(TRENTON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher announced the 2022 Jersey Fresh Farm to School Recognition and Award program to find the top school in the state participating in Farm to School activities. The program also will recognize schools that work with farmers and the community to ensure students have access to healthy Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables in their school cafeterias and teach about agriculture through growing school gardens.
Applications are now available for the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Recognition and Award program at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HY62NZ7 The deadline to complete and submit the application is July 31, 2022. One exemplary school that provides meaningful Farm to School overview will be presented with this year’s “Best in New Jersey Farm to School Award” during Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week September 26-30, 2022.
“We’ve witnessed some amazing Farm to School programs with more than 200 schools having participated,” Secretary Fisher said. “Our goal is to encourage students to make healthier food choices, learn about New Jersey agriculture, develop an appreciation for where their food comes from, and how to incorporate it in their daily lives.”
Schools that meet the criteria in the application will be acknowledged for their Farm to School efforts by receiving a Jersey Fresh Farm to School kit, including a Jersey Fresh Farm to School banner, aprons, pencils, seasonality charts, Jersey Tastes flyers and media templates to announce this recognition.
Farm to School programs provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities to help students learn about local agriculture, how food grows and what it means to eat healthfully with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Farm to School activities can include, but are not exclusive to:
- Nutrition education, including taste tests with produce purchased from local farms
- Harvest meals serving locally sourced products from New Jersey farms
- Farm to School curricular tie-ins that connect the cafeteria to the classroom or school garden
- Visits to or from local farms that teach students how food is grown
- School garden education that ties directly into what is already being taught in the classroom
To learn more, visit www.farmtoschool.nj.gov and search for @farmtoschoolnj on social media.
