S.D. Farm to School Network Meeting Summary- Feb. 2024
The S.D. Farm to School (F2S) Network hosted their quarterly meeting on Tues., Feb. 20, 2024 via Zoom.
The agenda included speakers on Beef to School and How to Host a School Field Trip, as well as breakout sessions on those two topics. The group also went over currently available funding sources, the summer feeding program, and how schools need to be planning now for next year’s school lunches. The meeting ended with a discussion on a local foods map that the Dept. of Education and SDSU are currently developing.
Shelly Kenzy, of Gregory School District, spoke on how Gregory School started their beef to school program and how it is currently operating. Kenzy stated that the school currently has many local producers donating the beef. The school gives a “shout out” to these producers on the school’s facebook page and with a notice in the local paper. She stated that the one problem they have been having is the distance they have to travel to have the beef processed by a USDA facility. This restriction means that they have to bypass a local processor that is closer. Kenzy ended by stating how happy the students and parents are with the program and how no one has had any complaints against the program.
Lillie Eisenbeis spoke to the group about how the farm she owns with her husband has hosted school field trips. Eisenbeis stated how one of the most successful ones included the teacher having the students pick three recipes to make a meal and then the students had to find the ingredients at the Eisenbeis’s farm. The students also picked popcorn to dry in their classroom for a future popcorn party!
The group had great discussion regarding the online local foods map currently being developed by the S.D. Department of Education and SDSU. The goal of the map is to have a place for both schools and producers to go to see what is being offered/what is being needed. The map is in the early stages of development and we are excited to see how it progresses!
Interested in joining the Farm to School group? Receive the monthly newsletter and invites to the quarterly meeting by joining this free service! You can sign-up to join the Farm to School Network through this link.