September 28, 2022 was Iowa Local Food Day. Thirty-four K-12 schools and nine early childcare sites participated.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship initiated Iowa Local Food Day in 2018 to bring together all sectors of Farm to School to celebrate Iowa-grown food!
Iowa Local Food Day:
Union Community School District participated by serving loose meat sandwiches with beef from Anton Farms. The beef traveled less than 20 miles away and the family has students in the district! They also served local apples from Beck Orchards and yogurt from Country View Dairy. They served produce from Field to Family Food Hub and the district FFA garden. The district is committed to serving local food in their made from scratch menu items and salad bars.
Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District participated by serving Country View yogurt and apples from Beck Orchards. The Middle School FCS Class also participated by hearing from local producer and owner of Hightail, Natalie Eeick. They also had the opportunity to taste her delicious ice cream. In addition, Middle School FCS students also toured New Day Dairy to learn about their dairy operation and robots and Blueridge Orchard to learn about apples and bees. Students were required to create a poster about what they learned to share with the rest of the school.
Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District participated by serving Country View yogurt, apples from Beck Orchards, and kiwiberries from Deb’s Little Berry Farm. In addition, AmeriCorps and the Vinton-Shellsburg High School Freshman AG class, have lent their hands in the harvesting of the produce from Old School Produce. They harvested around 1,800 lbs of carrots and some could be found cooked and ready to serve on the lunch line!
2023 Iowa Local Food Day will be on September 27, 2023. For more information visit https://www.iowafarmtoschoolearlycare.org/iowalocalfoodday
