Members of the Valley Community School Wellness Team and Parents in Education (PIE) organization commenced planning of a school vegetable garden to be planted early this April. The main garden bed will be installed in the courtyard behind the elementary building next to the main playground.

Students at Starmont's After-School Club recently asked the question, "Why can't we grow pineapples in Iowa?" To answer that question, and also to prepare students for the planting of a new school garden, Resource Contact Elizabeth Makarewicz visited these inquisitors.

On Friday, April 20th, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan introduced the USDA's first Regional Food Hub Resource Guide. The Regional Food Hub Resource Guide is part of USDA's commitment to expand market opportunities for local and regional food systems.

Wings Park Elementary in Oelwein has been declared the Iowa winner of the cooking show challenge sponsored by Fuel Up to Play 60. The Cooking Show Challenge encouraged students to create a recipe, hold a taste test, or complete a healthy eating play from the Fuel Up to Play 60 playbook and upload a video, which demonstrated how they enacted the Challenge at their school.

A former member of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School has given back to the chapter through the America's Farmers Grow Communities program sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to support local farming communities. Little Switzerland FFA Advisor and Waukon High School agriculture instructor Jessica O'Connor explained that the $2500 will be used to help fund construction of an additional greenhouse for use by the FFA chapter for aquaculture and hydroponics.

Luther College, in collaboration with the Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition, Resource Conservation and Development, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is administering a survey throughout the area that will bridge the consumer-producer gap in the local food system and provide an orientation for future growing opportunities.

Luther's Wellness and Sustainability programs are collaborating to start a program that will reimburse faculty and staff who take part in community supported agriculture programs.

A recent taste test at North Fayette High School was a showcase in proving that eating healthful foods can actually be fun and just plain lip-smacking good. The students and staff were treated last week to a sampling of smoothies that would soon be listed on the school's breakfast menu. Understandably, the tasty drinks were an overwhelming success.

A rural Fayette County family hope to put a little culture into the diets of Northeast Iowans with a creamy, all-natural yogurt from BST-free dairy cows on their farm. Available in eight varieties ranging from raspberry to blueberry and lime, the yogurt is processed at Country View Dairy, 15197 230th Street, Hawkeye.

The New Hampton FFI 4-H Youth Team hosted Iowa Senator Merlin Bartz on March 9. The event started with a tour of the recently completed FFA greenhouse at New Hampton High School. The tour was led by several FFA and FFI members. Bartz learned more about the work being done on the local foods front at New Hampton schools.