Farm To School Month

As if the month of October wasn’t already spectacular, with its warm days, cool crisp nights, brilliant fall foliage, and bountiful harvests, it is also National Farm to School Month. Over the last decade the farm to school movement has exploded, going from only a handful of schools participating nationwide to thousands of schools having such programs today. Farm to school programs were started in order to bring locally grown foods directly to local schools, providing students with fresh fruits and vegetables. These programs have proven to be successful well beyond even the original goal of supplying schools with locally grown foods, they have blossomed into educational tools as well. Teachers and students fortunate enough to have farm to school programs are often able to enjoy field trips to local farms and ranches where they benefit from “outdoor classrooms” introducing them to the world of agriculture and teaching how important and vital agriculture is to each of us. The fact that students can in many instances now name the farmers and ranchers suppling the fresh foods to their schools is a success story in and of itself.