The program, sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture and Washington School Nutrition Association, is designed to connect local schools with local farmers and promote healthy eating habits for students.
“The more we expose kids to fresh, seasonal foods, the more they choose those healthy foods,” said Lisa Johnson of the nutrition association.
The Olympia School District is celebrating Farm-to-School Week this week, an expanded version of what other school districts will do next week.
“Olympia is a leader in buying produce from local farmers,” said Tricia Kovacs, manager of the state agriculture department’s Farm-to-School Program. She said the district leads the state in the percent of its produce budget spent on local produce – 30 percent.
“We’ve been doing it so long, it’s just part of our culture,” said school district child-nutrition supervisor Paul Flock.
The eight Washington-grown items on the salad bar and hot-food lines at Olympia elementary and middle schools include six from South Sound.
“Agriculture as an industry has been working on the buy-local theme for a long time,” said Rick Nelson, whose fifth-generation cattle ranch near Tenino is supplying grass-fed beef for a beefy macaroni casserole to be served today in Olympia school cafeterias. “One of the things we’ve lost sight of as a society is understanding where our food comes from.”
Also on the menu today are whole-wheat bread sticks baked by Olympia-based Bagel Brothers using flour produced by Shepard’s Grain, a group of Pacific Northwest family wheat farmers who practice sustainable agriculture.
“The niche for local sourcing of food is growing,” said Bagel Brothers owner Marc Feigen. “I think this program is a great idea.”
The Taste Washington Day was moved from March to September this year to take advantage of more fresh produce.
Kovacs said the program is still in flux, and she isn’t sure how many school districts that have expressed interest in the project are participating next week.
The Farm-to-School Program was created by the Legislature in 2008 and has suffered some budget cuts since, including the elimination of fruit and vegetable snacks in some pilot schools. That program might be restored by U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, Kovacs said.
“Our goal is to feature seasonal, Washington-grown foods throughout the school year,” she said.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444 jdodge@theolympian.com
What’s for lunch?
This week’s salad bars and hot food lines at Olympia School District schools feature:
• Organic salad mix and cherry tomatoes from Hope Farm, Rochester.
• Blueberries from Black River Blues Farm, Rochester.
• Nectarines from All Season Fruit Co., Centralia.
• Apples and pluots (a plum-apricot) from American Produce, Omak.
• Grass-fed beef Thursday from Nelson Ranch, Tenino.
• Whole-wheat bread sticks Thursday baked by Bagel Brothers, Olympia.
More ONLINE
For more information on the Farm-to-School Program, go to www.agr.wa.gov/Marketing/Farmtoschool.
