By Chuck McCool, owner of McCool Farms

Note: Chuck McCool was a recent panel participant in #Farm2Home14 sponsored by Arkansas Grown, The Arkansas Agriculture Department and P. Allen Smith.  He is an avid participant in the National Farm to School Network,  active in the Arkansas Division of Farm to School and  shares just a little of  his passion for the program with all who are willing to listen and learn.  He welcomes your inquiries and comments

Imagine if you will, students pressed together in lunch lines at a small country school, their eyes glancing up and down the steam table trying to get a glimpse of the menu being served. A smile fills their sweet little faces as they see their favorite item—watermelon. This day couldn’t come fast enough. This wasn’t any ordinary watermelon. This one was made possible through the Farm to School Program and was grown by someone they knew, a neighboring farmer.  This, they knew, was what it meant to “eat local.”

The National Farm to School Network links local farmers with schools in their communities. The program’s goal is to provide local homegrown produce to area children.  Produce harvested today is served on the students’ plates tomorrow.  Farm to School links children to nearby small and mid-size farms and ranches that produce fresh, healthy and minimally processed foods that are served at their schools.

McCool Farms, along with other participants in the Farm to School program,  believes that healthy eating habits are essential to an individual’s lifelong well-being. In particular, children should have access to fresh, healthy foods as part of a nutritionally-balanced school meals program. Studies show that students will eat more fruits and vegetables when they are fresh and picked at the peak of their flavor. Students are also more likely to try new foods when they are part of a Farm to School program.

Not only does Farm to School improve nutrition for school children, it strengthens local economies by expanding markets for small and mid-size agricultural producers and food entrepreneurs whose products have typically been unavailable at school.

It also enhances children’s “food literacy” by familiarizing students with foods grown nearby, teaches them how and where their food is grown, builds knowledge about how to prepare healthy foods, and educates them about the health, nutrition, social and environmental impacts of food choices. Farm to School can also be a great way to build positive relationships among students, parents, farmers, educators and other members of the community. (www.farm2school.org)

This program  has opened up a whole new market for the produce grown at McCool Farms .  “The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and preschools.  http://www.farmtoschool.org/about”

McCool Farms is a family-operated farm dedicated to raising thirty acres of heirloom vegetables.  A goal of the farm is to provide its customers with the freshest, best-tasting produce and to ensure that children know they are the future of the farm.

As summer winds down most farmers are winding up our production.   But at McCool Farms, and other Farm to School farms, another round of crops is being planted  for the school season.  Our fall sales will more than double our spring sales and prepare us to supply area schools with fresh, locally grown , nutritious vegetables.  It’s a win for the schools and a win for the farm.

McCool Farms realizes that there is more to the Farm to School program than just selling produce to school. As ambassadors to the schools, McCool Farms has been blessed with the opportunity to teach children the source of some of their food . Students get to visit the farm and experience what farming is all about..  We get to experience a whole new joy when a small child runs up and  thanks us for bringing them a watermelon or when mother tells you that  her child who use to hate vegetables,  now cleans his plate. Or it might be when a father,with the encouragement and help of his children, now plants and harvests from the family garden. 

McCool Farms believes we  are educators as well as farmers. By allowing schools to bring students to the farm, letting  them dip their fingers into the soil,  planting a seed, harvesting a tomato or a pumpkin, or even sitting on a tractor seat, we feel we are making an investment not only in the farm but in the lives of children as well.  Our  firmly believes that the more kids know about the food they are eating — where and how it was grown — the healthier will be their choices. Who knows? Someday one of those kids may be the farmer who is selling home grown produce to local schools, continuing the tradition begun at our farm.

It isn’t necessary to have acres and acres of produce in order to sell to schools. All that is needed is a small garden and a desire to see children enjoy the fruit of the harvest. Interested in selling produce to your local school?  Contact Chuck McCool at (479) 264-9182. If you live in west central Arkansas and are interested in the Farm to School program, there is an informational meeting scheduled Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 6:00 pm in Danville, Arkansas.  RSVP Chuck via phone.  There will be experts there that can assist you learning about selling your produce.

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What will you do today to support your local farm and farmers, Farm2Home and Farm2School?  

 

Chuck McCool is farming land that was homesteaded by his family in the 1800’s.  He is a farmer dedicated to providing only the best to his customers through safe, environmentally-friendly farming practices.  “If we don’t take care of our soil, water, resources and environment, we won’t have any customers.”  You can follow McCool Farms at:
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Email: McCoolFarmsandPumpkinPatch@yahoo.com