When Columbus City Schools food service director Joe Brown and his team selected the first meal to serve for Ohio Days they wanted to start out with something really popular such as a turkey dinner. After some researching they then selected Bowman and Landes turkey raised near New Carlisle. Bowman & Landes Turkeys, Inc. raise their own turkey from day one to harvest and process them on the farm. Turkeys have been raised by the Bowman & Landes family farm since 1948 through a partnership that began with Dennis Landes and Kenneth Bowman. Their original mission to produce the highest quality free range turkeys using home grown grains has not changed and continues to drive their organization. They are committed to quality […]
Ohio Farm to School News
COVID 19 Resources for Farm to School and ECE
These resources from the National Farm to School Network can be found here.
Knowledge Exchange COVID 19 HUB
A new website with science-based information and research on COVID-19 from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences launched April
7th. The KX COVID-19 Hub is a collaboration between The Knowledge Exchange, Ohio State University Extension, and the CFAES statewide network of researchers and faculty. Visit kx.osu.edu/covid-19 for a collection of resources, tools, and links to help Ohio communities weather the crisis.
Founded in 2019, The Knowledge Exchange (KX) is a support platform in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences bringing research to the public in an unbiased and interactive way.
Read past editions of This Week for more funding opportunities, webinars and events, jobs, and ways to take action to support farm to school growth across the country.
Local Matters Educates about Local Foods
Local Matters is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that teaches children and families what healthy food is, where it comes from, how to grow it, and how to access it affordably. Although, they are located in Columbus they have already grown to reach additional satellite partners with their Cooking Matters program in Toledo; Delaware, OH; Newport, KY; and Cincinnati. The proprietary nature of their curriculum allows them to train satellite partners and expand their reach. Their mission is to create healthy communities through food education, access and advocacy. They do this by teaching children and adults about healthful food. Local Matters has delivered lessons to more than 80 sites across Columbus, reaching more than 11,000 individuals annually. Most of […]
Columbus Jewish Day School Donates their Garden Bounty through Delicious Soup.
By Amy Fovargue -Students at Columbus Jewish Day School (CJDS) are learning to grow food and seeing how it relates to their faith by sharing the produce with homeless teens and elders living in poverty. The school located in New Albany covers K-6 grades and has 69 students enrolled. In 2016 with help from a local organic farm, the students shared 1,400 pounds of produce with people in a nearby senior apartment building. “We eat a little, but we share a lot,” said Dr. Gina Freeman, the Dean of Students at the school. “We want the children to learn about the environment to complement Judaic curriculum,” Freeman said. The curriculum reflects on the origins of food and the connection with […]
Sandusky City Schools Gets a Win/Win in Farm to School
Sandusky City Schools was one of the first schools in Ohio to become active in Farm to School. “The district knew it was a win/win situation for the students and the community”, said Brad Kraft, Sandusky City Schools Dining and Food Services Director. The goal was to offer students a healthier choice of fruits and vegetables and to get them to eat them at the school and at home. “Our challenge was finding a farmer who could supply our district with such a high volume since we feed 3500 students”, said Kraft. “We found some local farmers and have a great relationship with Tender Shoot Farm and Eshelman’s Orchard”, he added. Kraft engages students in learning about local foods. He […]
Veggie U Blooms in the Classroom
Veggie U Success Story By Amy Fovargue “Our students are eating better, making better choices for snacks, and getting up on their feet to live healthier lifestyles, that will in turn help them grow into adults who live life to its fullest.” This is a testimony from a special needs teacher using Veggie U curriculum. “I have always been interested in helping my students make better choices about food and daily exercise and this was the greatest gift, to have a program that was designed to do just that. To top it off, Veggie U A+ was already aligned with the Ohio Academic Content standards-extended version (which are used for students with learning disabilities),” said Kristin Dickerhoff a teacher at […]
Arps Dairy Keeps it Local
By Amy Fovargue Arps Dairy of Defiance, Ohio has been serving milk to northwest Ohio schools for 80 years. “At Arps Dairy we get raw supply from individual dairies within our community. The milk is [literally] coming from the farmer down the road. We have a lot of loyalty with our brand, because we have a local mentality in our area. We are big supporters of our schools and especially the children of our community. We do a lot of donations to the schools for the proms, band boosters, and athletic boosters,” said Adam Donaldson, Vice President of Arps Dairy. During the school season Arps Dairy produces 3.5 million units of half pints of milk with the majority being used […]
Shagbark Brings the Staple Food Revolution to School!
By Amy Fovargue Building Staple Crops into the Farm to School Movement When the Farm-to-School movement began, its focus was to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to school cafeterias around the country. But what about grains, beans, flour, tortillas and all the other products that come from staple crops? These crops, grown right here in Ohio, and the biggest part of our calories and nutrition, were missing from the local school food movement. Enter Shagbark Seed & Mill, an Athens based grain mill and beanery launched to address food security in the region so the best tasting, freshest, and most nutritious staple foods reach Ohio’s tables. Today, Shagbark’s flour, beans, and tortilla chips can be found in many dining halls […]
Minerva Local School District is “One in a Melon”
By Amy Fovargue We congratulate Ohio’s winner of the “One in a Melon” award, Minerva Local School District in Stark County! They received the most votes from parents, teachers, community stakeholders, students, and others who recognized the incredible work they’re doing through their farm to school programs. Stacey Bettis, the 2,000-student district’s food service director, tells us that their school is striving to educate the whole child by providing the following: Healthy Living Awareness Agriculture Awareness General Curriculum A County-Wide Grant In 2015 the Stark County ESC received a $43,000 farm to school planning grant benefiting more than 36,000 students in eight districts located in rural, urban, and USDA designated food deserts in Stark County, Northeastern Ohio. Of these students, 43% […]
Red Basket Farms Offers Spring Bounty to Local Schools
By Amy Fovargue Floyd Davis of Red Basket Farms, Kinsman, OH noticed a couple of years ago that there is a dramatic interest in Farm to School, and spotted a new trajectory for his operation. “We are one of very few farms that can grow produce during the school year with our hoop houses. We are getting healthier foods into the schools and trying to make a difference in the cafeteria. Our biggest challenge is having the capacity to meet demand from our customers. We are being contacted weekly by new customers,” he said. Through the years, Red Basket farmers have heard from shoppers at the farmers markets about how bad school lunches are. There has been a tremendous interest […]
School Garden Continues to Bloom in Toledo
By Amy Fovargue Judy Hanes, a retired kindergarten teacher in Lucas County, combines her passion for working with children and gardening by leading a year round garden club at Hawkins Elementary School in Toledo, Ohio. This is the fourth year for the garden club led by Hanes, who is also a Master Gardener Volunteer. The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested residents who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohioans through their local Extension office. “I wanted to have a garden club with the older kids, but they were not as interested as the younger ones. Currently the club has 12 students that are multi-age, with […]
