Farm to School: Healthy Kids, Thriving Farms is a place for schools, camps, students, farms, and parents to learn how to start and grow valuable farm-to-school connections—from cafeterias
serving fresh local foods and educators teaching hands-on curriculum to children and farmers working together on school fundraisers. It provides plenty of time for learning from each other, and a special exhibit area for farmers with interesting educational opportunities and products perfect for cafeteria meals and fundraisers.

Healthy Kids, Thriving Farms will present:
  Real-life Examples   Tools for Success
  Networking Opportunities   Follow-up Resources
  Fabulous Local Food

Healthy Kids, Thriving Farms builds on the experiences of more than 30 schools in the region that have added a dozen local farm foods to their menus, from apples to winter squash. And kids, teachers, and parents are loving the fresh tastes and new learning opportunities.

For example:
  Students at one Benzie County school ate five times as many apples when their school switched to local varieties grown for juicy eating rather than long-distance traveling.

  Twice as many kids showed up for school breakfast after the same school began providing healthier choices, including fresh local foods.

  Kids at Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau County schools met farmers, learned fun food facts, and recommended local asparagus to their families after cafeteria taste tests!

  Food Service Directors
  School and Camp Cooks
  School Board Members
  Educators
  Parents
  PTO Members
  Fundraiser Groups
  Students
  School Nurses
  School Health and Wellness Policy Teams
  After-school Coordinators
  Health Advocates
  Food Businesses
  Farmers
  Garden Organizations Funders
  Economic Organizations

Beth Collins was executive chef at the Ross School in East Hampton, N.Y., where her farm-to-school work influenced New York City public schools. She also is part of the team that is transforming school lunches in the Berkeley, Calif., Unified School District, home to Chef Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard. She was part of an international delegation that witnessed Rome, Italy’s dramatic changes in school lunch. She now leads the new Life Balance Initiative Program at Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools.

Patti Tibaldi is the Every Step Counts coordinator for Traverse City Area Public Schools, a three-year initiative to improve student health that reduced students’ body mass indexes—a rare feat. She’ll share the program’s recipe for success and explain how good food, physical exercise, and a committed community can make a big difference.

8:00 a.m. Registration and Exhibits

8:30 a.m. Welcome

9:00 a.m. Keynote Address by Beth Collins
“School Lunch Makeover”

9:45 a.m. Local Farm-to-School Resources
Diane Conners, coordinator of the Michigan Land Use Institute's Taste the Local Difference project.



10:00 a.m. Panel: Farm-to-School Successes in Northwest Michigan.

Healthy Lunch, Healthy Kids, Healthy Bottom Line: Positive reports from Frankfort-Elberta Area and Benzie County Central Schools.

Ditching the Vending Machine: Glen Lake Community School’s from-scratch cafeteria meals, La Fresca Café snacks, and senior culinary class.

Let Us Try It! Taste-testing at Traverse City’s West Junior High School revealed that students like asparagus!

Farm to Schools: A farmer’s experience in northwest Michigan schools.

Learning in the Farmers Market: Forest Area Student 4-H Entrepreneurs Club—building health, entrepreneurial skills, and community partnerships.

11:30 a.m. Network: Meet with panel speakers and local food exhibitors.

Noon Local Foods Lunch

12:15 p.m. Luncheon Keynote
Whole Foods, Whole Body, Whole Community: Patti Tibaldi, TCAPS Every Step Counts initiative.

Farm to School, Next Steps: Laurie Bassett, healthy schools coordinator for the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District.



1:15 p.m. Concurrent Workshops
Tools for Farm to School

Farm-to-School Fundraising: Tired of candy sales? How about a fundraiser with a healthy local farm connection—and educational opportunities?
Repeated at 2:30 p.m.

Farm to School to Curriculum: Farm to school can teach students and connect them to their community, health, and the natural world.
Repeated at 2:30 p.m.

Learning Gardens: Gardens provide ways for students to see how food is grown, discover new flavors, and learn health, science, and history.
Repeated at 2:30 p.m.

Seasonal and Simple: School and camp cooks will learn when local farm products are in season and how to store and use different varieties.
Repeated at 2:30 p.m.

Knife Skills: Chop, slice, dice, julienne: School and camp cooks will learn the knife skills crucial for quick fresh-food preparation. Repeated at 2:30 p.m.

Marketing the Menu, and More: Food service directors and farmers reveal how to transform the growing appreciation of local food into strong student, staff, and public support.

2:15 p.m. Break



2:30 p.m. Concurrent Workshops

Farm-to-School Fundraising: Repeat of 1:15 p.m. session

Farm to School to Curriculum: Repeat of 1:15 p.m. session

Learning Gardens: Repeat of 1:15 p.m. session

Seasonal & Simple: Repeat of 1:15 p.m. session

Knife Skills: Repeat of 1:15 p.m. session

Buying and Selling for the Cafeteria: A 138-count box…or a bushel? Multiple farmers…or a distributor? Food service directors and farmers learn tips and tools for buying and selling local food.

3:30 p.m. Official Close—but stick around for more networking if you can!