USDA Announces New Farm to School Program to Improve the Health
and Nutrition of Kids Receiving School Meals Last week USDA
released a new farm to school grant program designed to help
give children a sense of where their food comes from and
increase the availability of local foods in schools. Joined by
students at Southern High School in Harwood, MD, as well as
school and elected officials, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan
made the announcement in an on-campus greenhouse. One of the
first things she noticed when she walked into the greenhouse was
the Abe Lincoln tomato seedlings. President Abraham Lincoln
created the United States Department of Agriculture 150 years
ago. At the time, there were farmers everywhere, but today that
is no longer true. In fact, young children, increasingly removed
from agriculture, are more likely to recognize corporate logos
than carrot tops growing from the soil. I was thrilled to
discover that students at Southern High not only can recognize
carrots growing in the soil, they