Avoyelles School District to use locally grown produce in schools’ Christmas meal

As part of its ongoing “Farm to School” program, Avoyelles Parish School District will be using parish-grown sweet potatoes and cabbage for its Christmas lunches, Food Service Supervisor Jenny Welch said.

The local yams will be from Earl Roy Produce in Hessmer. The cabbage was grown at LaSAS by its ag students, she said.

“The school may also be able to provide broccoli,” Welch added.

If the school’s garden cannot provide enough cabbage and broccoli for all of the schools’ holiday meals, “we hope to at least use them in some of the schools.”

The Christmas meal will be on Dec. 19.

SPRING GARDENS

Another part of the Farm to School Program will be school gardens at LaSAS and other schools this spring.

“We have a Healthy Behaviors grant through Rapides Foundation at the schools,” Welch said. “LaSAS has indicated it will use its grant for school gardens to promote healthy diets for students and staff members.”

She said the program will probably involve gardens by individual classrooms.

Welch said this will be the first year for the school gardens program, but it will not be new to all of the schools.

LaSAS has an active agriculture program that involves ag students growing crops for sale.

Bunkie Magnet High had a school garden last year that grew strawberries.

The Louisiana Department of Education, LSU AgCenter, and Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry are partners in the Farm to School program.

FARM TO SCHOOL GOALS

The goal of the program is to bring locally grown foods to schools and to educate children about nutrition and agriculture.

A Farm-to-School website notes that almost 36 percent of Louisiana’s school-aged children are overweight. This causes breathing difficulties, increased risk of broken bones, high blood pressure, early markers of heart disease, diabetes and psychological effects.

The Farm to School program can address the state’s high childhood obesity rate by teaching children to make healthier choices.

The program encourages a connection between schools and local farmers; simplifies the purchasing process between schools and farmers; supports efforts to ensure schools have proper equipment to prepare and process fresh food onsite; and include hands-on activities related to agriculture, food, health and nutrition such as farm visits, cooking demonstrations, taste tests, school gardens and a composting project.

The state Department of Education’s Division of Nutrition Support and the LSU AgCenter recently announced they would be expanding the Farm to School Program with a new three-year agreement funded by a $1.8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

The grant will be used to provide materials such as recipes and curricula for Harvest of the Month items, a school garden teacher certificate program, promotional materials for the program and analysis of the economic and health impacts of farm-to-school and local food systems.

For more information on the state program, contact the LSU AgCenter at 225-578-1036. For more information on the local Farm-to-School efforts, contact Welch at 253-5982.