From the North Carolina Department of Agriculture

RALEIGH – The artwork of 13 elementary school students will be featured in the 2019-20 North Carolina Farm to School calendar, including the work of Northeast Elementary School second-grader Easton Speaks This is the ninth year for the calendar, which features daily agricultural facts and highlights the N.C. Farm to School program and agriculture’s role in food production.
“It’s important for kids to learn that their food starts on a farm, and in creating artwork for the calendar and using the calendar during the year, they gain a better understanding that all food begins with farmers. When our students are able to enjoy the fruits and vegetables that are on the school lunch menu through our Farm to School program, everything they have learned about farming comes full circle.”
The N.C. Farm to School program is a cooperative effort of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food Distribution and Marketing divisions. These divisions secure orders from school nutrition directors, and source and deliver locally grown fruits and vegetables for school lunch programs. The program started in 1998 and is coming off its best year ever, with sales at $1.3 million and participation by 63 school districts statewide.
The calendar contest was open to public school students in kindergarten through fifth grade. There were 3,414 entries submitted from 63 school districts. Winners will receive a cash prize and a year’s subscription to Our State magazine. Prizes were awarded at a winner’s reception on Friday, May 17, at the Got to Be NC Festival.
School systems will receive a minimum number of calendars before the start of the school year. Additional copies will be available through NCDA&CS on a first-come, first-served basis. A printer-friendly version can also be found at www.ncfarmtoschool.com.