November 2024
Hello Farm to Fork Friends!
We’re thrilled to share that we wrapped up another successful Apple Crunch! Thank you to everyone who took part in celebrating local food and supporting Utah’s farmers. As we savor this year's success, we’re also looking ahead to begin planning next year’s Movement Building Workshops and Peer Learning Groups, where we’ll continue growing connections across our farm-to-school network.
But the season isn’t over yet! Up next, we’re gearing up for Harvest Gratitude Day, a time to celebrate the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in bringing fresh, local food to Utah’s students. See below for more details on how you can join in!
Utah Farm to Fork celebrated another successful Apple Crunch statewide!
41 events brought together 117,839 Utahns to enjoy locally grown apples.
$102,396 went directly to Utah apple producers—a $58,299 increase from last year!
Apple Crunch participation grew by 61%, moving us closer to our goal of 200,000 annual participants.
Looking forward to next year’s Apple Crunch to grow these numbers even more!
Every November, we celebrate Harvest Gratitude Day—a virtual event designed for middle and high school students to connect with the farmers, ranchers, and producers who bring fresh, local food to their communities!
This year, the event will take place on November 21 between 9:00 - 10:00 AM.
Can’t attend live? Please still register to receive a video recording that you can share with your students later!
What to Harvest This Month
Snow is starting to blanket the state, but local flavors are still within reach! Check with your local farmer, and if squash is still available, give our Curried Turkey and Squash recipe a try. It’s also a delicious way to celebrate turkey, the star of Thanksgiving, with a flavorful twist!
Get Involved!
Stay up to date on School Lunch legislation in Utah!
This summer, USBE Board Members proposed a legislative request for 2025 to eliminate the reduced-price meal charge for K-12 students eligible for reduced-price meals in public schools participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The funding would cover the $0.30 breakfast and $0.40 lunch charges, aiming to reduce food insecurity, improve access to school-day nutrition, lower meal debt, and increase meal participation. Learn more here!
Resources and Trainings
Slow Food Live: Your Role as a Stakeholder in School Wellness | November 19 at 1:30 PM | Register here!
A Local School Wellness Policy, required by the USDA for districts in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, helps shape food, health, and environmental standards across communities. By joining a Wellness Policy Committee, stakeholders—from students to elected officials—can contribute to equitable, impactful wellness policies that enhance academic outcomes and resource distribution. Explore how your unique role can drive a healthier, more sustainable school environment.
Fundamentals of Farm to School & Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) - Now accepting applications!
The National Farm to School Network is introducing a new training to support onboarding for new employees in state agencies and organizations statewide. This training also serves as a refresher for those already familiar with farm-to-school practices, helping to deepen and expand knowledge in this important area. Apply here!
Food Justice
The new USDA Farm to School Census report is live! Farm to school activities – such as serving local foods in school, growing a school garden, tasting new foods and visiting local farms – provide experiential learning for children, support American farmers and producers, boost nutrition in school meals and more. The new USDA Farm to School Census reports that 74% of schools served local foods during the school year 2022-23.
Other key findings include:
School districts that purchased local food spent about $1.8 billion on local foods, roughly 16% of their total food spending.
Participation in farm to school activities has grown by 14% since the 2019 Farm to School Census.
School districts with a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price meals are as likely to participate in farm to school as lower-need school districts.
Learn more about the Farm to School Census and USDA’s record-breaking $14.3 million in Farm to School Grants awarded in 2024 by visiting the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program website. Stay tuned for next month's newsletter to see how Utah compares!
Job Opportunities
Operations and Engagement Coordinator |Summit Community Gardens | Park City, UT | Apply here!
Summit Community Gardens - EATS is seeking an Operations and Engagement Coordinator to be the nexus of communication, logistics, outreach, administrative support, and systems management. The ideal candidate will be a thought partner for the Executive Director and serve as a source of support for the entire team. As someone who’s fluent in platforms like Squarespace, Canva, Mailchimp, SignUpGenius, Donorbox, and Google Suite, they will establish processes, improve systems, and build efficiency. Managing projects, volunteers, and events round out this role. The ideal candidate is highly organized within a flurry of activity, maintaining humor while ensuring the day-to-day details are on track and the big picture of why we do this work is always in the foreground.
Regional Business Consultants | Utah Farm and Food Business Program | statewide | Apply here!
The Utah Farm and Food Business Program seeks three Regional Business Consultants to provide business consulting and technical assistance to small to medium-sized food businesses and agricultural producers in Northern, Eastern, and Southwestern Utah. Working directly with clients or coordinating with service providers, these consultants will support business growth, market expansion, and grant access as part of the Southwest Regional Food Business Center. This grant-funded role extends through June 2028, contingent on performance and funding renewal.
Youth Garden Project | Youth Garden Project | Moab, UT | Apply here!
As the Youth Garden Project’s Community Garden Development VISTA, you’ll be making a transformative impact on households with limited access to fresh, affordable food. You’ll champion the “Moab Community Gardens” program, empowering low to moderate-income community members with irrigated plots to grow their own produce. You’ll be a key player in securing new revenue streams, engaging volunteers, and enhancing our program’s administrative systems. Be a part of a mission-driven team that nurtures both the land and its people!
Do you have a farm to fork job opportunity you'd like us to share? Let us know! Jobs must be located in Utah or fully remote.
Funding Opportunities
Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program requests are now open! Apply here!
The USDA awards grants annually to help connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals. Check out this fact sheet for an overview of the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program and highlights Farm to School grantee projects.
This year the RFA has been split into three separate solicitations:
Implementation Grant
State Agency Grant
Turnkey Grant
We would love to see more organizations and schools in Utah apply! Interested for this fiscal year or the future? Let us know!
The Lorri Otto Seeds for Education Program (SFE) | Due November 15 | Apply here!
For more than 25 years, this vital Wild Ones donor-funded program has provided grants ranging from $100 to $500 for native plant gardens and landscaping projects throughout the United States. The funds are designated for acquiring native plants and seeds for outdoor learning areas that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly in planning, planting and caring for native plant gardens.
Fruit Trees for Your Community Grant | No deadline | Apply here!
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city/state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries.
You'll hear from us again next month. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you!
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