NEWS PROVIDED BY

Connecticut Department of Agriculture

October 04, 2023

(HARTFORD, CT) – October is National Farm to School Month and the first week of the month is recognized annually as Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids (CTG4CTK) Week, a celebration of Connecticut farms, school meals, and locally produced food finding its way to the children who attend our schools.

CTG4CTK Week (October 2-6) is jointly run by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) and Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) with numerous partners through the Farm to School Collaborative such as UConn Put Local On Your Tray, FoodCorps CT, School Nutrition Association of CT, and many others. This rich collaboration by public, private, and non-profit partners is essential for making farm to school programming across the classroom, cafeteria, and community work towards meaningful outcomes.

“Farm to school programming is essential to teaching students not only where their food comes from but ensuring they receive healthy, fresh, local products which also provides a sustainable market outlet for agriculture producers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “Earlier this year we awarded more than $452,000 to fund 32 projects through the CTG4CTK grant to further increase the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, increase farm-to-school connections, sustain relationships with local farmers and producers, and improve the health of children while providing interactive learning opportunities.”

Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education settings. Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons, and farm field trips.

With over 5,500 farms in Connecticut, and just over 1,000 schools, there is plenty of local food we can share to feed and teach the students in our schools.  In addition to improving child health, when schools buy local, they create new markets for local and regional farmers and contribute to vibrant communities, a win-win-win scenario.

CT DoAg administers the CTG4CTK grant program to help establish and strengthen farm to school efforts in the state. Over the past two years, CT DoAg has awarded $667,268 to fund 45 projects from K-12 schools, early childcare providers, producers, and non-profits. This year CT DoAg has up to $1 million to award for projects and an additional $2 million for shipping container farms that are connected to schools through procurement and educational activities. Grant guidance will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on Connecticut’s Farm to School programming, visit our website https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/ADaRC/Programs/Farm-to-School-Overview.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.