WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - For years, school cafeterias have been the butt of jokes or worse -- the battleground of food fights. But meals being dished out in the country's college dining halls and grade-school cafeterias are getting tastier and more nutritious thanks to a growing number of programs that encourage local farmers to sell their crops directly to schools.
'I care about what I eat, so I'm happy the school is doing what it can to help make meals healthier,' said Joe Levering, a sophomore at Clark University who was surprised that the carrots he had for lunch came from a Lunenberg farm, just about 25 miles away from this campus near downtown Worcester.
'And it's a great idea to support local farms so they could stay in business,' he said.
Clark is one of about a dozen colleges in the state participating in the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, a three-year-old program that helps eliminate the middleman in food distribution by having more farmers bring their fruits, vegetables and dairy products directly to campuses.
About 90 Massachusetts farmers reaped more than $415,000 through the program last year.
Across the country, more than 200 colleges and 1,000 public school districts in 35 states have similar programs, said Marion Kalb, director of National Farm to School Program, based in Santa Fe, N.M.
The national program was launched in 2000 after schools in California and Florida started buying food directly from farmers. It now helps foster new programs with marketing, legal assistance and purchasing arrangements.
The Massachusetts Farm to School Program was started by Kelly Erwin, who got the idea while working for the state agriculture department as a marketing specialist.
She attended a school food service trade show in 2002, where she tasted 'the worst food you've ever had in your life,' and decided to make a push for getting fresher ingredients into school kitchens.
After losing her job to state budget cuts, Erwin formed the Massachusetts Farm to School Project with about $20,000 from MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development authority, and Project Bread, a Boston-based anti-hunger organization.
In the past three years, the program has grown to include about 75 public school districts and a dozen colleges across the state.
At Clark, about 20 percent of the ingredients for student meals come from locally grown crops during the fall and spring, said Jim Lachance, the school's executive chef. During the winter, when fewer crops are available, the amount drops to about 5 percent, he said.
'The biggest limitation we have is in the growing season,' said Cheryl Walker, general manager of Clark's dining services.
For Lanni Orchards, the Lunenberg farm responsible for the carrots, potatoes and onions being cooked at Clark this week, selling directly to schools has accounted for about 20 percent of its growth during the past two years. The farm delivers its produce to about 20 grade schools and five colleges in Massachusetts.
Pat Lanni, who owns the family farm with his cousins, said he's hoping the new market he's tapped will lead to new customers who put a premium on locally grown food.
If the students are aware that the tasty and healthful food they're eating at school comes from a nearby farm, they're likely to seek out farmers markets and local produce when they have to feed themselves after graduation.
'If we all get them to eat their veggies when their young, I'll have customers forever,' he said.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate has affirmed its support of farm disaster assistance.
The Senate voted 74-23 Wednesday to provide about $4 billion to farmers and ranchers as part of a war spending bill.
Western and Midwestern members of Congress have been trying to find a way to reimburse farmers for losses due to drought, flooding and other disasters. Many Western states have suffered from years of drought.
Wednesday's vote was on an amendment that tried to scuttle the disaster funding. The Senate is expected to vote on passage of the larger war spending bill by the end of the week.
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said the vote is an important show of confidence.
'It is quite a powerful signal that most members understand how critical this is,' he said.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., offered the rejected amendment, saying the farm assistance is too expensive and did not belong in the $122 billion war spending bill.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., voted for Coburn's amendment, even though the drought has affected some Wyoming ranchers. He has objected to the farm aid and other provisions of the bill that are not related to the war, and attempted to offer an amendment that would have eliminated all such spending from the bill. His amendment was not brought to the floor.
The disaster assistance must still clear several hurdles, including a threatened presidential veto of the war spending bill. President Bush has objected to provisions in the House and Senate bills that would set a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
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© 2007 AFX News
