West Virginia Department of Education to host inaugural Farm to School Conference

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Department of Education is ready to host the first-ever Farm to School Conference that will involve educators, farmers, and students from around the Mountain State.

The inaugural conference will begin on Tuesday, November 4, starting at 8 a.m. as part of a two-day event that will be hosted at the Marriott Waterfront in Morgantown. West Virginia Department of Education Director of Child Nutrition Tony Crago expressed excitement on WAJR’s Talk of the Town about the opportunity to connect Mountain State educators along with local officials in order to bring locally produced nutritious food into school systems across the state.

“This event is something new for us here at the Western Virginia Department of Education, and the purpose of this conference is to connect farmers, community members, and county nutrition directors,” said Crago. “To build those relationships and get more local food into our school meals.”

According to Crago, the conference will focus on the multiple ways that Mountain State farmers can work with county school systems in order to have their produce contribute to yearly meal plans for students. This includes highlighting examples of farm-to-school efforts statewide through the “Seeds of Success Showcase,” which vary from school gardens to the establishment of community partnerships involving farmers and county school systems. The hope is that by combining the success stories with school administrators and farmers in attendance, potential relationships can be developed.

“We expect to see a lot of county employees, a lot of community partners, a lot of farmers, and local food vendors, and there are going to be students (as well),” said Crago.

In addition to the conversations with education officials from across the state, the conference will also highlight the work undertaken by students to promote farm-to-school programs in West Virginia. Submissions to the Let’s Grow Together Art Contest from Mountain State students will be judged during the conference, with awards being given out for first, second, and third place. Crago added that CTE students with a specialization in cooking will also participate in a locally made food contest that will take place on day two of the conference.

“There’s going to be a cook-off, and there’s going to be CTE ProStart students from various ProStart programs around the state,” said Crago. “They’ll be using local products to show off their skills on Wednesday, so we’re pretty excited about that, we think that’s going to really add a nice touch to the conference.”

Registration is open for the inaugural West Virginia Department of Education Farm to School Conference, with attendees being accepted up to the day of the event. Links are available to sign up at the State DOE website, and any in-person registrations will take place on the first floor of the Marriott Waterfront in Morgantown starting at 7:30. With representatives from Mountain State education, farming, and political communities expected to be in attendance, Crago encourages anyone with an interest in local farming and education to sign up.

“What this conference is all about is just to increase awareness of what options are out there,” said Crago. “And just to try to get more of those local products into these school meals.”