Iowa schools have new resource for Farm to School efforts

by | May 22, 2017 | 5 Ag Stories, News

Photo courtesy of Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative.

The ISU Extension and Outreach Local Foods Program has been selected as the 2017-2019 National Farm to School Network Iowa Core Partner.

This provides new opportunities to expand school partnerships that support local food purchases, school gardens and food and agriculture education.

Farm to school practices from early childhood through high school help children learn where food comes from and how to make healthier food choices.

“Several years ago I was made aware of a sobering statistic ? that the next generation of children could be the first to experience a shorter life expectancy than their parents, I know good food and a healthy lifestyle will play a huge part in all of that” said Lynn Heuss, program coordinator for the Local Foods Program and facilitator of the partnership in Iowa.

Food to school efforts also create new markets for local and regional farmers and food producers.

The National Farm to School Census, released in 2015, showed that 29 percent of Iowa school districts are conducting some type of farm to school activity. Another 17 percent said they planned to begin to do so in the future.

As the Iowa Core Partner, the Local Foods Program will build capacity and support for the expansion of farm to school and farm to early care and education efforts in Iowa.