Farm-to-School events and media coverage

Media
The farm-to-school movement (and attention to childhood nutrition in general) has been gaining momentum -- and public attention -- nationwide. Over the past year, a number of national media outlets, including the New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, CBS, and 60-minutes have featured farm-to-school projects and related issues. 

Local media attention to farm-to-school:

December 2006: Capital Times Article by Susan Troller: "A new taste adventure -- Students learn nutritious can mean delicious"

October 2006: Isthmus article by Erika Janik: "Readin', writin', fricasseein' -- Top Madison chefs teach the children well"

May 2005: Willy St. Coop Reader article by Doug Wubben: "Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch: Linking the Land with the Lunchroom"

November 2004: Wisconsin State Journal: "Little Sprouts: Homegrown Lunch program goes beyond pilot schools today"

September, 2004: Capital Times article by Judy Frankel, "It Takes A Community To Feed A Child: Program In City Schools Aims To Head Kids In Healthy Direction"

June, 2004 - Capital Times Article by Melissa C. Segars, "Students relish tomato project."

April, 2004 - Isthmus article by Terese Allen, "Cauliflower in the Classroom" (about the WHL project.)

March, 2004 - Organic Broadcaster newsletter article by Heather Stouder and Sara Tedeschi, "The Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Project: Linking the Land with the Lunchroom."

Oct, 2003 - Wisconsin State Journal Article by Brenda Ingersoll, "Students Savor Local Vegetables." (about WHL's Harvest Festival special meals at the pilot schools.)

Oct, 2003 - The Capital Times Article by Lee Sensenbrenner, "Kids Eat Up Fresh Produce: Locally Grown Food Served At School" (about WHL's Harvest Festival special meals at the pilot schools.)

July, 2003 - Wisconsin State Journal - Op Ed by Miriam Grunes, "School Food Can Nourish Body, Mind"

July, 2003 - The Capital Times - Op Ed by Margaret Krome, "Fresh, Local Food For Kids Will Have Long-term Benefits"

A few recent national articles include: 

2007 - "Homegrown Lunch: Farm Foods Fuel Snacks, Fundraisers, Learning." Article posted on kidsgardening.org by Eve Pranis highlighting Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch.

May, 2004 - USA Today Article by Nanci Hellmich, "Children's menus hold the fries, dish up the broccoli."  Highlights the moves restaurants have made to improve children's menus. Menus in some of the nation's most popular eateries will expand to include broccoli, grilled chicken, and other more nutritious options.

May, 2004 Los Angeles Times Article, by Fred Alvarez, "Ventura Campus Turns a New Leaf: Fulfilling a goal set more than two years ago, Sheridan Way is the district's 17th, and last, elementary school to serve up a salad bar."

May 24, 2004 - Connect for Kids Article by Douglas J. Buege, "Lunchroom Revolution"   A profile of Sara Tedeschi and the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Project.

March, 2004 New York Times Article, by Peggy Orenstein, "Food Fighter." Celebrated chef Alice Waters and her role in creating one successful program in California, called the "Edible Schoolyard." 

January 4, 2004 - Boston Globe Op-Ed by Kathleen Merrigan, "From the farm to students."  Addresses farm-to-school in general and pending national legislation for the Farm to Cafeteria Act.

Events
In October 2002, the Community Food Security Coalition hosted the First Annual National Farm-to-Cafeteria Conference ("Healthy Farms, Healthy Students") in Seattle, Washington. This groundbreaking one-day event drew more than 250 participants from around the country who are interested or currently involved in community-based food security projects aimed at linking institutional food services with high quality and sustainably produced local foods. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch project staff attended the conference and presented during the "Nuts and Bolts of Organizing Farm-to-School Projects" workshop. The presentation was well received and generated interest in our approach here in Madison. More importantly, the conference represented the groundswell of community support nationwide for such projects. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch staff established key contacts with other model programs and continue to network through these established channels. 

The 2004 National Community Food Security Conference was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this year on Oct 17-19 and once again farm-to school played a big part in the agenda.  Our own Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch project presented to this national audience on the progress we're making as one of the first upper Midwest farm-to-school initiatives.

The Community Food Security Coalition works determinedly in the area of federal policy relating to food security, sustainable agriculture and child nutrition issues. See policy priorities at http://www.foodsecurity.org/policy.html, and learn more about "Growing Healthy Kids: America's Farms Feed America's Children," a $10 million seed grant fund for Farm to School projects.

Food for Thought Festival 2004 was held Sept 17-18 in Madison, featuring keynote by Eliot Coleman and presentation by Tod Murphy of the Farmers' Diner. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch exhibited at the festival.

Watch this space for updated information on events and media coverage!
    

Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch
A joint project of the REAP Food Group and
the University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

Contact Doug Wubben, project coordinator, at dwubben@wisc.edu

http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/farmtoschool
Web site designed and maintained by Lori Compas
at the UW Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
Updated February 3, 2008