Kentucky Department of Agriculture Division of Food Distribution Commissioner James R. Comer Farm to School Program

High Tunnel at Berries on Bryan Station Farm to School helps create a non-traditional market for Kentucky producers, connecting them to the Food Service Directors across the state enabling them to purchase fresh, local Kentucky Products for their cafeterias.

Farm to School is a viable market Kentucky schools serve over 130 million meals a year and spend tens of millions of dollars on food

Fresh and local apples Kentucky has 173 School Districts, 85 Districts are Kentucky Proud and are eligible to participate in the Restaurant Rewards program

Fresh local Kentucky Proud Products Students from Bowling Green Independent enjoy local hydroponic lettuce from Kentucky Hydro Farm in Benton Kentucky

School Year 2011/2012 $280, was spent of local food from local producers

School Year 2012/2013 $460, was spent on local food from local producers

Producers 80+ producers provide fresh, local products to schools

Beef….. It’s what’s for lunch Not only fresh fruits and vegetables are on the menu but local beef, pork and chicken have been enjoyed by our students

Food Service Directors 40+ Districts consistently use local products and over 352,000 students have benefited from the Farm to School program

What if? If 100 Districts participated and spent just.06 cents per student we would generate over $3.5 million annually to Kentucky farmers

Farm to School Tool Kit Kentucky Farm 2 School Curriculum developed in partnership with UK Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program targeting grades 9-12 to aid students in knowing where their food comes from and identify the importance of local agriculture. Farm to School Resource guide developed in partnership with Dept. of Education and Nutrition, Dept. of Public Health and UK Cooperative Extension NEP aiding in the development of successful Farm to School programs. Both resources can be found at under the Farm to School tab.

KDA Administrative Conference “Pitch Room” When: Thursday December 12, 2013 Time: 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. CT Where: Holiday Inn University Plaza Sloan Convention Center Bowling Green KY

Kentucky Department of Agriculture Division of Food Distribution Commissioner James R. Comer Farm to School Junior Chef

Farm to School Junior Chef competition is a statewide high school cooking competition designed to offer youth the opportunity to learn valuable skills in recipe development, food preparation, marketing, public presentation, organization, teamwork and community involvement.

First Annual Farm to School Junior Chef “Multi Cultural Diverse Martha Stewarts” of Mayfield KY

Baked Fajitas The winning recipe was provided by Tracey Tashjian’s team “Multi Cultural Diverse Martha Stewarts” of Mayfield KY

Serving it up…… 38 teams applied and 177 student were involved. We project 100 teams participating in 2014 involving 500+ students across Kentucky

District, Region and State competitions District and Region competitions were hosted at various UK Cooperative Extension Offices across the state

All smiles…. Junior Chef received support and involvement from groups such as FFA, 4-H, Family and Consumer Science and FCCLA

Sullivan University and John Wiley Books Sullivan University pledged $70, in scholarships along with John Wiley’s book pledge of free tuition on books for the students that were enrolled in a culinary program

Commissioner Comer and the Junior Chef Champions Along with Commissioner Comer, Sullivan Chef’s and Kirk Farquharson was USDA Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton. Dr. Thornton recognizes the Kentucky Farm to School program in Washington as a leading program across the nation

Tina G. Garland 107 Corporate Drive Frankfort KY, Phone: Cell: Website: