WV Department of Education hosts inaugural Farm to School Conference

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) held its inaugural Farm to School Conference on Wednesday, where educators, farmers, and chefs could meet together to trade notes on how to bring locally prepared, fresh foods to the cafeteria and teach students about health and science in the process.

Event organizers said that this is a field that has been growing in West Virginia for more than a decade. WVDE Office of Child Nutrition Director Tony Crago said that all over the state, schools have gardens, hydroponics and other agricultural activities.

The conference included field trips to places like the Preston High Animal Processing facility in Kingwood, which is a state-inspected commercial meat processing center operated by students.

Crago said the benefits of farm to school are multifaceted. Along with strengthening the relationship between the schools and their communities and contributing to the local economy, farm to school offers great learning opportunities for students. 

”They’re learning not only what to eat, but how it’s grown, how it’s produced,” Crago said. “And you can just kind of fit all of that in with all the other curriculum they’re doing every day. And rather than just feeding them something healthy, you’re also teaching them how to eat healthy.”

You can learn more about the West Virginia Farm to Schools program here.