Cafeterias as classrooms: District invests in school-based food production, hyperlocal food procurement
Chicken coops. Greenhouses. Grow towers. Raised garden beds.
Students throughout the Klamath County School District are not only eating fresh, hyperlocal produce and meat, they are learning to grow, harvest, and produce food for their school cafeterias.
Over the past several years, the school district has wrapped an educational and nutritional component into its food services program, offering Oregon-grown and hyperlocal fresh fruits and vegetables, locally harvested beef, lamb, and eggs, and special Try-It Days and Tasting Tables, which encourage students to try foods such as cranberries, squash, and beets they may not otherwise eat.
“We’re an agriculture economy and our kids need to see and understand what that means. Serving beef from a ranch in Sprague River, carrots from the farmer down the street, and eggs from Poe Valley is one way to do that,” said Jennifer Detwiler, KCSD Nutrition Services supervisor. “Our local community – our farmers, our ranchers -- support us. We need to support them.”
School-based food production is the next step in expanding not only learning opportunities, but the availability of hyperlocal produce, eggs, and meat on school lunch and breakfast trays, district leaders say.
This fall, KCSD was awarded a $99,847 Oregon Department of Education grant to purchase school-based food production equipment and conduct hands-on education events.
The district works closely with OSU Klamath Basin Extension Service, often partnering in grant applications and utilizing their educators to teach and coordinate education programs and displays. The most recent funds are among more than $450,000 in Farm to School grants awarded to the district and OSU Extension in the last several years. In 2019, the district used grant funds to create a part-time Farm to School coordinator position with the goal of developing agreements with Klamath Basin farmers and ranchers to purchase produce and meat for the district’s 21 school buildings. After the grant concluded in 2022, the district permanently funded the coordinator position.
“The coordinator position was vital in helping us meet the vision we had for the Farm to School program,” said Jamie Ongman, KCSD director of school operations. “This coordination of partnerships in the community as well as educational resources was the foundation of a program that was set to really take off. We knew that this position had to remain if the program was going to grow, and it did just that.”
Between 2109 and 2022, eggs, beef, carrots, potatoes, melons, and lettuce from Klamath Basin producers were served up as featured foods to nearly 7,000 students at 21 schools. Within those three years, hyperlocal purchase agreements increased from one to 11 producers, pumping nearly $45,000 into the local economy.
Those partnerships have continued and expanded. This fall, the district served melons from Maranatha Farm in Klamath Falls and carrots from Simple Gifts Farm in the south suburbs. In February, students enjoyed potatoes from Circle C Marketing in Malin, and students in Merrill had a special guest – Circle C’s Scotty Fenters joined them for the lunch featuring his farm’s potatoes. In March, students will eat beef from Sprague River’s Flying T Ranch and potatoes from Cal-Ore Produce in Tulelake.
The district also offers trainings so school cooks can experiment with different recipes using the local featured foods.
“The success of our Farm to School program can be attributed in part to the dedication and enthusiasm of cook managers and their staff,” Detwiler said. “These quality ingredients allow our kitchen staff to be creative and encourage scratch cooking. Better food means happier students, which has a direct impact on their learning.”
KCSD Farm to School Coordinator Jordan Rainwater said the district also is working to build supply and transportation chains with regional producers because it can be difficult for small local growers to support the high volume the district needs on a regular basis.
“The goal is to deepen our connections locally and regionally and build capacity,” she said. “I think there are some exciting developments on the horizon.”
Lost River Junior/Senior High School in south county laid the foundation for the district’s Farm to School and school-based food production programs. Meghan Miller, Lost River’s agriculture science teacher and FFA advisor, four years ago made national headlines after the school served hamburgers from steers raised by students. Students also raise chickens, sheep, and pigs, and grow produce and plants in two greenhouses. The eggs are sold to a local grocer and used in the school cafeteria.
That program is now being used as a model to support and expand food production at schools around the district. In the past three years, the number of schools that grew food for their cafeterias increased from one to five, and that number is expected to grow substantially over the next couple of years.
Four of the district’s six high schools have FFA and food production programs that will receive chicken coops, raised beds, greenhouse equipment, and gardening supplies through the most recent grant. Included are egg washers, which allow eggs to be cleaned for use in cafeterias. Food served in schools must meet specific USDA certification and production standards.
Other schools will use hydroponic grow towers. Students can plant seeds and watch them sprout and grow until fresh lettuce and herbs are ready for harvest. With this method, produce can be grown year around. That produce often is added to school salad bars.
The district’s next step is to sustain school-based food production. To do that, plans are to incorporate the expenses of food production programs into the district Nutrition Services Department budget. The district cannot purchase food from itself but it can purchase supplies and equipment needed for students to learn how to produce it.
“The district is committed to a comprehensive, well-rounded education. This program teaches students life-long skills that will impact their own health as well as the health and well-being of their families,” Ongman said.
Rainwater agreed. “The hands-on education our students are getting has to come with a lot of pride,” she said. “And when they see something in the salad bar or on their lunch trays that they grew, they are more inclined to eat it.”
This article originally published and was written for Healthy Klamath's Spring 2023 Living Well Magazine. Read the magazine HERE!
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