FloridaFarmtoSchoolPrograms

The 2012 Educational Program Committee is pleased to share conference educational materials with you under the condition that they are used without alteration for educational and non-commercial use only. All materials are protected by copyright law. The authors kindly request their work is properly cited, including the date of publication. For more information on Small Farms, visit our website at: http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu or contact your local County Extension Agent. For inquiries about this topic, please contact: Danielle Treadwell, Educational Program Chair. Phone: (352)-273-4775 E-mail: ddtreadw@ufl.edu Suggested Citation: Author Full Name. Title of Presentation or Handout. 2012 University of Florida-IFAS and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University-CAFS Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference. July 27-29, Kissimmee, FL.

Farm to School Florida

Intro

  The Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is responsible for ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a nutritious meal that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables through outreach, partnerships, education, oversight to ensure quality and compliance, training & technical assistance.

History

  In January 2012, the state’s school food and nutrition program moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under the leadership of Commissioner Adam Putnam.

  Since then, the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness has been working with National School Lunch Program participants to assist in enhancing their Farm to School efforts and meet the new meal pattern requirements set forth by USDA this past January.

Common Menu

  The Division is working with the School districts throughout the state to commonly menu produce from Florida based on the harvesting timeline of Florida Product.

  The Division will have a weekly featured Florida-grown product that will be served in the lunchroom.

  Lunchroom posters will be provided to each of the participating schools to teach children about proper portion size for fruit and vegetables, the locations where the featured produce item is grown, educational facts about the featured produce item, and the look of the produce when it’s growing in the field.

  The Division is also working on educational items, recipes and facts to be distributed to parents and the community through retail partners.

Weekly Featured Produce

September4th CucumberSeptember10th NoFeaturedItemSeptember17th OkraSeptember24th NoFeaturedItemOctober1st OkraOctober8th SquashMedley(squash,zucchiniandpeppers)October15th EggplantOctober22nd SnapBeansOctober29th CauliflowerNovember5th PepperNovember12th NoFeaturedItemNovember19th NoFeaturedItemNovember26th Cabbage December3rd SpinachDecember10th TangerineDecember17th NoFeatureItemDecember24th NoFeaturedItem

Florida Grown Products Purchased in School Districts

Florida Grown Product Approximate Dollar Value SpentAVOCADO $4,278.29BEAN, GRN $86,653.75BERRIES $249,861.00CABBAGE GREEN $60,351.00CANTALOUPE $283,155.00CAULIFLOWER $73,074.00CELERY $412,575.00CORN, SWEET $57,592.00CUCUMBER $1,033,068.35GRAPEFRUIT RED $10,942.00LETTUCE $3,724,139.00ORANGE $1,347,493.00PEACHES $109,286.69PEPPER $329,272.00POTATO $281,320.00SPINACH $466,455.00SQUASH, YLW $222,099.00TANGERINE $386,432.00TOMATO $1,615,185.00WATERMELON SEEDLESS $28,625.00Totals $10,781,857.08

Statewide Produce Bid

  In an effort to assist school districts in obtaining the best produce at the lowest possible price, FDACS is preparing to release a statewide procurement for fresh fruit and vegetables

  Procurement will be based on crop harvesting timelines in Florida

  Growers may obtain a copy of the bid document once it has been published by contacting Christie Meresse in the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness at christine.meresse@freshfromflorida.com

Bids will be separated by region

The 1st Procurement will consist of 13 Florida grown agricultural products

October through December Cabbage (Red, Green) Snap Beans

Cauliflower Spinach

Sweet Corn Squash, Yellow

Cucumber Tangerine (Sunburst, Murcott)

Eggplant Tomato (Cherry, Grape, Vine Ripe, Round)

Orange (Hamlin, Navel) Zucchini

Peppers (Red, Green, Yellow, mini sweet)

Optional USDA GHP-GAP Audit

  Audit requirements will vary based on the distributor that is currently in the region where the school district is located.

  Most require a minimum of a USDA certification or GHP-GAP certification

  Growers can request USDA GHP-GAP audits from the FDACS Division Fruit and Vegetable’s Bureau of Inspection by filling out the 237-A form available at the USDA’s website (http://www.ams.usda.gov) or by requesting one directly from FDACS. For more information on USDA GHP-GAP audits contact Scott McClure, Barry Gaffney or David Durbin at (863) 297-3900

  The cost per audit is $92 per hour per audit, plus travel

  The length of time involved in an audit depends on the size of the grower’s operation and level of preparedness. Travel time depends on the grower’s location and the location of the nearest available USDA auditor.

Market Maker

  Our intent is to work with the University of Florida and utilize their existing technology to connect Florida school districts and farmers. We will be working on upgrading the capabilities of Market Maker.

  Market Maker is an online database that will allow schools to identify nearby growers who have the specific produce that they need

  Posting of opportunity buys   We will be working with the Districts to

register on Market Maker and we need farmers to register on Market Maker. Go to http://fl.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/