Farm to school in N.C.

While the USDA fruit and vegetable program has attracted the most interest, this story refers to a three-year old state program in North Carolina that delivers farm produce to schools. It sounds like a winner, too.

From the story in The Fayetteville Observer:

North Carolina schools have found another way to fight childhood obesity — fresh produce.
Forty of the state’s 115 school systems take part in the North Carolina Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Farm to School Program, according to state statistics.
The program allows farmers from North Carolina and other states to ship produce to school cafeterias within days of harvesting.
Since 2002, the number of school systems participating in the program has grown 42 percent, from 28 to 40. Orders are growing, too.
For the third straight year, North Carolina schools have set a record for strawberry buying. In 2006, schools ordered 12,450 flats. Orders increased by nearly 8 percent this year, with 13,123 flats ordered, bringing in more than $168,000 to area farmers.
Clinton City Schools was among 69 school systems to order strawberries this year. The system orders its fruit from Cottles Strawberry Farm in Faison, said Jeff Swartz, the system’s child nutrition director. Berries picked in the morning are in bowls in the cafeteria before the first lunch bell rings.
“We are giving a lot more fresh produce than we have in the past,” Swartz said. “We have spent a lot of time in the past few years encouraging kids to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.”
This year, the system increased its strawberry purchases by about 15 flats a week. In the fall, it will order squash, watermelon and cantaloupe.
“There are a lot of farmers here we are able to purchase from directly,” Swartz said.


TK: Buying local is a hot trend, and all the hotter when it can be combined with providing fruits and vegetables to school children. The minimal transportation time for shipments must be a very appealing part of the program for growers and school foodservice officials.

Starcrossed President Bush

The New York Times published this report today about President Bush's tenuous hold on immigration reform. His remarks in Georgia last week seem to have backfired.
The Times notes:


Mr. Bush’s comments to federal law enforcement trainees in Georgia on Tuesday, in which he took the rare step of going after conservative critics in terms usually reserved for Democrats, has charged the Republican ferment, specifically his suggestion that those opposed to the plan “don’t want to do what’s right for America.”
Presidential aides said later that Mr. Bush did not mean to impugn anyone’s patriotism, and that he had ad-libbed the line during a passionate address on an issue he holds dear.
But days later, Mr. Cornyn still seemed rankled. “I honestly don’t know whether it was scripted or unscripted,” he said. “But I think it was uncalled for.”

TK: President Bush hung back last year on immigration, while this year he is energetic and determined. Unfortunately for agriculture, his dimming popularity in his own party don't bode well for swift action on immigration.

Wal-Mart dialing back growth

This CNN coverage from Wal-Mart's annual meeting on Friday reports on how the world largest retailer intends to reinvigorate its stock. The gist is that Wal-Mart wants to see greater growth in same store sales and is scaling back opening of new supercenters.

TK: Wal-Mart said it will slow down supercenter growth from near 270 last year to about 200 this year and 170 supercenters per year the next three years. The company is also increasing its stock buyback program. So far, Wall Street likes this move, though some shareholders at the meeting were deriding W-M's stock performance versus Target in the last few years.