Make sure all of the great farm to school activities your local School Food Authority (SFA) is engaged in are counted as part of the 2019 USDA Farm to School Census. USDA wants to know about any local food procurement, school gardens, and agriculture, food and nutrition education. From buying one local apple to a whole menu of local foods, from planting one seed to a whole garden, and from conducting one educational activity to a plan for the year – it all counts. The Farm to School Census is the only national survey that examines school districts’ farm to school activities. It is imperative that all SFAs – whether or not they currently participate in farm to school activities – complete the census in order to have the most accurate picture of the scope, reach and impact of farm to school nationwide. Census data helps to provide grants, resources, technical assistance and professional development.If you are with a SFA, please make sure that you complete your Farm to School Census survey by December 6. If you are working in a school and doing important farm to school related work, make sure that you share that information with your local SFA director.
For more census info and resources, visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Community Food Systems Farm to School Census Resources page, https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/farm-school-census-respondent-resources.
Submitted by Tracey Bates