107A LB396 LPS Testimony

23 February 2021

My name is John Neal, J-O-H-N N-E-A-L. I am testifying for Lincoln Public Schools in support of LB396, the creation of a Nebraska Farm-to-School program and the creation of a position at NDE to coordinate this work statewide.

The Farm-to-School program is a very important on-going program in Lincoln Public Schools as it is in many other school districts. The program includes providing local, fresh produce, protein and dairy to our students, purchasing them from local farms, and increasing the nutritional value of meals and nutritional education of students.

Fresh items brought in for students are highlighted in the Harvest of the Month, which is a farm to school project to promote use of local foods in school lunch, as well as promoting increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. The harvest items are featured on that month’s school menu. Educational trivia cards for the same harvest item are displayed in the cafeteria. Fresh foods that have come into Lincoln from local producers include the following: apples, cantaloupe, chicken, cucumbers, green peppers, milk, potatoes, sour cream, watermelon and yogurt.

Local products must meet strict food safety standards. Vendors of items such as chicken, flour, and milk can supply products throughout the school year as the menu has to match the food when it is in season. Each month Lincoln Public Schools offers an “Eat Local Nebraska Thursday” menu with items raised in or around Nebraska, with local items going into meals such as lasagna, meatloaf, dinner rolls, garlic bread, sloppy joes, mac’n cheese, cinnamon rolls, creamed turkey, beef enchilada, black bean rice bowls, submarine sandwiches, spaghetti and meat sauce, Philly chicken sandwiches, chili and tacos.

Buying from local producers has many benefits including fresher, higher quality products as well as increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Local purchasing also reduces delivery time, creates new jobs, and strengthens the local economy. These are purchased all from farms within a 250-mile radius of Lincoln.

The Farm-to-School program results in fresh and tasty meals for students, and it generates measurable success:

  • $823,874 is spent on purchases of local produce, chicken and dairy rather than being spent with non-local producers.
  • $19,135 is spent on apples, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes and watermelon.

Resulting in the consumption of

  • 16,477 pounds of local produce
  • 136,528 pieces of fresh chicken
  • 4,179,668 cartons of milk

Farm to School has been shown to increase student consumption of both fruits and vegetables, but the program also has several educational components to boost students understanding of nutrition. Nutrition Education can take on many different forms through Farm to School including the following:

  • Posters featuring local food — Where they are grown, the nutrient content, along with fun facts
  • Special school menus — Featuring local items on the menu increases awareness and interest in foods. Farm to School highlights familiar as well as new food items, where they come from, how they are grown or produced, nutritional content and benefits.
  • Classroom education units.
  • After school care hands-on activities — Planting, harvesting, cooking, and tasting.
  • Gardening activities, which promote physical activity and working together.
  • Field trips to local farms such as dairy farms, pumpkin farms, or apple orchards.

One of the more visible components of the Farm to School nutritional education program are school gardens. More than 20 LPS schools have school gardens. School gardens don’t just grow vegetables, they are much more.

School gardens can provide an “outdoor classroom” setting, which is ideal for learning a variety of concepts beyond food & nutrition: math, art, and science, just to name a few.

School gardens also foster community relations and connections. School neighbors often lend a helping hand with planting, watering, weeding, or keeping watch during non-school hours or on non-school days.

Produce harvested from school gardens is taste tested by students, and even donated to families in need.

This incredibly expansive program will benefit greatly from state coordination. A full-time coordinator trained and experienced in this field will not only provide additional information to districts, but the coordinator can also become the natural connector to help districts learn from the best practices of other districts and build long-term, positive relationships with local providers.

For these reasons, Lincoln Public Schools would like to offer our support for LB396, and we encourage out of committee and on to General File.