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July 2023 E-Harvest Newsletter
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A Message from Commissioner Miller
Howdy Neighbors! Welcome to Your E-Harvest Newsletter.
Something is always growing fresh in the Lone Star State, even during the summer heat. Before going to the farmers market or grocery store, use the seasonality wheel to find out what’s growing right now in Texas or any month during the year. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelons are a few of the things you can get fresh in Texas right now. Support your local agricultural economy by buying fresh Texas produce and remember … Texas Agriculture Matters.
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TDA’s Farm Fresh Cookbook
Every month, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) spotlights a fruit or vegetable currently being harvested in Texas. The Harvest of the Month for July is tomatoes. Try a new spin on grilled cheese with the Tomato Mozzarella Panini pictured here. The recipe can be found on page 29 of TDA’s Farm Fresh Cooking for the Seasons cookbook. All cookbook recipes include component contribution information for Child Nutrition Program compliance and were developed to appeal to students.
August Harvest of the Month: Peppers
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Funding Opportunities
Vego Garden
Vego Garden is a Houston-based company that produces corrugated metal raised bed garden boxes. Its Giving Back Program provides discounts or donations of garden beds for nonprofits and schools. Learn more and submit your application on the website.
Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange honors financial supporters by donating seeds to schools in need. The exchange preserves heirloom seeds and encourages others to do the same.
Chef Ann Foundation
Using bulk milk saves money and reduces waste. It can also increase take rates in school cafeterias. The Chef Ann Foundation has a new Bulk Milk grant that provides bulk milk dispensers and reusable cups with dish washing racks to school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program. An informative webinar detailing grant requirements and answering questions can be found here: Bulk Milk Webinar. As a tip, if your milk distributor doesn’t provide bags of bulk milk, check with your general distributor. Grant application closes July 31.
Green Our Planet
Green Our Planet has two garden grant opportunities open now. The Hydroponics STEM Program Grant covers $8,000 of the $10,000 cost of an indoor hydroponics system for schools, libraries, and community centers in the U.S. Applicants are required to cover the remaining $2,000. The GardenConnect STEM Program Grant covers $2,500 of the $3,500 cost of the Garden Connect Program. Applicants will need to provide the remaining $1,000. The deadline for both applications is July 31.
Program Opportunities
TDA administers the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) in several Texas cities. Contracting entities (CEs) overseeing SFMNP distribute $50 vouchers to low-income senior citizens to spend on fresh, locally grown produce at participating farmers markets from April through October. Does your school have a large garden or mini farm? Do you need an opportunity for your agriculture class students to run a farm stand? If you answered yes and are in the Wichita Falls or Houston area, CEs (specifically near Vernon) are looking for farmers to join their markets to provide produce for seniors participating in SFMNP. To join their markets as a producer, reach out to TDA at FarmFresh@TexasAgriculture.gov.
Learning Opportunities
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Share with TDA is a quarterly feature in E-Harvest spotlighting CEs who participate in farm to school activities. The goal of this section is to provide connections between CEs, answer questions about Farm Fresh programming, and share success stories. Last month, we featured Vogel Alcove in Dallas. If you are interested in sharing your experiences and inspiring other CEs, please fill out this survey.
If you have questions regarding the Farm Fresh Initiative or suggestions for E-Harvest content, fill out this form: E-Harvest questions/suggestions. Select questions will be answered in this space when there is not a CE spotlight.
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Take a Field Trip!
One of the best ways to learn about local fruits and vegetables is to take a trip to your nearest farmer’s market. Children can see the different produce grown near them, ask farmers questions (if they’re not too busy), and make the connection between growing, purchasing, and eating local foods. If you’re near a school that has a garden or a farm, you may be able to arrange a more formal, educational visit there. Click here to find farmers markets near you.
Finding New Recipes
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) Child Nutrition Recipe Box (CNRB) has a recipe that includes July’s Harvest of the Month, tomatoes. Check out their Vegetable Quesadilla to treat your children to this delicious, vegetarian entrée.
Funding Opportunities
In addition to their Giving Back program listed above, Vego Garden has a Kids Gardening program. #VegoGardenKids includes a smaller Kids First Garden Bed for a discounted rate, activity pages, and stickers to decorate the small bed. As your garden grows and students become more engaged, the bed can be expanded with extension kits.
Learning Opportunities
Beehive Video
Bees are arguably the most important insects in the world. We depend on them for pollination to provide us with fruits and vegetables. Teach your students about the importance of bees in our agricultural systems with this up close 360° virtual beehive tour from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. Click on the green circles for detailed information about what you’re seeing or to zoom in on that area of the hive.
Official Visits
CACFP.org recommends hosting an elected official at your site in the month of August. A visit from a government representative would be a great opportunity to showcase your farm to school programming. For tips on getting in touch with and extending an invitation to your local elected officials, check out this tip sheet.
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Funding Opportunities
USDA has increased the amount the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will provide for certification under the National Organic Program. This year, FSA will provide up to 75% of certification costs (no more than $750) to organic producers. Applications are open until October 31. Learn more here: Organic Certification Cost Share Program.
Sustainable Food Center Farmer Scholarship Fund takes applications from small and mid-sized farmer and ranchers in TX. Money is awarded for training, education, and resources that go toward opportunities like selling to schools. Applications are ongoing.
Learning Opportunities
The National Farm to School Network, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Center for Appropriate Technology have produced a digital toolkit for producers to begin connecting with and selling to schools. The comprehensive guide includes links to case studies, podcast episodes featuring successful farm to school participants, and much more.
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This new section in E-Harvest will focus on parent engagement in Farm Fresh programming and how to continue Farm Fresh education at home.
How can parents and guardians support Farm Fresh activities in schools?
Schools and childcare providers are facing staff shortages that impact their ability to take care of school gardens or deliver nutrition education. You can reach out to your school district’s child nutrition director or your childcare center’s director. Ask them what farm to school activities are being done and what local products are being served. Listen without judgment and ask what you can do to help with getting things started or expanded. Follow through on those opportunities to help.
You are your child nutrition director’s strongest advocate when it comes to implementing Farm Fresh programming in school(s).
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Farm Fresh Back to Basics
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This month, we’ll list some helpful resources to ease potential confusion when it comes to Farm Fresh programming.
Farm Fresh Resources
USDA has an online Procurement Guide to help you navigate local food purchases. Procurement regulations begin on page 29. TDA is working on developing more easy-to-use procurement guidelines to post on Square Meals. Those resources will be linked in E-Harvest when they are ready.
This case study from Boston Public Schools chronicles their journey from .91% by weight local foods (excluding milk) to almost 6% local foods (excluding milk) in one year. The case study follows the 2019-2020 school year (including Covid-19 interruptions), with 2018-2019 statistics as a baseline.
A good companion to TDA’s Let’s Get Growing Series for starting a school garden, is the Malama Kaua’i (Hawaii) garden guide, which has a site checklist to guide you through getting your school garden set up. Directions in both resources are easy to follow.
USDA has a webinar series titled, “Seeding Success”, which includes 4 years of farm to school subjects. Webinar 3 in the 2022 series shares procurement information.
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers has created a “cheat sheet” to help you communicate effectively with farmers about ordering.
Check back next month for more resources from SquareMeals.org and across the internet.
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Contact TDA
Toll Free: (877) TEX-MEAL
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Connect with Others
Texas Farm Fresh Network Use this tool to connect with Texas food companies that currently sell or are interested in selling to schools, child care centers, adult care centers and summer meal programs. Company listings include contact information, product availability and distribution radius
Funding Opportunities Financial support from organizations may help establish or advance local Farm Fresh initiatives. This list includes opportunities from TDA, USDA and other organizations.
Interested in learning more about Texas products?
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This product was funded by USDA.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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