2006 Essay Contest Winners
 |
| Drew Reese |
1st Place Essay – 2006
Drew Reese
Deer-Creek – Lamont Public Schools – 12th Grade
Farm-to-School
More and more unhealthy food and drinks are being made available
on school campuses. These unwise options are often taking claim
on kids in Oklahoma and throughout our country. In 2004, Oklahoma
ranked 13th in the nation in adult obesity with an 11.1 percent
of Oklahoma high school students considered overweight. “To
partially offset the impact of unhealthy food environments on children,
nutrition advocates and school districts have turned to sourcing
foods for school meals from local farmers” (Winne). The program,
Farm-to-School exercises this, buying fresh food from local farmers
and serving it to kids in school. The program is geared towards
getting kids to choose fresh fruits and vegetables and thus reducing
their consumption of less healthy options. Objectives of Farm-to-School
include serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student
nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities
that will last a lifetime, and supporting local farmers.
Schools participating in Farm-to-School receive no extra funding
to pay for the food. The food is paid for with commodity funds
already received by each district. However, U. S. Congress reauthorized
the provision known as the Access to Local Foods and School Gardens
that established a competitive grant program of up to $100,000
per school district for development and start-up costs associated
with Farm-to-School programs. After the start-up costs are covered,
Farm-to-School is not dependent on funding. But it is supported
by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (U.S.D.A.)
Food Stamp Nutrition Education program. “The program is a
great way to improve the nutrition of our kids in schools while
supporting local Oklahoman farmers,” said Jim Reese, U.S.D.A.
Farm Service Agency Executive Director.
Obesity has grown drastically in the past twenty years and continues
to challenge a great percentage of the youth in America today. “In
an increasing number of schools, the food service department is
contracting out lunch to fast food chains such as McDonalds, Domino’s,
or Taco Bell. None of this bodes well for the health and nutritional
needs of school children” (“Farm to School Projects”).
The American School Food Service Association estimates that 30
percent of the nation’s 23,000 public schools sell fast food
(Winne). Farm-to-School programs offer the obvious benefit of bringing
healthier foods to young people and lightening their load of greasy
foods. Kids respond to Farm-to-School very well and are wiling
to try new things in the lunch line. Food systems analyst at the
UC Davis-based statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Program, Gail Feenstra said “When a variety of fruits and
vegetables are offered, kids take them. This is most true when
options are fresh” (qtd. In Harris). It is often thought
that children would reject fresh fruits and vegetables. This is
just not true. Kids are very willing to step out of the “just-add-water” routine
into a fresher, better-tasting alternative. The real deal just
tastes better. Farm-to-School helps children develop excellent
eating habits that have the potential of lasting a lifetime.
Schools also provide students with experiential learning opportunities
through farm visits, gardening, and recycling programs to go along
with Farm-to-School. When being tested at Ohlone Elementary School
in California, a teacher, Trina Padilla said, “This program
is great because it’s engaging on every level. It’s
hands-on and includes every type of learning” (qtd. in Agcongay).
The more fun it is for kids, the more they’ll learn. Some
schools add in extra-curricular activities like farm visits and
children-kept gardens to further enhance the program. Farm-to-School
is a hands-on learning experience that gets both the kids involved
and their parents interested in what is going on.
Aside from the nutritional and educational value of Farm-to-School
is an imminent economic problem facing small to medium sized farms. “While
our children are eating unhealthy foods, our farmers are losing
out on potential markets due to globalization and the growing trends
of corporations consolidating agri-business” (“What
is Farm to School”). Increasing cost of land and water is
making farming more difficult. Of all occupations in America, farming
is facing one of the greatest declines. Many small farms only exist
because of family members who seek additional off-the-farm jobs.
Farm-to-School gives kids healthier options while making a market
between local farmers and schools. Farmers connect to their community
through participation in this program. In addition to the educational
feeding of school children, our farmers benefit, with a greater
demand for the products they produce. Help can never come fast
enough.
Some doubt Farm-to-School and its changes to be successful. They
say that food service budgets are tight and that there may not
be adequate labor to process local foods in many schools. But the
funding is there. It has never cost more to buy straight from the
source. Critics also question how popular the fruits and vegetables
would be for kids. Testing shows that children will significantly
increase their helpings of fruit and vegetables when the local
farm’s food is put out. Four school districts in Oklahoma
are involved in a pilot-project right now and have had nothing
but astounding success. From the kids’ approval to the farmers’,
everyone has agreed this program is beneficial.
Connecting what we grow and what we eat is something Farm-to-School
helps to do. It fills the gap between our harvest and our meals.
Kids have fun with this project and are pleased to participate.
This process helps children better relate to how their food choices
affect their own health, their family, and the local farmer. The
kids develop a better understanding of where and how their food
is grown, while they help sustain the shrinking population of small
farms. The program hopes to expand, to include more farmers, more
Oklahoma-grown produce and more schools. A statewide Farm-to-School
program would do much for the future health of children and to
revitalize Oklahoma’s struggling rural communities.
Works Cited
Agcongay, Joy. “Farm-to-School teaches kids
to eat right.” June 2004. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 6 Jan. 2006
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/June/15/local/stories/07local.htm
“Farm to School Projects – Is There
a Need?” Community Food Security Coalition. 6 Jan. 2006 http://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_school.htm
Harris, Wylie. “Farm-to-School Pilot Project:
Melons Carry Seeds of Change.” Fall 2004.
Food and Society Policy Fellows. 6 Feb. 2006
http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/library/uploadedFiles/Farm-to-School
_Pilot_Project_Melons_Carry_Seed.htm
Reese, Jim. Personal interview. 10 Feb. 2006
“What is Farm to School?” Farm to School. 6 Jan. 2006
http://www.farmtoschool.org/about.htm
Winne, Mark. “Food Security – It takes
a Community.” Center for Ecoliteracy. 6 Jan. 2006
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/publications/rsl/mark-winne.html
1st Runner Up – 2006
Essay Contest
Meghan Gose
Thomas High School – Grade 12
 |
| Meghan Gose |
Farm Fresh for Kids’ Health
The results are in and it doesn’t look pretty for the health
of today’s youth. According to one published report (Wellness
International Network Ltd – web.winltd.com, 2001) childhood
obesity is running out of control with 25% of all white children
overweight and 33% of African American and Hispanic children overweight
in 2001. Additionally, the rate of all children overweight increased
from 4% in 1982 to 16% in 1994. The report states that hospital
costs associated with childhood obesity rose from $35 Million in
1979 to $127 Million in 1999. Although there is more than one reason
and therefore more than one solution for this serious health care
problem, the initiative implemented by the Farm to School Program
is a positive step toward improving the dietary habits of youth
in Oklahoma and as a result their long-term health.
My grandparents grew up in an era where much of the food they
ate was fresh from the farm. As a result the nutritional value
of their food was much higher than the processed foods most kids
eat today and the overall health of the people of their day was
better. The problem with the processed foods is that the milling
process they go through removes virtually everything that’s
good for you, leaving only empty calories (www.newstarget.com, 2003).
Fresh foods still have the vitamins and minerals, which are so
essential to growth and development in the human body. The idea
brought forth by the Farm to School Program to put produce directly
from local farms onto local school lunch lines could assist greatly
in changing the trend from the processed fast foods that are so
prevalent on the menus of school lunchrooms today and damaging
to children’s health.
I wanted to get a first hand account of how the Farm to School
Program is operating in Oklahoma so I contacted two of the people
directly involved. I spoke to Mr. Bob Ramming, an Oklahoma watermelon
grower who is currently a local producer for the program in Oklahoma.
Mr. Ramming said the only problem he had encountered was the need
to buy different shipping boxes, which was he said the least of
his worries. He was very much in support of the program and lauded
the organizers’ efforts in creating a new market for farmers
while creating a greater connection between farmers and their local
communities.
Another contact I made was with Ms. Paula Price, who is a DHS
Commodity Distribution & School Nutrition Agent. Ms. Price
was also in full support of the program, which she stated was beneficial
to both students and farmers. Ms. Price thinks the biggest benefit
of the program is the educational aspect which gives students direct
contact with farmers on the farm so they see the various produce
all around our state as well as in their local areas. One minor
problem the program faced according to Ms. Price, but has now overcome,
is the delivery time. The program was forced to switch from monthly
distribution to weekly. This also made food arrive quicker and
cost less. Ms. Price conveyed that if the food came from another
state the produce would not be as fresh and would cost more. Ms.
Price also informed me that in addition to watermelons, which were
the first products distributed, in the near future we will be seeing
fresh cherry tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, and asparagus delivered
to schools across the state.
Many states besides Oklahoma have implemented the program in
their school systems. According to the National Farm to School
web site, almost 400 school districts in 22 states are operating
farm to school programs. Produce provided ranges from carrots,
cabbage, onions, root vegetables, peppers, apples and cranberries
in Wisconsin to broccoli, cantaloupe, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes,
squash, seedless watermelon and zucchini in Kentucky. California
has the advantage of a year-round growing season, and as a result,
nearly 100 schools in 20 districts are participating in the program.
The benefits of the program in California were noted in a February
15, 2004, article in the LA Times where it was touted
that, “Farm-to-school programs have been shown to increase
fruit and vegetable consumption by more than 40% and also to decrease
food waste.” As you can see, the program is off to a good
start and kids nation wide like the change.
Some of the drawbacks to the program I discovered through looking
at several sources was the fact that it sometimes requires additional
labor, new equipment, training of staff, and different methods
in the way food is procured, delivered and packaged. The local
food can also be higher, but there are locations across the country
where these programs actually provide a cost savings. The higher
costs, the fact that the growing season doesn’t match many
northern school calendars, are all potential drawbacks for the
Farm to School program. Another barrier involves purchasing and
delivery. Many school food service administrators prefer to buy
from a single distributor that then transports the food to the
site rather than having to purchase from several different distributors.
In summary I found that the benefits of the program far outweigh
the drawbacks. The connection made between the farmers and the
schools in their communities, the creation of a new market for
farmers, the enlightenment students receive concerning the various
crops grown in their state, and ultimately the improved diet and
health of students in the schools will all have a lasting positive
impact on our state and our country.
Honorable Mention – 2006
Essay Contest
Jessica L. Warren
Deer Creek – Lamont High School – 12th Grade
 |
| Jessica Warren |
Get Healthy With Oklahoma Farm-to-School
“During the past 30 years in Oklahoma, the percentage of
overweight children (ages 6-11) has quadrupled, while adolescent
rates have more than doubled” (“How Farm-to-School...”).
Only about fifteen percent of Oklahoma’s high school students
eat the recommended serving of five fruits and vegetables each
day, and in 2004 eleven percent of Oklahoma high school students
were overweight or obese. So how is the state fighting this problem?
By implementing the Farm-to-School program. This program takes
food, such as apples and seedless watermelons, from local farms
to schools; which helps to teach children about nutrition and decreases
obesity.
The Farm-to-School program was started in Oklahoma as a joint project
by the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Oklahoma Food
Policy Council, and many other associations. The government also
took a part in the implementation of the Farm-to-School program.
On December 12, 2005 the Oklahoma Senate held a meeting about Farm-to-School
legislation. They discussed laws and bills, the food, and the farmers
and schools.
Obesity is the top health problem in Oklahoma. Studies have shown
that obesity can lead to heart disease, high cholesterol and blood
pressure, type two diabetes, low self-esteem, and depression. Also,
being overweight can make serious diseases worse. The rising obesity
rate has many causes. According to Mark Winne, Communications Director
for the Community Food Security Coalitions, “We’re
too fat, we don’t exercise enough and we don’t eat
enough fruits and vegetables” (Winne). The Farm-to-School
program could help these problems in Oklahoma. It would teach kids
about nutrition and agriculture, and it would give them better
access to the needed fruits and vegetables. It is shown that when
kids can choose between different fruits and vegetables, they will
eat more and get healthier.
The Farm-to-School program is becoming quite popular. Many states
already have it, including Connecticut, Washington, California,
and Oklahoma. In a recent survey asking Oklahoma school district
food supervisors if they would like to have the Farm-to-School
program, sixty-nine percent agreed or strongly agreed, and only
six percent said they would not like the Farm-to-School programs
in their school. With these positive results, it seems as if the
Farm-to-School Program will quickly be spread throughout Oklahoma.
Recently, Connecticut has been testing the Farm-to-School program
with a high success rate. The South Windsor school district bought
apples from a local orchard. The farmers were able to extend the
eating season by putting the apples into a cold-storage unit so
the kids could get them fresh in the middle of the winter. Mary
Ann Lopez, food service director of the South Windsor school district,
said “It always drove me nuts that we were buying Washington
state apples. Now that we’re buying Connecticut apples, the
kids are eating more” (Winne). This not only benefits the
kids, but also the farmers.
Many states have been doing similar tests on the Farm-to-School
program. Oklahoma is one of those states.
Oklahoma’s test of the Farm-to-School program, called the
pilot project, started in the fall of 2004. Four school districts,
Edmond, Shawnee, Broken Arrow, and Tahlequah, participated in the
first year of the pilot project using seedless watermelons. Along
with being delicious, “...a cup of watermelon provides 19.5%
of the daily value for Vitamin C, and through its beta-carotene,
13.9% of the daily value for Vitamin A. Watermelon is also a very
good source of the carotenoid, lycopene. Lycopene has been extensively
studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties” (“Farm
to School...”). Bob Ramming, a Hinton watermelon farmer,
planted his watermelons a little late so the harvest would coordinate
with the fall school semester. Then the watermelons were delivered
to the four school districts for the students’ enjoyment.
The schools also had the Ag in the Classroom project, which is
aimed at helping kids to better understand nutrition and Oklahoma
agriculture. The pilot project was a success. The obesity risk
lessened, the students started paying more attention in class,
unhealthy snacking decreased, and the program increased the students’ awareness
and consumption of fruits and vegetables. For the 2005-2006 school
year, two school districts, Tulsa and Muskogee, have also joined
the pilot project. I think the results of this year’s project
will be positive too.
The Farm-to-School program could be extremely beneficial to Oklahoma.
Most importantly, it would teach children about nutrition and provide
them with an opportunity to eat healthier foods, which would help
to slow down the rapidly rising obesity rates. The Farm-to-School
program would also teach kids about where the fresh fruits and
vegetables that they are getting in school come from, and it would
teach them about agriculture and how it affects Oklahoma’s
economy. The program would also provide a much needed economic
boost for farmers. They would be selling to closer consumers, so
shipping charges would be less and the fruits and vegetables would
be fresher when they arrived at their destination. I think that
they would also sell more because kids will eat more when the produce
is fresher and tastes better. Susan Stansbury, Project Director
of the Valley of Heart’s Delight organization, summarized
the benefits of the Farm-to-School program best. “First is
that the food looks and tastes good to the students. Second, students
often times meet the farmers and/or visit the farm where the food
is grown. I think this connection with the food gives it more meaning,
which in turn means more appeal” (MacMorris).
The Farm-to-School program would be a great thing for Oklahoma
students and farmers. It would teach young people about nutrition,
which is a very important step in lowering the obesity rates in
Oklahoma.
I think we need to approach Farm-to-School as we already have
in some respect, but as a campaign and a marketing opportunity
in Oklahoma, as a way to help encourage better nutrition, to get
parents actively involved in supporting better nutrition in schools.
But also in just getting our farmers interested and realizing that
this is a market (“First Meeting...”).
This program would be an amazing opportunity for Oklahomans. We
just need to reach out and accept all of the good it can do for
us.
Works Cited
“Farm To School program enhances healthy
food choices.” 2 Feb. 2006. http://www.ba.k12.ok.us/newbapage/farm.html.
“First Meeting Held on Farm-to-School Interim
Study.” 29 November 2005. Oklahoma State Senate. 2 Feb. 2006. http://www.kerrcenter.com/nwsltr/2004/fall2004/fall_04.pdf.
“How Farm-to-School Programs Help Kids Eat
Healthy” November 2005. Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
Inc. 2 Feb. 2006. http://www.kerrcenter/farm_to_school/healthy?kids.htm.
MacMorris, Kitta. “Farm to School.” 13
December 2004. The Paly Voice. 2 Feb. 2006. http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id-2345.
Winne, Mark. “Connecticut Farmers and Students:
A Healthy Combination.” 13 March 2005. Hartford Courant.
2 Feb. 2006. http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/library/
uploadedfiles/connecticut_farmers_and_students_a-healthy-combination.htm.
Honorable Mention – 2006
Essay Contest
Brady Brewer
Deer Creek – Lamont High School – 12th Grade
 |
| Brady Brewer |
Get Healthy With Oklahoma Farm-to-School
The old cliche that the children of today are the future of tomorrow
is a perfect example of why Oklahoma public schools need the Farm-to-School
program. This program has immense values and can help solve a variety
of problems that plague today’s society. With obesity rates
rising among school aged children, along with the sputtering economy
in rural areas, this program could be a leap in the right direction
for public schools, farmers, and the children who will benefit
from the Farm-to-School program.
The goal of the Oklahoma Farm-to-School program, is to encourage
public institutions; schools, public colleges, technology centers,
state prisons, and state hospitals; to buy a portion of their food
from local farmers. This novel idea is a joint adventure between
the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Department
of Agriculture, and is being called the Oklahoma Food Policy Council.
These two organizations hope to develop a framework that connects
Oklahoma farmers with public schools. The Farm-to-School program
works by having the participating school contact the involved agencies
and inform them about the food they would like to purchase. The
agencies then find the growers of the desired food for the school.
The Oklahoma Food Policy Council has already created a directory
with farmers interested in selling their food products. With this
simple process, Oklahoma Farm-to-School could change how we look
at school cafeteria food.
Like any good researcher, the agencies involved have done thorough
experiments. One of these experiments has been a pilot project
that involved four schools from Oklahoma. The four schools that
participated in the 2004 pilot project were Edmond, Shawnee, Broken
Arrow, and Tahlequah public schools. In this project, the main
produce ordered was watermelons, which were grown by Rob Ramming,
who grows 300 acres of watermelon near Hinton, Oklahoma (“Oklahoma”).
Besides the pilot project, surveys and opinion polls have been
conducted in order to gain specific information about Farm-to-School.
This survey was conducted in late 2002 with 638 public institutions
taking part in it. The survey found that tomatoes, cucumbers, onions,
lettuce, and eggs were at the top of the list of food that the
institutions would like to purchase (“Oklahoma”). This
research and pilot project prove that a Farm-to-School program
is needed and will be used by public schools if implemented.
One of the reasons that the Farm-to-School program is needed
is because it benefits so many areas of the rural community. With
the problem of the rising obesity rate among children and that
85% of food choices in school vending machines are of poor nutritional
value, the fact that the food from the program has high nutritional
value is a major incentive for institutions to buy from Farm-to-School
(“Junk”). The produce will also be cleaner, since the
food does not travel very far the need for preservatives and other
additives is significantly reduced. This not only improves the
health of the child but can also improve the ability to concentrate
in school (Horne). This program could also lead to school gardens
with classes designed to teach children about agriculture. However,
some people think that more needs to be done than just the reform
of school meals. According to Margo G. Wootan of the Center for
Science in the Public Interest, “Daily physical education
for every school child,” is just as important as healthy
school meals (“Healthy”). Still, most people agree
that Farm-to-School is a step in the right direction. Another benefit
of the program is the positive economic impact that it will have
on the farmers and the rural community. For instance, the Farm-to-School
project in North Carolina bought almost $300,000 of fresh produce
in 2002 (“Oklahoma”). This money and economic impact
has the potential to revitalize communities and make the business
of farming attractive for people to do. It is these qualities of
the Farm-to-School program that make it a promising program for
the people of Oklahoma.
Even though this program has many positives about it, there are
some problems that could arise. One problem is that Oklahoma is
prone to have weather related problems with crops, such as droughts,
tornados, and hail storms. If a drought causes a crop failure statewide,
what will the schools and institutions do who are dependent on
this food? Probably the simplest solution to this problem is to
go back to buying the commodities that they bought before, but
some would say that if that happened, it just defeats the purpose
of the Farm-to-School program. Others, however, would say that
it is a special case, just as long as the school went back to buying
from the program once crops are available. Another problem is that
because of the winters in Oklahoma, not every crop can be grown
all year long. This problem is also compounded by the fact that
almost all of the school year takes place during the winter months.
Some crops can be stored for a long time, but others spoil fairly
quickly, just adding to the problem. Green houses could work but
would probably be expensive and could not produce the quantity
needed for all of Oklahoma’s public schools. The most plausible
solution to this is just have the cafeterias adjust to what is
in season at that time of year and adjust the menus accordingly.
Though obstacles in the road, these problems should be overcome
to let the Farm-to-School program be a success.
A person can easily see why Oklahoma and its public institutions
need the Farm-to-School program. It can fight obesity in what is
a very unhealthy world. It can fuel the economy, helping the small
farmer become more profitable, also making the small rural community
a more attractive place to raise a family. It can also have educational
values to teach children about agriculture. With all this, the
Farm-to-School program truly can prepare the future of tomorrow.
Works Cited
Healthy Schools re Junk-Food-Free Schools. Center
for Science in the Public Interest. 4 Feb. 2006. www.cspinet.org/new/200210071.html
Horne, James E. Farm to School Report. Oklahoma
Food Policy Council. 2 Feb. 2006. www.kerrcenter.com/ofpc/farmtoschool.htm
Junk Food in Schools Enjoys Bipartisan Support. Center
for Science in the Public Interest. 3 Feb. 2006. www.cspinet.org/new/200405201.html
Oklahoma Farm-to-School Program: Pilot Project
2004. Oklahoma Food Policy Council. 2 Feb. 2006. www.kerrcenter.com/ofpc/farmtoschool_faq.htm
Back to Top |
