Nebraska Farm to Preschool Toolkit

Getting Started

• Farm to Preschool Fact Sheet: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/f2s/FactSheet_Farm_to_Preschool.pdf

• What is Farm to Preschool: http://www.farmtopreschool.org/whatisfarmtopreschool.html

• Getting Started With Farm to Preschool: http://bit.ly/1syXKSx

• Getting Started with Farm to Early Childhood Education: http://goo.gl/BHdEjS

• Farm to Early Childhood Programs; A Step-By-Step Guide:   http://foodsystems.msu.edu/uploads/files/Farm_to_Early_Childhood_Guide_2015_Feb.pdf

• Grant Funding Available:  http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school-grant-program

Where To Buy Local

• Find Famer’s Markets/Produce Vendors near you (Nebraska Famer’s Markets/Produce Vendor Search): https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-ag-farmers-market/

• Nebraska Food Cooperative: https://www.nebraskafood.org/

• Where Can I buy Drinks and Food that is Nebraskan (Nebraska Access): http://nebraskaccess.ne.gov/nebraskafoods.asp

• Food and Meat Directory (Nebraska Department of Agriculture): http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/publications/promotion/food_meat_directory.html

• Local Procurement for Family Child Care Providers: http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/Preschool%20procurement_home%20fact%20sheet.pdf

• Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs: http://1.usa.gov/1PkMaQq

What’s In Season

• Nebraska Produce Availability: http://www.ourbesttoyou.nebraska.gov/consumers.html

• Find a Farmers Market or Produce Vendor: https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-ag-farmers-market/

• Seasonal Produce Guide (USDA): https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/nutrition-through-seasons/seasonal-produce

• Seasonal Food Guide in Your Area:  http://www.sustainabletable.org/seasonalfoodguide/

• Argrilicious – All things Local Food and Handmade Goods:http://www.agrilicious.org/home

Produce Pick Spotlight Summer 2017 – Carrots

Produce Pick Spotlight Recipes and Serving Ideas

Fresh Hummus with Rainbow Carrots https://welldoing.org/article/recipe-hummus-rainbow-carrot

Carrot Fries http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-baked-carrot-fries-413832

Perfectly Cooked Carrots http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/perfectly-cooked-carrots

Carrot Soup with Parmesan Crisps http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-soup-with-parmesan-crisps

Menu Planning With Local Foods as Sample Menus

Weekly Menus/Sample Menus
*RFHK = Recipes for Healthy Kids cookbook
*PPS = Produce Pick Spotlight recipe
*ISL = In Season Locally

Recipe Resources

• USDA What’s Cooking: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/search/solr-results

• USDA Harvest Recipes:  http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/featuredlinks/HarvestofRecipes.pdf

• USDA Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Homes:  http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/featuredlinks/cookbook-homes.pdf

Featured Farmer

Pairieland Dairy

June is National Dairy Month. Our first Featured Farmer is Prairieland Dairy.  A locally owned dairy near Firth Nebraska. At the heart of the farm is family. The Obbink family started the farm in the 1920’s. In 1998 the Rice family joined the operation and finally in 2004, the Eickhoff and Goosen families joined the operation to create a different kind of dairy farm – one aimed at sustainability and remaining open and transparent about their practices.

Prairieland’s dedication to sustainability and creating the ideal conditions to produce the most perfect milk starts with the soil. Healthy dairy products can be traced back to the feed the cows eat and ultimately the soil that grows the feed. Fertile, living soil is full of earthworms and microscopic creatures called microbes and you can bet the Prairieland fields are filled with both.

Prairieland’s dedication to the soil begins with compost made from the farm’s waste. Rich, Prairieland Gold compost is spread on the fields to minimize the use of commercial fertilizer. The dairy operation also uses crop-rotation techniques to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Prairieland Dairy also understands the value of water and has adopted a process to recycle and re-use water at every stage of their farm operation. First, the water is used to cool the chilling system in the milking parlor. From there water is piped to the cow barn where it provides drinking water for the herd or feeds the spray misters that keep the cows cool during the hot Nebraska summers. Clean facilities are also important at Prairieland, so water from the chillers is also used to clean and sanitize the facilities. After the water is used for cleaning it is captured and pumped into the irrigation pond where is can be used to water crops and provide the moisture needed to make Prairieland Gold compost.

At Prairieland Dairy, the 1400 cows are part of the family. The farm operates 24/7 on a well-regulated milking schedule, with the herd being milked three times a day, seven days a week. Prairieland Dairy cows are closely monitored. Each cow wears an ankle bracelet that transmits specific information on the status of their health. This assures the cows receive the care they need to remain healthy while confirming only the best milk makes it to your table. In the midst of a hot Nebraska day, our cows are regularly misted with water to cool off and provided enough water to stay hydrated. After the cows are milked, they return to the Prairieland barns. Built strategically for sustainability, the barns provide shelter from the elements and are filled with sand beds for each cow to lounge. The beds allow the Prairieland Dairy herd to relax comfortably, as the sand forms to their heavy bodies and provides relief after each milking. The barns are also where the cows enjoy their meals, a feed made from plants grown in the Prairieland Dairy fields and a balance of nutrients to keep the herd healthy and produce the highest quality of milk.

Prairieland Dairy completes its full circle of sustainability by turning the farm’s organic waste into a rich compost called “Prairieland Gold.” The compost is cultivated from cow manure and food-waste from local communities, schools and sporting arenas. Prairieland Gold compost is used as a natural soil amendment to build your earthworm and microbe population in gardens, lawns and landscapes. (Source: http://www.prairielanddairy.com)

Prairieland Dairy is truly one of this country’s most prized dairy farms and a great farm to tour.

Check out Pairieland Dairy’s Website for more on their story, store finder, recipes, products, tours and much more!

Gardening & Educational Activities

Curriculum

• Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Educational Tool Kit:   http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/grow-it-try-it-it

• Farm to Childcare Curriculum: http://www.iatp.org/files/2014_07_16_F2CC_Curriculum_f.pdf

• Farm to Preschool Curriculum (Stacey Sobell Williams, MPH): http://www.agri.ohio.gov/public_docs/FarmToSchool/Farm%20to%20Preschool%20Curriculums.pdf

• National Farm to Preschool Network – Curricula:  http://www.farmtopreschool.org/curricula.html

Lesson Plans

• Nebraska Department of Agriculture Kids page: http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/kids/index.html

• USDA – Preschool/Child Care Garden Resources:  http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/school-and-preschool-gardens/preschool-child-care-garden-resources

• Harvest for Healthy Kids- Free Activity Kits: http://www.harvestforhealthykids.org/?page_id=291

• Farmers Market Fun: http://freshbaby.com/files/uploads/pdfs/FarmersMarketFun-Side1.pdf

• If I Was a Farmer I would Grow, classroom Book: http://freshbaby.com/files/uploads/pdfs/Fresh-Baby-Farmer’s-Market-Preschool-Classroom-Book.pdf

• Farmer’s Market Counting Graph: http://freshbaby.com/files/uploads/pdfs/Fresh-Baby-Farmer’s-Market-Preschool-Lesson-Plan-Graphing-Counting.pdf

• Farm to Preschool on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janamarie76/farm-preschool-theme/

Taste Test Activities

• Farm to Preschool Harvest of the Month Curriculum: (Materials provided by the Center for Food & Justice- UEPI Occidental College Materials modified by permission from the Network for a Healthy California-Merced County Office of Education) http://www.farmtopreschool.org/documents/F2P%20Curriculum.pdf

Policy

• Local Foods in CACFP Policy Memo: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/f2s/CACFP11_2015_Local%20Foods%20in%20CACFP_03%2013%202015.pdf

• USDA – Community Food Systems: http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-preschool

• National Farm to School Network – Farm to Preschool Advocacy: http://www.farmtoschool.org/policy

• USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 Final Rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/04/25/2016-09412/child-and-adult-care-food-program-meal-pattern-revisions-related-to-the-healthy-hunger-free-kids-act

Other Resources

• National Farm to School Network: http://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/about-preschool

• USDA FNS Farm to Preschool: http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-preschool

• Center for Rural Affairs Farm to School: http://www.cfra.org/f2s

• USDA FSN Community Food Systems:  http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school

• Nebraska Agriculture: http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/publications/ne_ag_facts_brochure.pdf

• For more information on the benefits of Farm to School: http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf

• University of Nebraska Lincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: UNL Foods: https://food.unl.edu/

• Institute of Child Nutrition – Farm to Preschool Helps Healthy Habits Take Root Early: http://news.theicn.org/farm-to-preschool-helps-healthy-habits-take-root-early/  

• Farm to Childcare: Opportunities and Challenges for Connecting Young Children with Local Foods and Farmers: http://news.theicn.org/farm-to-preschool-helps-healthy-habits-take-root-early/