An extraordinary program called Farm to School (www.farmtoschool.org) is gaining momentum. Through this program of putting food grown by farmers from our own communities on our children’s lunch trays, schools and farmers are given the tools to re-connect and provide for one another.

Farmers find a new market opportunity and unique connection to area youth. Children learn healthy eating habits, which will provide life-long health benefits. They are empowered in their own health by growing produce on school grounds and visiting nearby farms.

And all it takes to get local foods into our schools are a few small steps. A recent poll of school kitchens in North Dakota found that 87 percent were equipped with fully-capable kitchens, and the staff desirous of the “opportunity to really cook.”

Schools can start small. Iowa Department of Agriculture’s “A is for Apple” campaign has encouraged schools to purchase at least two bushels of apples from Iowa orchards to be served in the school lunches. Turning excess zucchini into breads could also be a good first step. School classes might try their hands at growing melons.

Farm to school programs are indicative of a larger change going on in our society – once again valuing farmers, ranchers and our communities. I’m a proud Midwestern, from a region filled with faith-based communities, where doing right is common. When I shop for food, I take that tradition with me.

At the grocery store I am often faced with a choice. I can opt for a generic brand of typical quality and save myself a buck or two, or, I can purchase a local or regional product for a dollar or two more. The local farmer has provided me with an above-standard service, which I consider well worth the extra price I pay.

When I buy local, proceeds from my purchase go directly to continued service from the farmer, and then they go on to the farmer’s veterinarian, co-op, or the hardware store – all of which benefit my immediate community. When I pay for a generic product, mere pennies go to the farmer, who might be quite distant.

Unfortunately, more and more consumers, especially children, have little to no comprehension of where their food comes from. Farm to school programs offer great teaching opportunities to correct that disconnect in our schools.

That knowledge gap is literally killing us. Four out of six leading causes of death – heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes – are diet-related. They account for over 70 percent of deaths in our country, and treatment drains the government, businesses, you and me of hundreds of billions of dollars. Think of what just part of this money could do if spent on the best preventive medicine there is: healthy food produced by farmers in our community.

The school kitchen transition need not happen overnight, but it does need to happen. We owe it to ourselves, each other and our communities.

For more information on farm to school in your region, contact Adele Phillips at adelep@cfra.org.

For more resources, links and information on farm to school, visit our farm to school resource page here: http://www.cfra.org/renewrural/farmtoschool