It's fresh . . .it's local
By Amy Silver O’Leary Special to the Rappahannock News
Hoophouse to provide food to school cafeterias
With help from local farmers, teachers and students the new hoophouse at Rappahannock County High School is taking shape.
The hoophouse, a less-expensive version of a greenhouse, is expected to be completed by September when students in the Farm-to-Table (F2T) program will begin planting fall crops for the school cafeterias.
“Schools all over the country are working to get more fresh, local foods into their cafeterias,” said F2T Program Director Trista Scheuerlein. “You can’t get more fresh and local than your back yard.”
Funded by grants from Lowe’s Toolbox for Education and the Rappahannock County Farm Bureau, the hoophouse will have water-filled tubing heating the soil, optimal for crops that prefer to have their tops cool like salad greens.
Hoophouses, like greenhouses, provide control of environmental conditions, but at substantially less cost. They are usually covered with plastic and ventilated through roll-up sides.
The high school already has a greenhouse, used for starting plants and conducting biology experiments. The hoophouse will serve a different function: extending the growing season and allowing crops to be grown year-round, synchronizing the harvest with the school year.
“I estimate we can grow 300 pounds of salad in the hoophouse this winter,” said Scheuerlein. While produce in the past has been donated to the cafeterias, the schools may begin paying a fair price to make the program more sustainable. This transition could be eased by the 2008 Farm Bill which allows schools receiving federal funds to give preference to local produce.
Construction of the hoophouse began in May when Steve Schadler donated the grading and Rachel Bynum and Eric Plaksin brought interns over from Waterpenny Farm to help measure and dig the footers.
Farm to Table project
The project is part of F2T’s multi-faceted approach to teaching local students about agriculture, nutrition, and land conservation. Since 2004, students have been growing food in raised beds behind the high school for the school cafeterias, local nonprofits, and the Rappahannock Senior Center. Last year, over 550 pounds of fresh produce were donated or sold.
In 2005, the program expanded to the elementary school. “We did a lot of fun activities,” reported Diana Loya, a student in the F2T 6th grade Exploratory class, last year. “Like planting, weeding, watering, and filling the bird feeders. We learned how to tell the difference between a spinach plant and a weed. I also learned about healthier eating, and tried a lot of new foods.”
While teaching gardens are becoming more common in Virginia schools, Rappahannock’s program is unusual in the scale of its food production, and perhaps unique in its level of integration with the high school’s celebrated Culinary Arts program. In part the brainchild of Culinary Arts teacher Mary Arthur, F2T is a partnership between Headwaters, the local education foundation, and Rappahannock County public schools. “My students learn how to utilize seasonal ingredients from the garden—how to be creative and to cook whatever is being harvested,” said Arthur.
Work-study program
This spring, a work-study component was added to F2T. Students helped harvest over 300 pounds of asparagus from a neighbor’s patch. Hundreds of pounds were sold to Thornton River Grille, the Inn at Little Washington, and Pellegata’s; over 50 pounds were donated to the Senior Center. Students tracked their hours, expenses, and income, and split the profits.
Local support
Neither the hoophouse nor the F2T Program itself would be possible without the tenacious support of a number of local organizations. The majority of funding is provided by the Rappahannock Farm Bureau, the Farm at Sunnyside, and the Young Farmland Fund. The Rappahannock Garden Club also contributes essential project funding and expertise.
“The Farm Bureau is about sustaining the family farm,” explained local farmer Chris Parrish, president of the Rappahannock Farm Bureau. “Many people think the Farm Bureau is just about buying insurance, but we provide other services to our members—you don’t even have to buy insurance to belong. Our goal is to help people understand how they can make at least part of their living off the land, and Farm-to-Table teaches young people about that. I think our members are pleased to know that this is where our local membership dues go.”
“Rappahannock is unique,” said Mitzie Young of the Young Farmland Fund, another major supporter. “There’s a feeling of community and of family here. Farm-to-Table is designed specifically to try to retain that identity. It teaches children the value of good food and good agricultural methods. It permits them to see the beauty of this kind of activity.”
The Rappahannock County Garden Club signed on as a partner in 2007. “Two of our primary objectives are to encourage educational achievement and to support local youth projects that stimulate children’s interest in environmental and conservation issues,” said Garden Club member Louise Bondelid. “A Club representative attends all the F2T team meetings. Our members provide advice on-site at the schools. We view this as a long-term relationship.”
The Farm at Sunnyside has been involved since the program’s inception. Students visit Sunnyside to learn about crops and methods, harvest, and weed—and often eat what they harvest. Sunnyside staff and interns visit the schools to teach, build structures, and help in the gardens. Nick and Gardiner Lapham, Sunnyside’s owners since 2006, are enthusiastic supporters. With expertise in conservation and nonprofit management themselves, they have helped the program to fine-tune its strategy, according to Scheuerlein.
F2T provides students with an appreciation of Rappahannock’s agrarian culture and a sense of stewardship for the land, as well as an awareness of healthy food choices. One day, perhaps F2T’s introduction of land-friendly career options to local youth will directly translate into farmland preserved.
“It kind of changed me a little bit,” said rising 7th grader Diana Loya, adding that she now notices crops and animals on local farms as she passes by.
“I don’t know if we’re going to raise future farmers,” said Headwaters Executive Director Cole Johnson, “but we are going to raise people who are good stewards of the land, more conscious about what goes into their bodies, and sensitive to where food comes from and what it takes to produce it.”
For more information, or to donate funds, visit www.headwatersfdn.org or call Headwaters at 987-3322.