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Presented by Georgia Farm to School Alliance, hosted by Georgia Organics.  

 SOLD OUT! 

 ON- LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT NOON ON FEB. 17.

• Where: The Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center in the Historic Iron Works
• When: Friday, Feb. 24, 9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Who can attend: School nutrition staff, teachers, farmers, students, parents, school nurses,  community members, state and agencies and organizations, and anyone interested in growing farm to school in Georgia.  
• Price: $40. (includes delicious, organic lunch)
  Note: The Summit will be held at the same time as the Georgia Organics Conference Friday workshops and farm tours. To register for Saturday activities, simply choose in the ala carte menu)

Check out the agenda here!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Rodney Taylor 

Join us for the Third Annual Georgia Farm to School Summit on Friday, Feb. 24.  The Summit is the largest convener of farm to school leaders in the state, and a fun, hands-on way to plug into this exciting movement. So, whether you’ve always wanted to get involved or you are a seasoned leader, you won’t want to miss it!

This year’s keynote will be delivered by Rodney Taylor, Director of Nutrition Services for Riverside Unified School District. Rodney is a noted pioneer and expert in Farm to School salad bars, and is a charter member of the National Farm to School Network.  Rodney will share his experience  in leading the popular  Farmers’ Market Salad Bar Program, which boasts significant successes at providing greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables to public school children in 29 elementary schools.  This salad bar program revolutionized school lunch programs by shifting the “center of the plate”  towards fresh, local  fruit and vegetables. Not only did this program get kids eating more fruits and veggies, the program is financially solvent.

Learn more about Rodney Taylor, his accomplishments, and the talk he'll deliver at the summit in this interview.

During a delicious local, sustainable lunch, Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black will present his vision for farm to school and his newly established Feed My School for a Week Program.

The Summit will also feature breakout sessions for farmers and school nutrition staff, parents, students and community members. Participants can choose to attend one of the following:

• Farm to School in the Cafeteria: This workshop will cover what farmers need to know about selling and school nutrition staff  need to know about purchasing fresh, local food. Speakers: Rodney Taylor, Riverside Unified School District Nutrition Director; Valerie Bowers, Georgia Department of Education; Melanie Hollingsworth, Georgia Department of Agriculture.                                                                                                                                                              
• Farm to School in the Community: Learn how to be an effective grassroots change maker. Case studies on social marketing, student activism, and easy-to-use policy tools will be covered. Participants will all create their own action plan for change.  Speakers:  Jennifer Owens, Georgia Organics, Parent representatives from Atlanta Public Schools Farm to School and DeKalb County Chestnuts for Change; and Dunwoody High School student and founder of Grow Dunwoody, Danny Kanso.                                                                                                                                                                       
• Farm to School in the Classroom: Incorporating farm to school into the K-12 classroom is an essential tool in getting kids to understand their food system and learn to love fresh, local food. Come hear how these teachers are creatively weaving farm to school into standards and interdisciplinary lessons, and leave with your own lesson plan. Speakers: Nichole Lupo, Ruby Roots Connection; Lynn Davis, Turner County 4-H;  Taylor Ginn, Pam Stratton, and Sara Clark- Agriculture Education teachers and FFA advisors.  
    
  
  The Georgia Farm to School Summit is coordinated by the Georgia Farm to School Alliance, a network that joins statewide agencies working in food, farming and nutrition to coalesce resources and support for Farm to School, and to create a dialogue for building statewide programming.  Members include: Georgia Department of Agriculture; Georgia Department of Public Health; Georgia Cooperative Extension Service; the Georgia Department of Education, School Nutrition Program and the Agriculture Education Program; Georgia Organics; Georgia Farm Bureau; Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.