Governor Brownback recently proclaimed the month of October as Kansas Farm to School Month and the week of October 14-18  as Farm to School Week.

The National Farm to School organization broadly defines Farm to School as any program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms and strives to serve healthful meals in school cafeterias, improve student nutrition, provide agricultural education opportunities and support local and regional farmers and ranchers. They estimate that in the 2011-2012 school year, around 5.7 million students in 12,429 schools across the nation benefitted from Farm to School programs.

“Farm to School Month is an exciting opportunity to celebrate agriculture in schools and communities across the state,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman. “With the recent national focus on school lunch guidelines, advocating for agriculture and educating people about where their school meals come from is timely and important.” 

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is joined in this initiative by the Kansas State Department of Education.

To show your support for Farm to School month, we encourage you to:

• Share information about Farm to School Month with your school or community

• Utilize Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Nutrition Education Lesson Plans

• Read daily Farm to School and Kansas agriculture facts each morning at school or at home

Please visit the Kansas Department of Agriculture website for more information about how to get involved with Farm to School Month or contact Associate Director of Communication and Events Beth Riffel at beth.riffel@kda.ks.gov  or via phone at 785.207.4966.