Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast

How does seafood get from the water to the school lunch plate? This was the topic of the Maine's Local Food Processing Workgroup "Behind the Supply Chain" webinar series sponsored by the Maine Farm & Sea to Institution Network, the Maine Food Convergence Project, and the Department of Ag Conservation & Forestry. Hear from: Mary Hudson, Director of Fisheries Programs​ and Maine Coast Community Sector Manager of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Shawn McEwen, CEO and co-founder of Sea Salt Lobster Co, in Kennebunk ME, Leni (lenny) Gronos, Owner and Operator from Graffam Brothers seafood processor in Rockport, ME and Mike Flynn, the School Nutrition Director from RSU 12 in the Sheepscit Valley Region. The webinar was hosted by Alida Peterson,  Associate Program Manager - Food Systems from the Maine Farm and Sea to Institution Network.  

In this episode we talk with Brad Lopes, education and Public Program Manager at the Aquinnah Cultural Center and the Education Manager of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gayhead Aquinnah and Emily Armstrong, Education Director of Island Grown Initiative. Brad and Emily speak about the collaboration between Island Grown and the Aquinnah Cultural Center to promote tribal food sovereignty through the lens of curricular instruction and some best practices for engaging in local food sustainability and food sovereignty work in schools.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast.On March 18, Massachusetts Farm to School held their biennial MA Farm and Sea to School Conference at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Over 350 attendees joined in from all areas of the farm and sea to school movement. There were educators, farmers and fishers, policy makers, food service staff, school administrators, secondary and college students, and more. The conference theme was, “Building Connections, Resilience and Joy,” and the opening plenary was a storytelling session, where 5 people shared a true and personal story from the heart that embodied the conference theme, be it a moment of challenge, joy, surprise, or change that reminds us why farm and sea to school work matters. In this episode you will hear stories from Rina Zampieron, Education Program Manager, Early Education at Mass Audubon, Lizzy Agbedun, Advocacy Manager at Project Bread, Sarah Littmann, Director of Food & Nutrition Services at Triton Regional School District, Tim Offei-Addo, Farmer at Abrantie Farms, and Mellissa Honeywood, Deputy Director at the Boston Mayor's Office of Food Justice. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Meghan Arquin is a Western Massachusetts farmer who works with Farm Lab and runs the Feast Box program. Farm Lab is part of Momentum Ag, a grant-funded nonprofit coordinating environmentally conscious agriculture across 20 Northeast farms. Feast Box provides free weekly boxes of local vegetables to all students and staff at participating schools. Each box contains seasonal produce from Farm Lab and partner farms, plus simple recipes and farm notes to help families cook, try new foods, and connect with local agriculture.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. In this episode we talk about early childhood education and its connection to farm to school and childhood nutrition with Sarah Tousignant, the Executive Director of the Mountain Village School in Stowe, Vermont. The Mountain Village School is a nature-based independent school for children, birth through kindergarten, with afterschool programs for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The school believes that early childhood is a crucial aspect of an individual's development and that nature, community harmony and discovery are the most important attributes of early childhood. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today our focus is on early childhood education and its connection to farm to school and childhood nutrition. Hear from Maggie Lynch, RDN, Director of Nutrition Services, Karley Besozzi, Director of Nutrition Education, and Lindsey Bogot, Farm to School and Food Access Coordinator from the Metro West YMCA in Framingham, Massachusetts about ways to introduce and engage our youngest learners and eaters in farm to school practices. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have the chance to have all of our burning questions about trout answered by grade four students as we listen to their podcast called “Trout Tales”. But before that, we will get some background from educator Julia Marchessault, fourth grade teacher at Sustainability Academy in Burlington, Vermont. The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes Elementary is a public pre-K to five magnet school in Burlington, Vermont that integrates sustainability into its curriculum. Created by the Burlington School District in partnership with Shelburne Farms, it is the first sustainability themed elementary school in the United States and focuses on real world projects like farmer's markets and community beautification. The project we are going to hear about today is called Trout Tales, a student-created podcast that celebrates the school's study of brook trout and the strong connection the schoolwide community built through this learning.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have a chance to talk with Jen Reese, Science and Garden Coordinator with Amherst and Pelham Public Schools and garden educator Leila Tunnell, who co-lead the Amherst Elementary School Garden Program in Amherst, Massachusetts. The program believes in the power of garden based learning to inspire joy and help build a more just and sustainable world, and provides all students in grades K-6 with year-round garden based learning in both school garden spaces as well as in classrooms. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. To start off season 2 we gave the microphone to a group of youth leaders at the Food Project. The Food Project is a Boston-area nonprofit that builds a sustainable food system by bringing together diverse youth and adults to work on farms in urban and suburban settings, growing food for the community and developing youth leadership skills. Participants gain hands-on experience in farming, food justice, and civic engagement. The organization also works to expand food access by donating produce to hunger relief organizations and building community connections. Their mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. You can learn more at their website: thefoodproject.org

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Ernie Koschmieder, the Food Service Director for Groton Public Schools in Groton, Connecticut to talk about the positive impacts of farm to school on students and families, and we're going to learn about an exciting shipping container Farm Grant from Connecticut Department of Agriculture and how the Container Farm will be used to increase food access for Groton Public School students.Hear from:Ernie Koschmieder, Food Service Director, Groton Public Schools, CT.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with publisher Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters and author Jacqueline Briggs Martin who wrote Eva's Green Garden Life to discuss food and food systems, books and stories. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Connecticut high school student and food system activist Zane Tickoo to talk about his work and dedication to improve the local food system and support access to healthy food, local economy, and social justice through what he calls “the Power of the Plate”.  Hear from: Zane Tickoo, Food System Activist and High School Student, New Canaan, CT

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Brian Winslow, a K-4 STEAM teacher from the Southwick School in Northfield, New Hampshire, to talk about their dynamic program that includes a greenhouse, aquaponics, an apiary, pollinator gardens and schoolwide composting. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Denise Tapley Proctor, the Food Service Director for RSU 89 in Stacyville, Maine, to talk about the positive impacts of their farm to school program on students and families and their award-winning scratch cooking, which recently received the 2024 USDA Innovation in Preparation of School Meals award. Hear From: Denise Proctor Tapley, Food Service Director, RSU 89, Staceyville, ME

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with French teacher Brigitte Savard and high school senior Veda Gahagan from Montpelier High School to talk about ways they embed food system education into the curriculum. From “Solon Soup for the Soul” named after the school mascot, the Greek philosopher Solon, to a student run crepe truck at the local farmer's market. Get ready to hear about some creative ways to build excitement and learning. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Sara Churgin, District Manager of the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District, and Margie Brennan, the K-8 Science Coach for Portsmouth School Department to learn about the Portsmouth Ag Innovation Farm, a student-driven community farm education program that fosters student problem solving, authentic learning and community collaboration. 

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. In this episode, School Garden Coordinator Fatima Seck shares her vision for school gardens as places to allow all students to flourish. From building positive habits and investment, finding safety and emotional regulation, to practicing gratitude, exploring creativity and expression and building relationships, school gardens can be a vital environment for social emotional learning. Hear from: Fatima Seck, School Garden Coordinator, Mel King South End Academy, Boston, MA

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. While Farm to School programs exist across the country and throughout the northeast, for some the phrase, “farm to school,” might not be familiar, and for others a definition might be a little hard to pin down. We asked a variety of people who work in farm to school in different capacities to describe what farm to school means to them. Whether defined by a school garden coordinator, a classroom teacher or administrator, a food service director, policy maker, farmer or food justice activist, you will definitely hear some common language and themes.