New law means Farm to School will be funded permanently

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(The Center Square) – A new bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom permanently funds California’s Farm to School program, which provides school meals from local farms to the Golden State’s kids.

The new law eliminates the program’s sunset date of Dec. 31, 2027, making the account that funds the program permanent, according to a legislative analysis. The program was started in 2021 to provide children in California’s public schools with free nutritious and fresh meals from farms throughout the state.

“California’s kids deserve access to school meals that are locally-sourced and full of nutrients to help them reach their full potential and thrive,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife and an advocate of the program, said in a press release. “Our Farm to School Program has been a lifeline for children across the state, not only providing free, healthy meals but strengthening local economies through food worker training and supporting California farmers and producers.”

The Center Square reached out to officials with Newsom’s press office, which also handles communications for his wife. That office sent along the press release announcing Newsom had signed Senate Bill 172 into law.

Advocates of ensuring permanent funding for the program said California’s school children should get healthy food grown on the state’s farms.

“I think California has decided that school meals are worthwhile,” Steven Fenaroli, managing director of public affairs and communications for the California Farm Bureau, told The Center Square. “For us, it seems like a good way to connect children with food in their local communities.”

The bill did not allocate a specific dollar amount for permanent funding of the Farm to School program, and it is unclear how much the state would spend on the program each year.

Those who work for local school districts said the Farm to School program doesn’t just provide students with free meals from farms near – or sometimes at – their school, but that it also gives kids a hands-on opportunity to learn about food. Mike Pingree, food service director for Amador County Unified School District, told The Center Square that permanent funding for the program allows the Northern California district to continue a farm that it started.

“A lot of local farms don’t have enough to produce what we’re needing,” Pingree said on Tuesday. “So we started our own farm. We produce all of our own fruits and vegetables that go into the salad bar, so that funding will just support that and continue it on.”

Students in the school district who participate in Future Farmers of America, or FFA, seeded, planted and harvest fruit and vegetables grown on the farm, Pingree said. This school year, students in the district will continue upkeep of the farm as part of their classroom time, which Pingree said allows students to learn in a “living classroom,” where they will learn how to identify plants and weeds and manage pests.

The food produced by the district’s farm will feed roughly 4,000 students, Pingree said.

“We know exactly where it’s grown. We know who grew it. We know there’s no chemicals involved,” Pingree said. “And we’re only six months in. We’ve put almost 8,500 pounds of produce out there.”