Farm to School

The Howard-Suamico School District has 29 flex farms, each capable of growing 25 pounds of lettuce every month. These farms were made possible by a substantial grant from a USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grant, and a generous donation from the U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation. Over the course of 12 school months, these flex farms will produce close to 5,000 pounds of fresh, locally-grown lettuce to be used in more than 53,000 free salads for all Howard-Suamico students. Students at all grade levels use the flex farms to learn about plant biology, sustainable agriculture practices, healthy eating, and more.     

Howard-Suamico’s goal is to grow 5,000 pounds of lettuce over the next couple years. The teachers and students are learning how to maintain the hydroponic towers as well as how to produce lettuce indoors. Through having hydroponic towers within the school district, sustainability practices are put into action by reducing food miles and providing local produce for students. 

After one month of the lettuce being planted in the grow tower, it is ready to harvest. In order to produce the maximum amount of lettuce from one seed, sixty percent of the lettuce head is harvested at a time. Through this practice, the lettuce is able to regrow up to three times. The fresh lettuce is then brought to the school kitchen where it is prepared for students to eat during lunch.

HSSD is looking for volunteers to assist with planting, monitoring and harvesting the lettuce towers at several of our school buildings. Kathy Byrne volunteers once per week at Forest Glen and Bay Port. Kathy says about her experience, "The reason I help out is simple: I love plants and things that grow and it's wonderful running into the teachers at the schools our children attended. We love HSSD and it's the least I can do to help out in some small way."

If you feel called to volunteer like Kathy, please contact Kristi Pfotenhauer at krispfot@hssdschools.org for more information. Thank you for making a difference! 

HSSD and Americorps Partnership

HSSD is a proud partner of the AmeriCorps - Farm to School Program.

Americorps members promote and facilitate the Here We Grow class during the summer months. Throughout this class, members educate summer school students on a variety of topics including nutrition, sustainable environmental practices, healthy eating, how to grow vegetables, healthy soil, composting, farming, best practices to keep your vegetables alive and intertwine educational songs to help students better understand the information. The classes are structured to be primarily hands-on learning as students venture off to the school garden, hoop house, chicken coop and inspiration acres. Students are encouraged to partake in all elements of the class including raking the soil, planting seeds, watering, harvesting vegetables all while using their listening skills to avoid stepping on plants that are trying to grow.
 
Furthermore, the nutrition education students receive revolves around MyPlate and helping students understand how to identify different foods based on their food group. Students also learn the importance of each food group including the health benefits of eating whole foods. Throughout their nutrition education, students enjoy short, informative cooking videos that offer simple ideas of how to eat more fruits and vegetables. Students also come up with their own creative ways of what meals they can eat to create a balanced plate.
 
During the summer harvest, students enjoy pulling green beans, sugar snap peas and squash as well as harvesting lettuce and green onions. The efforts of AmeriCorps members and students are incorporated in the school lunch menus throughout the school year as members harvest cucumbers, lettuce and a variety of tomatoes to contribute to local food production. 

Birdseye 

Birdseye Dairy, Inc. began in 1925 as a traditional horse and buggy milk route and family farm. Today, technology has helped the company strive to provide both breakfast and lunch programs with nutritious, great-tasting milk. 

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Seasonal Harvest LLC

Seasonal Harvest LLC is a food co-op which provides locally sourced products from farmers and producers throughout Wisconsin. Through Seasonal Harvest, HSSD is able to purchase a variety of local fruits and vegetables to support all menus across K-12 grade levels. A few examples of the local producers include Olden Organics in Ripon; LedgeView Gardens in DePere; Theys Orchard in Luxemburg; and many more.

Springside Cheese 

Springside Cheese is a family owned company based out of Oconto, WI. Springside Cheese carries on a family legacy of producing the finest hand-crafted, natural cheeses. They have been studying the art of cheesemaking for over a decade while expanding their factory and cheese factory. The Howard-Suamico School District provides cheese curds to students in their National School Breakfast Program.