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Follow our Progress
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Farm to School Month was busy across Vermont with harvest festivals, visits to local farms, taste tests, and other celebrations.
These events were a chance to reconnect, recognize accomplishments, and learn more about the issues we are trying to solve.
Highlights include several firsts:
- A showing of the powerful film "A Place at the Table" followed by a panel discussion on hunger in America.
- The first Northeast regional farm to preschool conference in New Hampshire
- Vermont Farm to School Network's first annual "Local Crunch for Lunch" at schools across the state.
We have another important opportunity to get together soon to share our work with state legislators. We hope you will join us at Farm to School Awareness Day at 4:00 on January 16th at the Statehouse in Montpelier and at the winter Network gathering beforehand. For more information, visit the Vermont Farm to School Network Website.
 | | Woodstock Elementary School's Local Crunch for Lunch |
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A Food Revolution with Gay Truax and VT FEED at
Salisbury Elementary School
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This article was written by Allie Brimlow, a student at the University of Vermont, as part of a Strategic Writing course.
 "I want to start a revolution," Gay Truax wrote in her application for the School Meal Director position at Salisbury Elementary School after prolonged frustration with what school lunches were and what they could be. She wanted to teach kids about what they were eating and why. She wanted to teach them the importance of knowing where their food came from. She wanted to teach kids how to garden, introduce them to local farmers, and get them to try new and healthy food. She wanted to see her son eating something besides white bread with fake cheese and canned soup for lunch. "When I found out about Vermont FEED," she recalled, "I found out that someone had already started that revolution."
That was nearly ten years ago. Today, under Truax's direction, the Salisbury school cafeteria served Brussels sprouts. "I have a whole kindergarten class that loves Brussels sprouts now - these are kids that never tried them before! When I see something like that - that's why I do this," Truax remarked reverently.
When Truax was hired in 2004, she applied for a number of grants. These grants led to the first ever Salisbury school garden, funded field trips to local farms, implemented taste tests, and brought local produce to the lunch table. "We were able to get the kids to the farms and get the farmers into the school," she explained, "We had a big map so they could see where all the food was coming from - and the kids loved it!"
In her ten years at the district, Truax has seen the Salisbury School through a remarkable transformation - in menus and in attitudes. "We now have this great mentality with the kids of 'I'll try it! I may not like it, but I'll try it!' I love that," she exclaimed. Salisbury Elementary now serves everything from mangoes, lo mein and pesto chicken, to locally grown sweet potatoes and green beans.
"Without Vermont FEED I couldn't do what I'm doing. I can't do it all by myself. I need to have resources available, and FEED's got them."
She admits that it hasn't all been easy. Truax was surprised at how challenging it is to secure the time and funding needed to support these programs. Even so, Truax holds firm to the belief that it's worth every effort.
"This is about more than just food. It's about educating children about their life choices, and opening doors," she explained, "Who knows how many doors are going to open for these kids because they're going to be willing to try something new that they haven't tried before?"
"It is a revolution, and we are changing the way people think about school meals," she adds. Even if it's just one small school at time.
 | | Gay Truax teaching about nutrition |
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Musings on Vermont's Agricultural Literacy Week
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The following is an excerpt from the NOFA-VT blog written by intern and UVM student Maggie Callahan. Agricultural Literacy Week is an annual opportunity in November for focused educational events to encourage a robust understanding of agriculture in Vermont's schools and communities.
Agricultural Literacy week is a celebration and educational opportunity for
Vermont residents to grow their understanding of why agricultural practices, whether locally-grown, organic, or sustainable, are so important to the function of this state. We hear "support your farmer," "buy local," and "go organic" on a regular basis, but the point of Agricultural Literacy week is to find meaning in those statements for every individual at every age.
For children, agriculture might mean visiting a farm or reading a book based on the life of a fruit or vegetable. For a teenager, agriculture might mean conducting a science project on the importance of fermentation in food production. For adults, agriculture might mean a face-to-face interaction with the producer of the food on their family's plate, and an understanding on the benefits, socially and economically, of buying local.
For me, I have found that agriculture is much larger than a definition or a project. Understanding and appreciating agriculture comes with a fulfilling feeling of community awareness, health appreciation, and an intense desire to educate.
Throughout the planning of Agricultural Literacy week, I have found that my hope for my future, as well as the future of my fellow Vermont residents, is to spread the extremely important fact that our health and the health of our loved ones lies in the hands of the farmers that feed us.
Knowing who grew the potatoes and turnips in your stew or who raised the turkey on your plate at Thanksgiving allows you to trust in the food system. The importance of awareness is critical to appreciating what we put in our bodies and further, what our children put in their bodies.
Read Maggie's complete story on NOFA-VT's blog. Mark you calendar for Ag Literacy week next year - the third week of November.
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USDA Completes First National
Farm to School Census
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The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 formally established the Farm to School Program within USDA to assist groups in implementing farm to school initiatives that improve access to local foods in schools. To determine the prevalence of farm to school programs in the United States, USDA surveyed an estimated 13,000 public school districts across the country.
Approximately half of Vermont's 203 school districts responded to the USDA survey. Here's a quick overview of Vermont's encouraging statistics for the 2011-2012 school year:
- 86% of school districts are engaged in Farm to School activities
- $541,000 was spent on local products
- The highest percentage of funds spent on specific local products included vegetables, fruit, and dairy products other than milk.
For more information on Vermont and other states, visit the USDA FTS Census website . While this is a tool to measure farm to school on a national level, the Vermont Farm to School Network Steering Committee is developing a detailed evaluation tool for Vermont. Details will be shared on vermontfarmtoschool.org in the coming year.
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Staffing Updates
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This month we say goodbye to longtime staffer Danielle Pipher who leaves us for a warmer climate to pursue a Nurse Practitioner degree at Duke University and hello to Amy Gifford who will be working out of the NOFA-VT office as part-time Local Purchasing Coordinator.
Vermont FEED would like to thank Danielle for her energy and dedication over the past six years as our Education and Professional Development Coordinator. She worked with many school communities all over the state to craft new and strengthen existing Farm to School programs. We will miss her passion for promoting good health and nutrition, her positive outlook, warm smile, and supreme organizational skills. Danielle's leaves us with these parting words:
"Everyday I am inspired and impressed by all the amazing work you do in your schools and communities. Vermont is looked at nationally as a leader in Farm to School and it's because of the hard work, tenacity, and vibrancy that each and everyone of YOU bring to this work."
 | VT FEED staff left to right:
Ethan Bodin, Anne Bijur, Danielle Pipher, Abbie Nelson, Amy Gifford |
And a big welcome to Amy Gifford! Amy has spent the past thirteen years working to transform school food. As an Education Specialist with the National Gardening Association she developed curriculum, published educational guides and traveled the country leading professional development programs on school gardening. As a farm to school coordinator and consultant, she has worked with multiple schools sourcing local food and fostering educational opportunities for students.
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This month's Healthy & Happy You column from our sustaining sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont is about Vermont Health Connect.
Due to ongoing technical issues with the new state-run exchange, Vermont Health Connect, the state has announced new options for individuals and small businesses for staying covered in 2014.
If you are a sole proprietor or you currently purchase an individual or family health plan on your own (including Catamount Health or VHAP), you can purchase through Vermont Health Connect or extend your current coverage.
- Option 1: Purchase through Vermont Health Connect
You can find and enroll in a new plan that best meets your needs and budget through Vermont Health Connect online, by phone or on paper or with the help of an in-person assister. Coverage you purchase through Vermont Health can be effective as early as January 1, 2014 if you enroll before December 15.
- Option 2: Continue with your current coverage
If you usually renew in January and you do nothing now, BCBSVT will automatically extend your current plan until March 31, 2014. To avoid gaps in coverage, you must enroll in a new health plan through Vermont Health Connect before your plan expires. You can use Vermont Health Connect to find a new plan any time between now and March 15, 2014.
If you decide to extend your current BCBSVT plan, we will reset your deductibles on January 1, 2014, when they would normally reset because of a new plan year. If you then move to a new BCBSVT plan on Vermont Health Connect, we will carryover any deductible expenses that you have accrued since January 1, 2014 to your new plan deductible. If you move to another carrier on Vermont Health Connect, your deductible will reset when you change plans.
If we can help, please contact us at 800.255.4550, exchangeteam@ bcbsvt.com, or in person at our headquarters in Berlin or our Information and Wellness Center at the Blue Mall in South Burlington.
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