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USDA Farm to Table
ICYMI, here's what happened last week at USDA:
This week, our focus on “farm to table” continues with a look at some of the ways USDA investments in business and infrastructure help to support communities in both rural and urban areas.
On Monday, we announced $1.97 million for a new community center serving the Oglala Lakota community on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The center will create economic opportunities for this rural tribal community through affordable housing, a small farm, an aquaponics greenhouse, a grocery store, powwow grounds and a youth center on the Reservation. Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, South Dakota is one of eight newly designated Promise Zones by the Obama Administration.
Secretary Vilsack and Education Secretary Arne Duncan wrote a joint op-ed on the importance of serving healthy meals when school is out. They also launched the “Summer Meals Site Finder” where kids and parents can now enter an address, city, state, or zip code to find the location and other information of nearby summer meal sites. Visit on your computer or smartphone at: www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks
USDA investments in local food and nutrition programs support healthy food access in low-income communities. And recent data shows that SNAP participants are spending more of their benefits to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables through roadside farm stands, farmers markets and from local farmers. SNAP redemptions at those outlets in FY14 totaled $18.8 million, a nearly six-fold increase since 2008.
In case you missed it last week, this is how USDA supports America from Farm to Table.
The Week in Pictures
All images available in Flickr.
On the USDA Blog
Behind the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative: Matt Russell
“The term ‘farm to school’ involves thinking of the whole plate, so to speak. It’s about increasing the amount of local and regional foods served in school cafeterias while also increasing education and community outreach for kids, and creating market opportunities for producers.” So says Matt Russell, Grant Program Manager for the Farm to School Program at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Matt works to support school districts, non-profits, and other stakeholders in bringing more local and regional food into the school meal program.
Feed Thy Neighbor: South LA Youth Use Neighborhood Gardens to Educate, Better Community Health
It began with the desire of a group of South Los Angeles high school students to increase access to more effective nutrition education at their school. They started small—a monthly guest speaker, bags of veggies, cutting boards, and nutrition education. Now, their efforts have blossomed and manifested into RootDownLA, a community food project operating in three South Los Angeles neighborhoods with the help of the youth participants, referred to as Cultivars.
With USDA Help, Farmers Market Goes Uptown
Across the country, from small towns to big cities, a vibrant downtown likely includes a farmers market. That is exactly what city leaders from Greenwood, S.C., were thinking when they talked about revitalizing their downtown. The Greenwood City Council voted unanimously to approve a $2.1 million construction bid for a new multi-functional farmers market, the Uptown Market. The Uptown Market will be 156 feet long and 47 feet wide and a focal point for the community. The planned site was originally the location of the town’s railroad station and inspired the design that mimics a train station to fit the historical character of the town. USDA supports partnerships across the country to create greater economic impact for rural Americans.
Discovery Could Rekindle Interest in a USDA Trailblazer
Bountiful harvests don’t magically appear on store shelves and supermarkets. USDA scientists strive to make sure that the variety of meats, fruits, vegetables and grains we enjoy are hardy enough to withstand insects, diseases, droughts and other natural threats familiar to anyone with a garden or farm. David Fairchild, a USDA scientist, was a key part of that effort. Fairchild collected plants from all over the world so they could be studied and bred. He organized the USDA’s Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction and served as its chairman for more than 20 years.
Serving More Summer Meals in Rural and Tribal Areas
During the school year, over 21 million children receive free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch each day through the USDA’s National School Lunch Program. But, when school is out, many children who rely on these meals go hungry. The challenge is particularly great in rural areas and Indian Country, where 15 percent of households are food insecure. In these areas, children and teens often live long distances from designated summer meal sites and lack access to public transportation.
Supporting Local Rural Economies while Improving Forest Health
Calaveras County, nestled in the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of California, has a long and storied past. It is the setting for Mark Twain’s famous short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” published in 1865. However, this rural county and the neighboring Amador County have faced some more recent tough times. In the past two decades, eight mills have shut down, leading to a decline in employment opportunities and economic capacity for these communities. At the height of the recession, unemployment in both counties ranged between nine and 26 percent. Small community schools were constantly threatened by closure for lack of adequate student enrollment. To help support the local community, the U.S. Forest Service, through the Eldorado and Stanislaus National Forests, signed a partnership agreement with Calaveras Healthy Impact Products Solutions (CHIPS) in 2011.
USDA TV
USDA Week in Review - June 26th, 2015
Read about us in the News
USDA working to increase low-income families' access to healthier foods (Philly.com)
Bent on making fresh fruits and vegetables available to more Americans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent one of its top officials Thursday to the Clark Park Farmers Market to tout its efforts at doing just that. "We're trying to nudge low-income households to eat more nutritious foods," U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon said in an interview before talking to the merchants and shoppers about ways to get more healthy foods in their diets.
New development could 'end poverty on Pine Ridge' (Rapid City Journal)
After five years of planning and searching for partnerships, the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation finally broke ground on a new community of homes and businesses with the intention of changing life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation forever. “Today is the beginning of the end of poverty on Pine Ridge,” said Nick Tilsen, Thunder Valley’s CDC executive director. Thunder Valley CDC will include 32 single-family homes, a grocery store, a small farm, powwow grounds, youth recreational areas and other community needs. At Monday’s groundbreaking celebration, representatives from the White House, federal agencies and regional businesses commended the work local leaders put into the project.
Vt. institute helps grow farm-to-school programs (Burlington Free Press)
Vermont has made a name for itself in the national farm-to-school movement by getting more locally raised foods into school cafeterias and curriculum about nutrition and agriculture into classrooms. Now the state will serve as a classroom of its own to 13 schools around the Northeast and others who want to learn more about Vermont's model and develop their own farm-to-school plans. The Northeast Farm to School Institute takes place Wednesday through Friday at Shelburne Farms, located on the shores of Lake Champlain. It's funded by a $100,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, which also covers a year of mentoring to schools by coaches after the workshop.
NMSU works with small-acreage farmers to meet demand for locally grown produce (Las Cruces Sun-News)
Trending nationally, including here in New Mexico, is an increasing desire to eat local food, including locally grown fruits and vegetables. The change in consumer purchasing could be a windfall for small-acreage farmers around the state. New Mexico State University is working with small-acreage farmers to help meet the demand.
"In the Albuquerque metropolitan area, 80 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables eaten come from outside of New Mexico," said Michael Patrick, economic development specialist with NMSU's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Currently, the primary source of locally grown produce is farmers markets, according to research Patrick conducted with a New Mexico Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant.
Akron vacant lot to be transformed into a “food hub,” featuring a produce market and commercial kitchen (Akron Beacon Journal)
A vacant lot in a tired section of Akron will house a small fresh produce market even upscale areas would envy. The market is just one piece of the “food hub” that will be constructed on the property off Cedar Street near the Akron Zoo, west of the city’s downtown. The hub — a first of its kind in the area — will be in a 4,400-square-foot building that also will feature a commercial processing kitchen. There, vegetables and fruit will become main ingredients of such items as salsa, jellies and pasta sauce. “This area can so benefit from this type of operation,” said Dotty Grexa, who works with Hattie’s Gardens, a fairly new effort of the nonprofit Hattie Larlham, which provides services to people with disabilities.
Farmers markets coupons yield bumper crop for seniors (Observer Dispatch)
Every summer for at least the past decade, Carol Green has looked forward to heading across the street to the farmers market at Chancellor Park in Utica and hauling back a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s not always easy for the 70-year-old Utica woman to make room in her budget to buy such items, but thanks to the state and federally funded Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, she is granted a $20 coupon booklet to put toward the cost.
5 ways to grow Indiana’s local food system (AgriNews)
Food hubs bring growers and buyers together in an effort to keep food local. To determine the feasibility of having more food hubs in Indiana, the State Department of Agriculture launched a study in 2014. The results, along with five recommendations to grow the local food industry, were released June 8. “This study confirms that there is a great upside to grow and promote the state’s network of food hubs,” said Ted McKinney, ISDA director. “We know that there is potential to grow Indiana’s food hub network. This study now provides a road map with specific actions and activities that will help us expand this important agricultural activity.”
Listen
AN ADJUSTMENT DOWN IN FOOD PRICE ESTIMATES
Broadcast Date: Thu, June 25, 2015
We are paying less for food as a whole at the grocery store, according to USDA's latest food price outlook. (Rod Bain and economist Annemarie Kuhns)
CONNECTING RURAL RESIDENTS TO BROADBAND INTERNET
Broadcast Date: Thu, June 25, 2015
Since 2009 the Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service has made significant strides in providing rural residents broadband high speed Internet access. (Susan Carter and Brandon McBride, Rural Utilities Service Administrator)
SENATE APPROVES TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY
Broadcast Date: Wed, June 24, 2015
Fast track trade authority for the President has been approved by both houses of Congress after the Senate Wednesday agreed to a TPA bill. (Rod Bain. Senators Orrin Hatch (R - UT) and Ron Wyden (D - OR)
U.S. FOOD DONATIONS TO REMAIN MAJOR SOURCE OF FOOD AID
Broadcast Date: Wed, June 24, 2015
Administration officials say U.S. food shipments will remain the prime source of U.S. food assistance to other nations. (Gary Crawford, Rep. Chris Gibson and Thomas Staal)
EASING WORLD MALNUTRITION WITH SPECIAL FORTIFIED FOODS
Broadcast Date: Wed, June 24, 2015
Scientists are creating new fortified versions of standard foods to help fight malnutrition around the globe. (Gary Crawford, Thomas Staal and Phil Karsting)
URBAN AGRICULTURE IN THE NATIONS CAPITAL
Broadcast Date: Wed, June 24, 2015
Urban agriculture is a fast growing trend in cities around the country. USDA is helping the University of the District of Columbia create a blueprint for rooftop gardens. (Susan Carter and Dr. Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics)
Share
When school is out of session, this new tool can help you find #summermeals in your community http://t.co/4yRlgRIsBz pic.twitter.com/LOOqPHwinA
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 22, 2015
.@ArneDuncan & @USDA team up to serve more meals in rural and tribal areas this summer. https://t.co/pKDnlQWOjm
— Cecilia Muñoz (@Cecilia44) June 22, 2015
South LA youth use neighborhood gardens to educate, better community health http://t.co/U8yHtXQHrt #NIFAimpacts pic.twitter.com/yCyEVEzgKz
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 25, 2015
This summer @AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates will be helping with the #summermeals program. Thank you! http://t.co/RwL5SBODWY
— USDA Nutrition (@USDANutrition) June 24, 2015
Behind the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative: Matt Russell http://t.co/Gua8AxUKyp #localmade pic.twitter.com/etlWJpBrgU
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 26, 2015
