America Walks, a national advocacy organization that promotes walking and walkable communities, announced today that Ann Mansfield, R.N., M.S.N. and project coordinator for NE Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative, has been awarded a Walking College Fellowship. Continue reading
FOOD SYSTEMS – Teresa Wiemerslage
May is [Local] Beef Month. The smell of grilled burgers infiltrated the halls of Waukon Jr. and Sr. High on Thursday as the Allamakee Cattlemen were outside the front door grilling burgers for lunch. The beef was from a cow born and raised in Allamakee County, and processed at a locker three blocks away. The processing was covered by grant funds awarded to the Iowa Food Hub from USDA Farm to School and Allamakee County Community Foundation. Local burgers are on the menu at Postville and Decorah next week! Continue reading
Update, 7/24/15: Still looking for a couple of members including a joint position with ISU Extension – Clayton County as a School Enrichment 4-H member. Continue reading
Planting a School Orchard. Central schools in Elkader recently received a Trees For Kids Grant through the Iowa DNR. This grant allowed the students to plant a mini orchard on their playground. On Earth Day, they planted apples, plums, cherry, pear, magnolia and a maple tree. Continue reading
Networking in Louisville! The NE Iowa team joined Food & Fitness grantees from across the country in Louisville, KY this week at the historic Brown Hotel. There was much discussion on equity and sustainability of the work. Continue reading
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT – Laura Liechty
Twenty-one youth from Allamakee, Clayton and Winneshiek counties competed in the NE Iowa 4-H Cook This! Challenge last weekend. The teams were tested on their cooking skills, like guacamole preparation (above), nutrition knowledge, and communication skills. Congratulations to the teams from Waukon, Monona and Clayton Ridge! Continue reading
Starmont is applying for a $25,000 merit-based grant that is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to enhance education in the areas of science and math. The grant would be used to construct a new greenhouse that could be used for all grades K-12 to in enhance students’ education. The opportunities a new greenhouse brings are unlimited for all grade levels to learn. Continue reading
Students at Howard-Winneshiek Community School District had the opportunity to see two real-life goats on Friday, March 20, courtesy of Todd Knobloch, in charge of the Gifted and Talented (GAT) program at the elementary school. Continue reading
Seeing is Believing. Waukon High School ag teacher Jessica O’Connor wanted to take students on a field trip to a production greenhouse. A perfect destination was found: Rolling Hills in West Union, owned by Eric & Fern Unruh. After Rolling Hills, they toured the Iowa Food Hub, where they get many of the local foods for their school lunch program. They finished at Unionland Market–a great retail store that sells many local products, from baked goods to dairy. Students saw different parts of our local food system, from producer to distributor to retailer. More. Continue reading
Greenhouse Explorers. Decorah 1st grade students went on an adventure…all the way across the street to the greenhouse at the high school. Students were divided into four groups and got to participate in four stations: filling flats and writing tags, planting/watering seeds, doing taste testing with spinach and lettuce, and looking at compost and worms. Continue reading
