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Regular Session, 2014
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 94
BY SENATOR HEITMEIER
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. Requests the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and
the Department of Education to implement a Farm to School Program and to assist schools
with local procurement options for fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and seafood.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of2
Education to cooperatively implement a statewide Farm to School Program that3
assists schools with local procurement options for fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and4
seafood.5
WHEREAS, across the country an increasing number of schools and school districts6
have begun to source more foods locally and to provide complementary educational7
activities to students that emphasize food, farming, and nutrition; and8
WHEREAS, this nationwide movement to enrich children's bodies and minds while9
supporting local economies is often referred to as the farm to school program; and10
WHEREAS, the farm to school program encompasses efforts that bring local or11
regionally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as school12
gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes; and the integration of food-related education13
into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum; and14
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture supports such efforts15
through its farm to school program, which includes research, training, technical assistance,16
and grants; and17
WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Agriculture data, almost18 SCR NO. 94
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four thousand school districts across the nation are participating in farm to school activities1
and at least forty-six states have passed related legislation; and 2
WHEREAS, farm to school programs have become increasingly popular over the last3
decade for their ability to increase access to healthy, fresh foods and strengthen local4
economies; and5
WHEREAS, stakeholders and policymakers can support a farm to school program6
by issuing guidelines for farmers and schools, forming farm to school task groups,7
conducting farm to school program pilots, encouraging schools to give local preference for8
food purchases, developing farm databases, appropriating funds for farm to school9
employees, and more; and 10
WHEREAS, farm to school programs require leaders in education and agriculture11
to work together in order to meet these goals; and12
WHEREAS, only sixteen school districts in Louisiana have reported participating13
in farm to school program activities, but even in these schools, only fifteen percent of the14
money spent on school food was used for local food purchases on items such as fruit, milk,15
vegetables, seafood, and baked goods; and 16
WHEREAS, Louisiana is blessed with almost thirty thousand farms spanning eight17
million acres of land; and18
WHEREAS, in 2012, the National School Lunch Program served over ninety million19
lunches to Louisiana students; serving fresh locally produced products would be more20
nutritious for the students, and assist local farmers.21
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby22
urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of23
Education to cooperatively study and implement a statewide farm to school program that24
assists schools with local procurement options for fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and seafood.25
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in order to provide guidance to the legislature26
and the State Board of Secondary Education, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and27
the Department of Education shall establish a study group consisting of five employees of28
the Department of Agriculture and Forestry appointed by the commissioner and five29
employees of the Department of Education appointed by the superintendent.30 SCR NO. 94
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study group shall convene stakeholders to1
identify barriers and existing resources for a statewide farm to school program, including the2
following:3
1. Conduct a thorough inventory of small and large farmers and crops across the4
state.5
2. Develop specific farm to school standards and guidelines for farmers and6
schools.7
3. Develop a plan to provide discounts to small farmers for insurance8
requirements that will enable them to participate in a farm to school program.9
4. Develop a plan to increase the number of processing sites that prepare and10
package food products.11
5. Develop a plan to ensure that schools have proper equipment to prepare food12
onsite.13
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this study group shall report its findings to the14
Legislature and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education no later than15
February 1, 2015.16
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to17
commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the state Superintendent of18
Education, and the president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.19
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Alan Miller.
DIGEST
Heitmeier SCR No. 94
Requests the departments of agriculture and forestry and education to cooperatively study
and implement a statewide farm to school program that assists schools with local
procurement options for fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and seafood.
Establishes a study group composed of five employees of the Dept. of Agriculture and
Forestry appointed by the commissioner and five employees of the Dept. of Education
appointed by the superintendent.
Requires the study group to report its findings to the legislature and BESE no later than
February 1, 2015.