Maryland Department of Agriculture

The Jane Lawton Farm to School Program, named in honor of the late Maryland House of Delegates member Jane Lawton of Montgomery County, was created during the 2008 Session of the Maryland General Assembly when SB 158 Farm-to-School Program - Activities and Promotional Events, sponsored by Senator Jamie Raskin of Montgomery County was signed into law by the Governor O’Malley.

Sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland State Board of Education, the Farm to School program works to bring more Maryland-grown products to school lunches with the aim of educating students about where their food comes from, how it is produced, and the benefits of a healthy diet.

What if just one local item was included in the school lunch of all the 950,000 Maryland public school students? Farmers would have additional income, thereby strengthening the local economy and keeping farm land open and productive. Our children would receive the nutritional benefits of fresh, local products as well as the knowledge of why this matters. Also, the financial, environmental, and nutritional costs of transporting food would decrease. We encourage students and parents to continue asking for fresh, local produce in school lunches.

Maryland is the only state in the country in which all of its public school systems have participated in the program according to the National Farm to School Network. The program also had the support of more than 30 different Maryland farms providing fresh product to the schools. It is true example of a successful federal, state, local and private collaboration that is working.

In addition to facilitating the procurement of local Maryland produce for school menus, the program established the annual “Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week” to arrange for educational opportunities between students and farmers, including in-school presentations and other promotional events.

Edgewood Elementary in Harford County will host the kick-off event for the Maryland Homegrown School Lunch week on Friday, September 10, 2010. Harford County Public Schools incorporates as much locally grown food into the school system as possible. Last year, Harford County Public School purchased nearly 70-80% of their produce needs within a 50-mile radius during the Maryland growing season.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is sponsoring a YouTube video contest for Maryland school children in order to help raise awareness about the Farm to School program and to actively engage students in thinking about where their food comes from. The contest asks the question, "what does local food mean to you?" The contest deadline is September 20, 2010. The winning video will be publicly broadcasted and the winning students will receive an iPod Touch, a Maryland State Park Pass, and a school lunch visit from Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, Buddy Hance. For more information, see the complete rules.

Just think of the tremendous impact on our families and our communities if even our local item is included in school lunches for each of the 950,000 Maryland public school students. Farmers would have additional income, thereby strengthening the local economy and keeping farm land open and productive. Our children would receive the nutritional benefits of fresh, local products as well as the knowledge of why this matters. And, the financial, environmental, and nutritional costs of transporting food would decrease.

Including local food in school lunches and related information in the classroom is good for our students and good for Maryland. We encourage students and parents to continue asking for fresh, local produce in school lunches.