After the remarks, the Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, teachers and students went to the Red Cross Elementary School cafeteria for a locally sourced meal. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell praised Barren County Schools for its efforts in bringing locally sourced foods in cafeterias during his visit to Red Cross Elementary School on Sept. 18.
“We’ve got [an] initiative that we’re working on diligently and that’s around how we create that farm-to-school network that we have right now to go beyond [being] a niche [and get to the point] where what we do in our schools are local first options,” Shell said. “And Barren County is at the forefront of this…of getting locally sourced food nutrition inside the cafeterias.”
Nutrition and Afterschool Programs director CheyAnne Fant told Glasgow News 1 that last year approximately 14 percent of the food budget went to purchasing local food items, which contrasts with Kentucky’s average of 3-5 percent. The district works with 15 local farms to procure the food — even when the district didn’t get state or federal funds to do so, Fant said — Those include Siddens Farm Beef, Dennison’s Roadside Market, Moore’s Family Farm, Hogue Farms and Need More Acres.
“Our big initiative this year is to include student grown food,” Fant said. “We’ve dabbled in that before, but this year that’s our main focus. It’s going well. We started off with pumpkins and now we have squash, zucchini, potatoes and all kinds of things in our student gardens. Last year [the high school agriculture department] was able to provide 800 pounds of lettuce.”
Fant said there is some type of agriculture happening at every school in the district.
Andy Joe Moore, who was named the district’s farm to school coordinator, also spoke saying that he loves to see agriculture being embraced in the school district.
“Not only do the students grow it [but] they learn it and eat it,” Moore said. “I mean that’s just as full circle as it gets.”
Shell’s visit comes during Kentucky’s agriculture education week, which is Sept. 15-19.
I would really appreciate it if you all would include the work of the University of Kentucky Value Chain Collaborative in this effort. There is a lot of work that goes into coordinating the farmers who are able to provide for such a large school system and everyone highlights the fact that they are doing it but not how they are getting it done and The Food Connection WKY Value Chain Coordinator is a big part of that how.