NDA receives USDA grant to host 2016 Farm to School Conference

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) has recently been awarded nearly $20,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant funds to host two Farm to School (F2S) Conferences – one in northern Nevada and one in southern Nevada – in Spring 2016.

“We are eager to continue to support Nevada producers through the Farm to School program,” Ashley Jeppson, Agriculturist with the NDA, said. “This conference will help bring more local produce, along with many educational opportunities, into Nevada schools.”

The conference, will address F2S priorities such as procurement training, defining local, food safety, curriculum integration and strengthening relationships between food service directors, teachers, producers and school garden leads. Tours of successful farm education tools at Urban Roots in the north and Create A Change Now in the south will highlight F2S activities occurring within the state.

The F2S advisory group and planning committee includes partners from UNR’s Desert Farming Initiative, Urban Roots, Create A Change Now, the Nevada Farm to School Network, and food service directors from various Nevada school districts.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) promotes a business climate that is fair, economically viable and encourages a sustainable environment that serves to protect food, fiber and human health and safety through effective service and education. NDA includes the divisions of Administration, Animal Industry, Consumer Equitability, Food and Nutrition and Plant Industry.