Connecting Farms to Schools

In Prosperous Farms, Well-Fed Kids, Diane Conners of the Michigan Land Use Institute shares several local success stories to connect northern Michigan farms and schools. These stories and more will be featured at a conference on March 12 at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City. Seventeen organizations, including public school districts and private schools, will share their expertise in bringing fresh local food into the cafeterias, classroom curriculum and school fundraising efforts.

More than 30 schools in the region are now serving about a dozen local farm products, Conners writes. And schools that are embracing local foods have seen powerful results:

Frankfort-Elberta students are eating five times as many apples since the school replaced the bland apples it was serving--picked for their tolerance of long distance shipping, not taste--with juicy, local varieties. A Benzie County Central elementary school ditched its traditional candy sale and raised $6,000 in one day by selling local farm products instead.

The conference, Farm to School: Healthy Kids, Thriving Farms, is aimed at schools, camps, students and farms. Cost is $25 per person.

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