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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 94
BY SENATOR HEITMEIER
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of
Education to cooperatively implement a statewide Farm to School Program that
assists schools with local procurement options for fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and
seafood.
WHEREAS, across the country an increasing number of schools and school districts
have begun to source more foods locally and to provide complementary educational
activities to students that emphasize food, farming, and nutrition; and
WHEREAS, this nationwide movement to enrich children's bodies and minds while
supporting local economies is often referred to as the farm to school program; and
WHEREAS, the farm to school program encompasses efforts that bring local or
regionally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as school
gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes; and the integration of food-related education
into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture supports such efforts
through its farm to school program, which includes research, training, technical assistance,
and grants; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Agriculture data, almost
four thousand school districts across the nation are participating in farm to school activities
and at least forty-six states have passed related legislation; and
WHEREAS, farm to school programs have become increasingly popular over the last
decade for their ability to increase access to healthy, fresh foods and strengthen local
economies; and
WHEREAS, stakeholders and policymakers can support a farm to school program
by issuing guidelines for farmers and schools, forming farm to school task groups,
conducting farm to school program pilots, encouraging schools to give local preference for
food purchases, developing farm databases, appropriating funds for farm to school
employees, and more; and SCR NO. 94 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, farm to school programs require leaders in education and agriculture
to work together in order to meet these goals; and
WHEREAS, only sixteen school districts in Louisiana have reported participating
in farm to school program activities, but even in these schools, only fifteen percent of the
money spent on school food was used for local food purchases on items such as fruit, milk,
vegetables, seafood, and baked goods; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana is blessed with almost thirty thousand farms spanning eight
million acres of land; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the National School Lunch Program served over ninety million
lunches to Louisiana students; serving fresh locally produced products would be more
nutritious for the students, and assist local farmers.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of
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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in order to provide guidance to the legislature
and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Agriculture
and Forestry and the Department of Education shall establish a study group consisting of five
employees of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry appointed by the commissioner
and five employees of the Department of Education appointed by the superintendent.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study group shall convene stakeholders to
identify barriers and existing resources for a statewide farm to school program, including the
following:
1. Conduct a thorough inventory of small and large farmers and crops across the
state.
2. Develop specific farm to school standards and guidelines for farmers and
schools.
3. Develop a plan to provide discounts to small farmers for insurance
requirements that will enable them to participate in a farm to school program.
4. Develop a plan to increase the number of processing sites that prepare and SCR NO. 94 ENROLLED
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package food products.
5. Develop a plan to ensure that schools have proper equipment to prepare food
onsite.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this study group shall report its findings to the
Legislature and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education no later than
February 1, 2015.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the state Superintendent of
Education, and the president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES