High School Farming

School lunches are often a hot topic amongst parents and school officials due to the rapid rise in childhood obesity. Many cafeterias highlight unhealthy foods such as pizza, fried chicken nuggets and soda while fruits and vegetables get pushed to the bottom of menus.

A seemingly viable solution to the problem of providing healthy lunches is sweeping the nation’s rural high schools. Students at Sibley East high school in Arlington, Minnesota recently picked 700 pounds of tomatoes, most of which are heading straight for the school's cafeteria trays. This is a practical idea that helps correct an inefficient system. Students who participated in the program worked part-time during the summer to help pull in this massive haul. For this group of students, participating in the Farm to School Program was viewed as an investment in a valuable skill rather than summer work.

Allowing students to grow and literally eat the fruits of their labor is an excellent way to demonstrate where food comes from and the hard work it requires to produce it. It is very important that young generations understand the work needed to bring food to the table. It also provides a way for students to make money in the summer while working outside.

Almost 900 schools took part in Minnesota’s Farm to School Program which ultimately benefited over 550,000 students from around the state. On average, produce travels 1,500 miles before it reaches the plates at school cafeterias; this program not only provides students with locally grown meals but also helps support the Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSA) around the state.

"I like these vegetables a lot better than the ones out of a can. You can tell the difference when they are using it," said Mitchel Wentzlaff a student from Sibley East.

It’s hard to argue with those results...

Article source Kare11.com read full article: [here]