farm to school Tag

As we mark 25 years catalyzing change in the local food landscape, REAP Food Group has even more reason to celebrate: in collaboration with multiple local partners, we recently received several grants spanning projects related to food systems, farmer access to markets, and food education in public schools.  USDA  This year the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service awarded more than $32 million for projects nationwide to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems through the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program and Farmers Market Promotion Program, and nearly $73 million for projects that support farmers growing specialty crops through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). REAP and partners submitted winning proposals for each grant program. In response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regional food system, including the amplification of food system inequities, supply chain gaps, and more, many individuals and organizations in the 13-county area surrounding Madison knew the region had to address its vulnerabilities. A collection of food systems organizations and food councils in Dane County proposed the creation of a collaborative, community-driven process to assess food system gaps and weaknesses, and ultimately create a food action plan. An RFSP grant–one of only 10 in the nation–awarding almost $250,000, plus additional financial support from Dane County, will help create that plan. “The USDA Regional Food System Partnership grant awarded to REAP will allow for a deep community-engaged process, involving local farmers, food retailers, institutional buyers, food banks and pantries, community organizations, and local residents, that will inform the development of a long-desired food systems action plan for the Madison and Dane County region.” - Marcia Caton Campbell, Rooted READ THE FULL FOOD ACTION PLAN PRESS RELEASE HERE. Meanwhile, with USDA funds from both from the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant as well as Specialty Crop Block Grant via the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), REAP plans to expand the 21-year-old Farm Fresh Atlas–an annual print and internet guide to sustainable family farms, farmers’ markets, grocers, and restaurants–to represent the entire state of Wisconsin.  “Our primary objective is to implement an innovative marketing platform, elevating the experience for local food producers and consumers alike. Looking ahead, we aim to introduce valuable features to the Atlas, covering the entirety of Wisconsin and creating a comprehensive, centralized resource for consumers seeking locally sourced products.” - Noah Bloedorn, REAP Food Group NIFA Finally, the Food & Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) announced 9 awardees whose proposals increase the knowledge of agricultural science and improve the nutritional health of children. The initiative is part of a broader effort to not only increase access to school meals for low-income children, but also to dramatically improve food quality. REAP’s winning proposal aims to integrate and expand food justice and education in MMSD schools by developing classroom curriculum, and offering high school students opportunities to engage local farmers and food justice leaders. Central to the project’s goals: help students build critical leadership skills that they can apply towards future careers. ...

A partnership between Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Food and Nutrition and REAP Food Group spent much of 2022 bringing local agriculture straight to classrooms thanks to a USDA Farm to School grant. The Harvest of the Month program includes Virtual Farm Tours and a series of video shorts featuring vegetables that students will find right on their lunch trays! In Spring and Fall of 2022, REAP Food Group led virtual farm tours across southern and southwest Wisconsin with help from Shiftology Communications. K-5 classrooms across Madison public schools zoomed into the tours and asked farmers questions live, while REAP polled classrooms to find out how many varieties of apples or mushrooms students could name, or what they thought CSA stood for (= Community Supported Agriculture). Meanwhile, REAP brought on independent video producer Bria Brown, based in Atlanta, GA, to produce engaging short films featuring peppers, greens, corn, and cucumbers. Together Brown, Farm to School Director Allison Pfaff Harris, and Communications Manager Samantha Kincaid visited several local growers and food makers over the summer of 2022 to collect stories and footage. I was repeatedly amazed by all that can be grown in compact spaces and places.Allison Pfaff Harris, REAP Farm to School Director Over the lifetime of the grant, the team got to share the inspired voices of farmers who often spend their days deep in manual labor and managing teams both tiny and large. [O]ne of my takeaways was that farmers are very forthcoming with their knowledge, and want a place to share what they do. These tours provided the opportunity for farmers to share their work and knowledge on a larger platform, without having to leave their farms," said Farm to School Director, Allison Pfaff Harris. All tours and vegetable videos are available for public viewing at the Harvest of the Month page. A Special Thank You to the farmers and chefs who contributed their time and passion to this grant: Alex Booker, Badger Rock Urban Farm and Booker Botanicals Armando Pérez, Pérez Produce Bethanee Wright, Winterfell Acres Elena Terry, Wild Bearies Heidi and Julian Zepeda, Tortilleria Zepeda John & Halee Wepking, Meadowlark Organics Liz Griffith, Door Creek Orchard Patty Grimmer and Ky Christenson, Wonka’s Harvest Sarah Leong, Squashington Farm Tommy Stauffer, Vitruvian Farm Yimmuaj Yang, Groundswell Conservancy Yusuf Bin-Rella, Trade Roots Culinary Collective ...

On Tuesday, May 24, REAP Food Group, in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Food and Nutrition, zoomed into classrooms for our second Virtual Farm Tour, this time with farmers Patty and Ky of Wonka's Harvest in Hollandale.   Geared to grades K-5, the live presentation included an experiment demonstrating the benefits of no-till agriculture using various soil mediums. Patty and Ky answered questions from students about the favorite crops they grow, and they shared their love of bees. Watch a recording of the tour, and consider following Patty and Ky's lead and improve your own garden soils with compost! Virtual Farm Tours are made possible through a grant and brought to classrooms by REAP Food Group, in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Food and Nutrition in an effort to deliver the sights and smells of Wisconsin-grown foods to MMSD classrooms through virtual farm tours, videos, and books. Shiftology Communication Virtual Farm Trips® facilitated the tours. The unique PR firm offers "one-of-a-kind learning experiences by connecting participants to real working farms from the comfort of their computers, classrooms, conference rooms and living rooms." https://youtu.be/hmk7bahUJCQ ...

On Thursday, May 5, REAP Food Group, in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Food and Nutrition, zoomed into eighty-three classrooms for a Virtual Farm Tour at Vitruvian Farms in McFarland. The tour marked the first in an ongoing series to deliver the sights and smells of Wisconsin-grown foods to MMSD classrooms through virtual farm tours, videos, and books.  Geared to grades K-5, the live presentation included a tour of the farm led by co-owner Tommy Stauffer*, poll questions for the nearly 1,500 students gauging their knowledge of, and like--or dislike--of mushrooms, and a Q&A for Tommy. Hosts discovered that the students already had a rich vocabulary in mushroom varieties, and were at least amenable to tasting them! Watch a recording and stay tuned for the next tour at Wonka's Harvest in Hollandale before schools close for the summer. Virtual Farm Tour is made possible through a grant and brought to classrooms by REAP Food Group, in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Food and Nutrition. Shiftology Communication Virtual Farm Trips® facilitated the tour. The unique PR firm offers "one-of-a-kind learning experiences by connecting participants to real working farms from the comfort of their computers, classrooms, conference rooms and living rooms." *Tommy Stauffer is also a REAP Food Group board member. https://youtu.be/FxqWG0x0Mgs ...

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