farm to school: national policy opportunities and updates from the usda farm to school team
DESCRIPTION
Presentation highlights the One Tray team (CFSC, School Food FOCUS and National Farm to School Network) and their collaboration with USDA. Updates include farm to school, child nutrition reauthorization, Senator Leahy Bill and opportunities for getting involved in moving the bill along. Presenters included Megan Lott of CFSC, Kate Fitzgerald of National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Loren LaCorte and Charles Parrott of USDA.TRANSCRIPT
Farm to School: National Policy
Opportunities and Updates from the
USDA Farm to School Team
Session 2: Tuesday, May 18th 4-5:30pm
AgendaWelcome/Introductions (5 min)
Introduction to the One Tray Team (10 min)
Updates from the USDA Farm to School Team (25 min)
Farm to School in the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (25 min)
Q&A Panel Discussion (25 min)
NOURISHING THE NATIONONE TRAY AT A TIME
www.onetray.org
The One Tray Team
Community Food Security Coalition
National Farm to School Network
School Food FOCUS
What Can USDA Do?
Commonly referred to as the “Can Do” document
A ten-point roadmap for national coordination between government and partners
National teams of experts
USDA Farm to School Teams
Geographic Preference Rule: comments due June 18th
Details on the National Farm to School Network website: www.farmtoschool.org
Nationally Coordinated Research Agenda
USDA Foods (formerly Commodities Program), DoD Fresh pilot Ideas
Visit www.onetray.org to access:
One Tray and “Can Do” documents
Further Background Information
Policy Updates
Two Great videos: PricelessLunch Encounters of the Third Kind
Ideas for Action
Updates from the USDA Farm to School Team
Charles Parrot, Associate Deputy Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service
Loren LaCorte, Farm to School Team Lead, Food and Nutrition Services, Special Nutrition Programs
Farm to School in the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization
Kate Fitzgerald, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Megan Lott, National Farm to School Network and Community Food Security Coalition
Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization
What is CNR?Occurs Every 5 years
What programs are included?NSLP, SBP, CACFP, Summer Food, WIC (including
WIC FMNP), FFVP, Special Milk Program
Committees of JurisdictionHouse: Education and Labor CommitteeSenate: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry
Farm to School Collaborative
The Farm to School Collaborative was formed in April 2009
Involved Groups: Community Food Security Coalition National Farm to School Network National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition School Food FOCUS Wallace Center at Winrock International
This Collaborative has been advocating for the inclusion of $50 million in mandatory funding for a Farm to School Competitive Grants Program in CNR.
What We’ve DoneHeld 2 Congressional Briefings on Capitol Hill in
Feb 2009
LOTS OF MEETINGS WITH LEGISLATORS!
TWO Main Farm to School Bills Introduced:HOUSE: The Farm to School Improvements Act of
2010 – introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (NJ) SENATE: The Growing Farm to School Improvements
Act of 2010 – introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT)
National Farm to School Support letters to Leadership
HOUSE SENATE
Baldwin (WI-2) McGovern (MA-3)
Bennet (CO) Murray (WA)
Blumenauer (OR-3)
McIntyre (NC-7) Brown (OH) Sanders (VT)
Boyd (FL-2) Meek (FL-17) Casey (PA) Schumer (NY)
Carnahan (MO-3)
Miller (CA-7) Durbin (IL) Shaeen (NH)
Clarke (NY-11) Pallone (NJ-6) Franken (MN) Specter (PA)
Dahlkemper (PA-3)
Polis (CO-2) Gillibrand (NY) Stabenow (MI)
Davis (TN-4) Ross (AR-4) Harkin (IA) Tester (MT)
Ellison (MN-5) Rothman (NJ-9) Klobuchar (MN) Udall (NM)
Grijalva (AZ-7) Schakowsky (IL-9)
Merkley (OR)
Johnson (GA-4) Scott (VA-3)
Kagen (WI-8) Sestak (PA-7)
Kaptur (OH-9) Shuler (NC-11)
Kennedy (RI-1) Welch (VT)
Loebsack (IA-2)
Where We Are Now?Senate
Leahy Bill incorporated into Senate Ag Marker Bill
Other provisions of Senate Marker bill: Improved nutritional quality and reimbursement Increased accessBetter program integrity$4.5 billion total costhttp://ag.senate.gov/site/legislation.html
Next step -- Senate floor
Where Are We Now?House
Holt bill
No House Committee meetings or Chairman’s MarkHope for action by Memorial Day
Paying for the bill in the House – jurisdictional issues
House Agriculture Committee – what they will and won’t do
House Ways and Means Committee
Why Isn’t the Bill Moving? Other pressing issues on legislative schedule
Divisions within advocacy community – fight for President’s full $10 billion or settle for less?
Finding the money to pay for it– offsets or “new” money from Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees?
How Can You Help? House member letter to leadership asking for
action
Pending Senate member letter to leadership to take action
Pending organizational sign on letter asking for action and more funding