MONTGOMERY, ALA. – Governor Kay Ivey officially proclaims October 2020 as Farm to School Month in Alabama. The Alabama Farm to School Program promotes nutritional practices, fresh and local foods, school gardens and teaching agricultural education in Alabama schools. Local farms play an important role in the Alabama school systems by providing them with a variety of fresh, affordable and healthy produce options.
The National School Lunch Program is administered by the Department of Education in Alabama. The Department of Agriculture and Industries works closely with the Department of Education to promote programs like Farm to School. Together, the two departments are helping schools to locate and source local products, promote school gardens, and create educational materials to help schools with nutrition and agriculture education.
In honor of Farm to School Month in October, Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Rick Pate and Alabama State Superintendent of Schools Erik Mackey participated in filming a farm tour at Scott’s Orchard in Hazel Green, Ala. The tour will be released as a virtual field trip Oct. 21 on the Alabama Farm to School program’s Facebook page, facebook.com/alabamafresh.
While on the tour Mackey said, “We have 1,200 cafeterias in Alabama that appreciate receiving fresh food from farmers. At Scott’s Orchard, we are seeing exactly what that means, from the ground, to the tree, picked and straight to our cafeterias. We appreciate Scott’s Orchard delivering fresh, farm foods to our cafeterias.”
Commissioner Pate said, “We’re excited to promote and support the Farm to School program. We believe it is an opportunity to instill healthy and nutritious eating habits in our young people while benefiting Alabama farmers. I also want to thank everyone at Scott’s Orchard. Their farm is a perfect example of what we’re trying to accomplish with the Farm to School Program and Sweet Grown Alabama.”
Farms like Scott’s Orchard can be found in Alabama through the searchable database of Sweet Grown Alabama. The database allows consumers to easily connect with local farmers in their area and find specific Alabama grown products. To find fresh local produce visit, sweetgrownalabama.org
The Alabama Farm to School Program, the Alabama Department of Education, and the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries would like to express their gratitude to Governor Ivey for signing the proclamation.