The Senate began consideration of a farm and food bill yesterday. The biggest issues on the threshing floor of the Senate is separating wheat from chaff between Northern and Southern farmers over safety net programs and the question of costs for the federal food stamp program, which makes up about 80 percent of the $100 [...]
Posted on June 6th, 2012 by Debby
Filed under: Agriculture, Community Gardens, Farm Bill 2012, Farm to School, Farm-to-School, Farmers Markets, Food, Rural Urban Partnerships, Senate, USDA | No Comments »
It’s growing season again – time to go out in search of farm markets and farm stands to purchase yummy local ingredients for your table. Besides treating your tasebuds to the freshest best tasting foods, supporting local farms and farmers keeps your food dollars in your community. And that is exactly what the Local Farms, [...]
Posted on May 30th, 2012 by Debby
Filed under: Agriculture, Buy Local, Farm to School, Farm-to-School, Farms & Farmers, House of Representatives, Rural Issues, Rural Urban Partnerships, Senate, Uncategorized | No Comments »
USDA request for applications (RFA) are now available for the new Farm to School grant program. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is in its first funding cycle for grants planning or implementing new or expanded Farm to School programs. USDA expects to award up to $3.5 million to support access to local foods [...]
Posted on April 18th, 2012 by Debby
Filed under: Buy Local, Farm to School, Farm-to-School, Nutrition, Rural Urban Partnerships, USDA | No Comments »
U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, told Mike Adams of AgriTalk that House Republicans’ budget outline “is going to cause big problems” for passage of a new Farm Bill this year. They are asking for a reconciliation process to avoid defense cuts, and they want them before [...]
Posted on March 25th, 2012 by Debby
Filed under: Farm Bill 2012, Farms & Farmers, Federal Budget, Federal Programs, House of Representatives, Rural Issues, Rural Urban Partnerships, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
By Miryam Ehrlich Williamson The title of this post has a ring to it, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you be proud to live in a country where all children are healthy and no child goes hungry? Well, that’s the goal of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act that President Obama signed into law on Monday. [...]
Posted on December 15th, 2010 by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson
Filed under: Childhood Hunger, Childhood obesity, Farm to School, Farm-to-School | No Comments »
By Miryam Ehrlich Williamson I got curious last week about how prevalent farm-to-school programs are, and how well they’re being covered in the news media. So I set up a search on the term. I’m blown away by how many programs there are, and the innovative approaches I see in evidence. Below is just a [...]
Posted on October 4th, 2010 by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson
Filed under: Farm to School, Farm-to-School | No Comments »
By Miryam Ehrlich Williamson The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has announced $55 million in Specialty Crops Block Grants to support 827 projects in the specialty crop industry – people who produce fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including flowers. Block grants go to states to fund projects proposed by local entities [...]
Posted on September 29th, 2010 by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson
Filed under: Agriculture, Block Grants, Farm to School, Farm-to-School, Food Safety, USDA | No Comments »
By Miryam Ehrlich Williamson Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH09), the longest-serving woman in Congress, has filed a bill meant to increase the supply of fresh produce in America’s cities. H.R. 4971, the Greening Food Deserts Act, was filed March 25 with 23 co-sponsors. It’s now on the docket of both the Education and Labor and Agriculture [...]
Posted on April 6th, 2010 by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson
Filed under: Community Gardens, Kitchen gardens, Nutrition, USDA | 3 Comments »
By Miryam Ehrlich Williamson While school is in session — and, in some places, through summer vacation, too — about one-third of the energy a child takes in during the day should come from the lunch he or she eats at school. And the food that provides that energy shouldn’t be all starch and fat. [...]
Posted on February 24th, 2010 by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson
Filed under: Buy Local, Farm to School, Food, Nutrition, Rural Urban Partnerships, USDA | 1 Comment »
by Daphne Bishop It may not be spring yet, but 1000 Radishes are about to sprout up, and with them potentially far-reaching ways to connect local growers with the people who crave their wares. You may recall, we told you about 1000 Radishes last summer. It’s a high-tech way to find what’s in season, connect [...]
Posted on February 9th, 2010 by Debby
Filed under: Agriculture, Buy Local, Farms & Farmers, Food, Nutrition, Rural Life, Rural Urban Partnerships, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
