By Jacob Martin, The Preston County News and Journal
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Preston High School hosted the inaugural West Virginia Department of Education’s Farm to School Conference on Tuesday, an event designed to allow farmers, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders to engage in farm-to-school related initiatives in education.
According to the WVDE, the Farm-to-School initiative aims to connect schools (K-12th) with regional or local farms to serve healthy meals using locally produced foods.
Incorporating locally grown, farm-fresh produce into school nutrition programs creates relationships that positively impact the farm, the community, and students. These programs connect schools with local farms to serve healthy meals, improve student nutrition by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, provide health and nutrition education opportunities, and support local farmers, according to the WVDE.