By Chrissa Carlson
Sharing Great Kids Farm with any visitor is a pleasure, but we were especially thrilled to host Audrey Rowe, Administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, this August. Administrator Rowe heads up the division of the USDA responsible for the National School Lunch Program and SNAP (formerly food stamps). Her visit was motivated by authentic interest in Great Kids Farm's work to get fresh produce into school cafeterias, and encourage students to choose fruits and vegetables through hands-on gardening and nutrition education.
Administrator Rowe spoke with teachers enrolled in the Healthy Eating Healthy Living program, who were at the Farm for the first of six professional development sessions the program will offer this year. These teachers are being trained on using gardening and healthy foods to teach across the curriculum--important partners in this work. Administrator Rowe offered to share curriculum resources available through her office, and encouraged them to not always believe people that cite "federal regulations" as the reason school lunch can't improve--while regulations exist, they aren't always as strict as people assume they are.
Administrator Rowe also met with high school interns working at the Farm. She encouraged them to explore the many agriculture-based careers our food system depends on, looking beyond being a farmer to careers in animal science, sustainable agriculture research, and plant science.
Watch a two minute video covering the visit: