The Future of Farm to School in Floyd

Last fall, SustainFloyd organized the Farm-to-School (FTS) Pilot Project. The purpose of this project is to introduce this national program to our community, and to establish a working relationship between our farmers and the county schools.

Healthy Foods from Close to Home

Here’s an article that appeared in the Floyd Press about our Potato Harvest Day at Five Penny Farm with the fifth graders from Floyd Elementary and a slew of adult volunteers.  The potato harvest was a real hit with the kids who heartily got their hands in the dirt, lugged totes full of potatoes, learned the work of farmers and then dug into local apples as a treat for a job well done.  The following Tuesday, these same potatoes were served at all five school cafeterias to 2,100 students in Floyd County.

Imagine if Floyd county farmers could supply twenty percent of the food going to our kids each school day.  How about thirty percent? Forty percent? Do we dare dream of fifty percent?  What if this was coupled with an educational component where kids experience where the food comes from and learn how it’s grown?

Now you’re talking something truly transformational in the way our kids eat and the markets our farming community supplies.  And just think of keeping a chunk of the money spent on school lunches right here in our community.

While FTS is gaining national momentum,  we are still taking our first steps locally.  Building on last year’s Pilot Project, our goal is to place $2,500 worth of food in the school cafeterias in 2010.

This will most likely be in the form of potatoes, apples and cabbages but we are exploring other items as well.  SustainFloyd plans on organizing at least one harvest day this fall and maybe more.

We have the support and cooperation of the schools and now we need the community to help organize these events and provide the energy to support expanded offerings.  Next year, we will go for $5,000.  If we can double our figures each year, in five years we will be placing $80,000 of local food in our schools!

With these initiatives, SustainFloyd establishes Floyd County as a state-wide leader in the FTS movement and positions us to receive funds to further the project when they become available.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has a FTS program, but it is unfunded for the most part, concentrating primarily on facilitation and marketing.  Yet there is talk of funding at the national level. Also private sources of funding are likely if we can show we have our act together and are committed to feeding our kids healthy, sustainably-farmed local food.

SustainFloyd is actively seeking interested community members to join a Farm-to-School Committee to help reach our goals for 2010 and beyond.  Please contact Mike Burton, Director (540-250-0111 or email info@sustainfloyd.org) if you would like to learn about ways you can participate.