You’ve heard of farm-to-table. Now, get ready for farm-to-school! 🧑🌾🎒 Weird menu full of wacky veggie dishes sold separately. 😆
Got a budding farmer in the family? Ohio just became the latest state to jump on board a nationwide initiative to inspire kids to pursue careers in agriculture. 🌻
Here’s Five Fast Facts on Ohio’s farm-to-school funding:
- 🚜 Down on the Farm - Thanks to the Ohio Department of Education and Governor Mike DeWine, over $332,000 in Grow Ohio Grants will support 14 farm-to-school projects across the state. The projects will include food literacy programs, school gardening, partnerships with local suppliers, and hydroponic gardens.
- ✅ Checking the Boxes - The first round of recipients has to meet at least one or more of the following criteria: a focus on workforce development and introduction for students who are interested in agriculture career paths, a partnership with one or more local food producers, farmers, or food aggregators, and/or it must be located in communities where at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
- 📖 Homegrown History - The goal of the programs funded by these grants is to spark students’ interest in agriculture in the hopes they become the next generation of farmers. The programs also serve to educate the youth on Ohio’s agriculture history and heritage.
- 🐴 Nice Neigh-bors - Ohio’s neighbors are already putting similar grants to work. PA is now accepting applications for its farm-to-school program and awarding $500,000 in farm-to-school grant funding state-wide. New York also recently announced the recipients of the first round of funding for its Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program. NY will award an impressive $50M over five years to eligible applicants.
- 💰 A Bigger Barn - Farm-to-school funding is happening on a federal level as well. Earlier this summer, the USDA awarded over $14M in funding to a program that supports 54 projects in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program is expected to reach 1.9M children.
🔥Bottom line: If your kid has a green thumb, could you send them over to our garden? We’re trying to get our pumpkins to a record size this year. Please and thank you! Did you know that Ohioans need to earn at least $20.81 an hour at a full-time job to be able to afford a “modest” two-bedroom apartment? Yup, read more here.
Does your local school have an agricultural program?
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