. We found many volunteers and matched them to our teachers for projects throughout the school year. We even had a teacher from out-of-district pop onto our post. She wanted to be
paired up too! We set her up with a farmer in southern Minnesota to learn about swine production.
Our next project will be to create videos about our daily healthy snacks that our elementary students receive daily. My students will make short, 2-minute videos highlighting the nutritional value of these fruits and vegetables along with where and how these
foods are produced.
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USDA 2021 Farm to School Grant Request for Applications is Now Open!
Contributed by: Stephanie Heim, University of Minnesota Extension
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 USDA
will award up to $10 million in competitive grants to eligible entities. Each grant helps implement farm to school programs that increase access to local food in eligible schools, connect children with agriculture for better health, and inspire youth to consider
careers in agriculture. There are three funding tracks available and new for FY 2021, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at non-school based sites are included in the definition of eligible
schools and may apply for funding. The deadline to apply is January 8th, 2020.
Learn more.
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Farm to School Month in the News
Aurora, MN Schools Celebrate
Farm to School Month.
Learn how their Farm to School Coordinator has adapted their program to meet the needs of a hybrid educational model!
Sprout Marketplace
Learn how
this food hub, located in the Brainerd Lakes area, is focused on strengthening the local food system in central Minnesota.
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Copyright © *|2020|* *|Minnesota's Farm to School Leadership Team|*, All rights reserved.
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