National Farm to School Month, held each October, was designed by Congress in 2010 to teach children and school leaders about the importance of nutrition, eating fresh fruits and veggies, and supporting local economies - such as farms and orchards. The Farm to School Network works with more than 220 organizations and reaches an audience of 10 million individuals.

There are many reasons why children should care about farming and gardening. For starters, growing organically teaches kids where food comes from and what they are consuming (think about the parts of a big for bacon). Farming teaches kids about responsibility, safety precautions, how to prioritize and how to properly care for animals/crops. Lastly, kids get to reap the reward of growing plants by enjoying fresh vegetables over and over again!

This October, get students involved in gardening and farming programs. Students are encourages to create and prepare healthy meals from locally grown products. Each week of the month of October celebrates a different theme:

• Education (Oct 3-7)
• Healthy School Meals (Oct 101-14)
• Farmers and Producers (Oct 17-21)
• The Next Generation (Oct 24-28)

Each year, Deerbusters works with national farms and orchards to protect crops from deer damage. Work with Deerbusters to protect student incubator farms and gardens.

#FarmToSchoolMonth