State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2020 Builds on a Survey That Was Originally Released in 2011, and Updated in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019
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State Farm to School Policy Handbook 2002–2020 Includes state policies introduced between January 2002 and December 2020, as publicly available at the time of the Handbook’s publication. PUBLISHED | JULY 2021 Table of Contents 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 6 INTRODUCTION 7 What’s New in this Edition 7 Our Methodology 8 How to Use this Handbook 9 What is Farm to School? 9 Why Farm to School? 10 Why State Farm to School Legislation Matters 11 Key Strategies for Advancing Farm to School through Policy 12 TRENDS IN FARM TO SCHOOL POLICY 15 Overall Look at State Policy Efforts 16 2019–2020 Legislative Trends 19 Emerging Farm to School Opportunities 20 POLICY IN ACTION 21 Promising Practices 23 Advocacy Strategies 28 Next Steps for Advocates 30 CASE STUDIES 31 Local Procurement Incentives: Lessons from the Field 35 Farm to School State Policy Strategies to Support Native Food and Tribal Sovereignty 38 State Policy Responses to COVID-19 Impacting Farm to School 40 BILL SUMMARIES 145 APPENDIX 146 Methodology: The Coding Process 147 Additional Farm to School Resources 148 US Territories 149 2018 Case Studies 149 Hawai‘i 151 Michigan 153 New Mexico 155 US Virgin Islands 157 Vermont 159 State Rankings Chart Acknowledgements This project is funded by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture. About the Authors National Farm to School Network has a vision of a strong and just food system for all. We seek deep transformation toward this vision through farm to school – the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings. As a leader of the national farm to school movement, National Farm to School Network advocates for policy, systems, and environmental change, facilitates networking and movement building opportunities, and offers professional development and resources for stakeholders in community food systems. Our network includes partner organizations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories, and sovereign nations, and tens of thousands of farm to school and early care and education supporters. For more information about the National Farm to School Network, visit www.farmtoschool.org Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) uses law and policy to build a more sustainable and just food system. In partnership with local, regional, national, and international partners, CAFS addresses food system challenges related to food justice, food security, farmland access, farmworkers’ rights, animal welfare, worker protections, the environment, and public health, among others. CAFS works closely with its partners to provide legal services that respond to their needs and develop resources that empower the communities they serve. Through CAFS’ Food and Agriculture Clinic and Research Assistant program, students work directly on projects alongside partners nationwide, engaging in innovative work that spans the food system. For more information about CAFS’ work and degree offerings for master’s, JD, and LLM students, visit www.vermontlaw.edu/cafs. STATE FARM TO SCHOOL POLICY HANDBOOK 2002 - 2020 3 Other Acknowledgments The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2020 builds on a survey that was originally released in 2011, and updated in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019. We are grateful for the many organizations and individuals who provided input and contributions to earlier versions of this Handbook (previously called the State Farm to School Legislative Survey). Contributors to the current edition from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems team include Sophia Kruszewski and Lihlani Nelson. Contributors from the National Farm to School Network team include Jenileigh Harris, Anna Mullen, and Karen Spangler. Thanks to Laurie Beyranevand (CAFS), Claire Child (CAFS), Krystal Oriadha (NFSN), and Janna Parker (NFSN) for additional support and review. Thanks to Jeff Wainer for graphic design work on this report. Special thanks to the National Farm to School Network Partners who provided interviews for the case studies. In particular, we thank Cheryl Bilinski (Cornell Cooperative Extension); Kendal Chavez (New Mexico State Public Education Department); Diane Conners (Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities); Colby Duren (Intertribal Agriculture Council); Beth Hanna (DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education); Lea Howe (DC Greens); Chris Iberle (Washington State Department of Agriculture); Megan Kemple (Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network); Chelsea Krist (Iowa State Extension Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Program); Samantha Levy (American Farmland Trust); Colleen Matts (Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems); Nathan Medina (Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities); Jan Olmstead (American Indian Health Commission); Mikaela Ruiz- Ramon (American Farmland Trust); Valerie Segrest (Native American Agriculture Fund); and Michelle Schulte (Intertribal Council of Michigan) for their contributions to the case studies. We also extend thanks to the following for their contributions to previous editions of this report: Esther Akwii, Ashleigh Angel, Matt Benson, Ilana Blankman, Allison Burket, Dr. Carmen Byker, Tarra Culbertson, Helen Dombalis, Martelle Esposito, Greg Fogel, Caroline Gordon, Marion Kalb, Jeannette King, Amber Leasure-Earnhardt, Megan Lott, Stacey Malstrom, Chloe Marshall, Korina Matyas, Julia McCarthy, Jamie Renner, Doug Shinkle, Chelsey Simpson, Mary Stein, Lesley Sykes, Kim Szeto, and Rebecca Valentine. Photo credits go to: Larrison Photography (pages 4, 15, 16, 18, 26); Shelby Glynn Photography (page 6); Erin McKee VanSlooten (page 10); National Farm to School Network (pages 11, 29, 34, 37); San Pedro Elementary School (page 13); Jackson Child Care (page 17); Emily Hart Roth (page 28); Burke County Public Schools, Georgia (page 32), Corporación Juvenil para el Desarrollo de Comunidades Sostenibles (page 148). STATE FARM TO SCHOOL POLICY HANDBOOK 2002 - 20202018 4 INTRODUCTION Introduction The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2020 is a tool for those working to advance farm to school, which is a movement for building just and equitable food systems through the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in school and early care and education settings. The Handbook summarizes and analyzes bills and resolutions introduced between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2020, from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories. It enables users to search bills by both jurisdiction and topic. The Handbook provides: Farm to school advocates, policymakers, state • Analysis and infographics on state farm to school agencies, and other stakeholders can use this legislative trends; guide to: • Summaries of proposed bills since 2002, whether enacted, • Learn about existing state farm to school policies and defeated, or pending; programs as potential models for future efforts; • Case studies on farm to school advocacy and • Compare farm to school policies and programs across implementation efforts including local procurement states; incentive programs, state farm to school support for • Access the full text of state farm to school legislation Native communities, and COVID-19 impacts on farm to for inspiration and assistance in the legislative drafting school; and process; and • Additional resources for advocates and policymakers to • Advance new farm to school policies and programs. support state farm to school policies. Importantly, we acknowledge that policies change and often do so quickly. Thus, this report reflects a moment in time. The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2020 is intended for use as a reference guide. To the best of our knowledge, the Handbook provides an accurate snapshot of state farm to school legislation through December 31, 2020. We welcome suggestions for additions or corrections at [email protected]. STATE FARM TO SCHOOL POLICY HANDBOOK 2002 - 20202018 6 What’s New in this Edition The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2020 is a new and improved update to earlier versions of the State Farm to School Legislative Survey. The 2019 update included bills that directly advanced the core elements of farm to school—local procurement, school gardens, and food and agriculture education. In this edition, we broadened our scope to also include bills, regardless of whether they explicitly included the core elements of farm to school, that support universal meal expansion and implementation, support small farmers and producers of color, and support farmers or school food service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically shifted the ways that child nutrition programs operate, with school BIPOC–which stands for Black, Indigenous, and nutrition professionals working tirelessly to feed kids people of color, and is pronounced “bye-pock”–is under emergency conditions and farmers pivoting an umbrella term intended to center the specific their operations to feed their communities. One clear experiences of Black and Indigenous people. This term takeaway for school nutrition professionals is the need is more descriptive than “people of color” (POC) as it for universal meals, which allow them to focus more acknowledges that not all people of color experience on nourishing kids than on filling out paperwork by the same types of discrimination, prejudice and eliminating means testing and making all school meals injustices. BIPOC specifically emphasizes that systemic free for all students. The