Oregon’s “farm-to-school” program is set for a significant expansion as a result of a bill approved during the closing days of the legislative session. The concept behind the nearly decade-old “farm-to-school” program is simple: Oregon schools buy food from Oregon farmers and serve it to their students.
That means schoolkids can munch on in-state produce such as apples and blueberries, as well as Oregon-caught fish and Oregon-raised beef. The law also applies to food processed in this state, adding things like tortilla chips and tamales to the “farm-to-school” menu.
Megan Kemple,the director of the Oregon Farm To School and School Garden Network, said the taxpayer-funded grants help schools buy from local producers, who may be smaller in scale and who can’t offer prices as low as national competitors.
“We don’t need to provide the entire amount of funding needed to make the purchase," said Kemple. "We just need to top it off a little bit and give them that little bit of extra funding that they need to make that purchase possible.”
On the second-to-last day of the 2019 legislative session, lawmakers signed off on House Bill 2579, which boosts funding for farm-to-school. It also extends the program beyond traditional school lunches to include places like Head Start. The passed both the House and the Senate without opposition. It's now awaiting action by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
