October is National Farm to School Month. All month long, we can celebrate the amazing farms and farmers across Massachusetts that provide delicious, healthy produce for our local schools. In New England, October is the perfect time for this celebration. There are fresh, local fall fruits and vegetables available everywhere. Many schools in your area participate in Farm to School activities and help students stay connected with local agriculture. If you are a parent or caregiver, ask the students around you if their school is doing anything special this month.
What is Farm to School?
Farm to School Month is a nationwide celebration of the connections between local farms and students in classrooms and cafeterias. Farm to School shows up in many different ways from kindergarten classrooms to middle school gardens to college dining halls. You may not even realize your child’s school is participating in a Farm to School program. Examples of Farm to School activities are the following:
- Taste testing of Massachusetts-grown produce during class.
- Use of locally grown produce in school lunches and breakfasts.
- School gardens.
- Reading books about farming and local food at any grade level.
Benefits of Farm to School
Learning about and eating local produce can benefit kids in many ways. Eating fruits and veggies can improve kids’ health as well as support local farmers and teach kids about food in new and exciting ways.
Health
Firstly, fruits and vegetables have many health benefits, from reducing the risk of certain diseases to promoting healthy growth and development to keeping students focused and engaged in class. Fruits and vegetables are full of necessary vitamins and minerals that kids’ growing bodies need to stay healthy.
Local Agriculture
Farm to School activities benefit our local farmers and farms. When schools purchase directly from farmers, they support the local economy and allow those farms to continue operating. This relationship between schools and farms also opens up field trip opportunities. Students may get the chance to take a trip with their class to local farms to see how food is grown and processed, bridging the connection between farm fresh food and the lunch that students are served.
Education
Farm to School programs can also teach students about food, health, and agriculture. During field trips, students may gain a greater appreciation for the effort needed to grow fruits and vegetables. With taste testing, students can learn culinary aspects of foods, such as flavor profiles and textures. School gardens and classroom-based learning allow for conversations around nutrition and how food impacts the human body. One or all of these things can have major impacts on how kids eat. Knowing more and seeing more about food often encourages kids to try different fruits and vegetables, even those they have resisted for a long time.
Extend Farm to School to Home
Many schools across Massachusetts are fortunate to participate in Farm to School programs, but it can be difficult to follow similar concepts at home. If you want to reinforce what is happening in school during National Farm to School Month, you can try a few things. First, eat local when you can. This can seem intimidating, but programs like SNAP and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) can make farmers’ markets more affordable. Second, try to eat seasonally. Even if you do not have the time or resources to shop at a farmers’ market, many grocery stores carry local, in-season produce. This can support the local farms in a more convenient way for you, and it’s a bonus that seasonal food often tastes better! At the very least, continue the conversation with your kids about farming and local food. The more they talk about, play with, or try fruits and vegetables, the more likely they are to be fruit and veggie lovers in the future.
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