Farm to School Month Celebration at Burlington's Sustainability Academy

In early October, several key farm to school stakeholders met at the Sustainability Academy in Burlington to celebrate Farm to School Month, enjoy a student-led taste test, and to hear Vermont Agency of Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross announce the availability of Vermont Farm to School grant program funding for farm to school programming in Vermont schools for 2016. This grant program is made possible through the collaboration of Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Agency of Education, VT FEED, and the Vermont Farm to School Network. Among those gathered were Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe, Health Commissioner Harry Chen, Burlington Schools Superintendent Yaw Obeng, Vermont state legislators, representatives from the office of Senator Leahy, Abbie Nelson of NOFA-VT and FEED, and Betsy Rosenbluth of Shelburne Farms and FEED. 

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross spoke about farm to school in Vermont, highlighting the benefits of farm to school programs and that the state is a national leader in the farm to school movement. "Farm to School programming helps build a culture of ‘Ag Literacy’ in our schools and communities. These programs are an essential part of building the connection between agriculture and the next generation of Vermonters, while also teaching our students to make healthy choices and ensuring food access for all,” he said. Read the full press release here and watch the news coverage.

The Vermont theme for Farm to School Month this year is Taste Test Mania, and as it was also National Kale Day, it was an obvious choice to run a kale pesto taste test. Students in grades 4 and 5 encouraged younger students to try it and then took a poll - it was a hit with students and staff! The recipe can be found in our New School Cuisine Cookbook on the Resource Library page.