Aerial view of Verratti Farms LLC, a diary and grain operation in Newfane and Gasport, NY, on May 26, 2022. Here, students from the Royalton-Hartland School District learn learn what and where the local milk they drink comes from and what it takes to rain and care for the dairy cows. Courtesy media.

 

Royalton-Hartland School District, comprised of an elementary, middle, and high school, has approximately 1,300 K-12 students in Middleport, NY, which is a remote, rural part of eastern Niagara County. Royalton-Hartland School District received a FY 2021 Farm to School Implementation grant to provide engaging, hands-on programming that promotes a healthy lifestyle; increases student knowledge of how to grow, prepare, and store fresh produce; and exposes students to the multitude of career opportunities in the growing local agriculture industry. In collaboration with district partners, including Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, Blackman Family Farms, and the Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation, Royalton-Hartland School District is in the process of developing a K-12 curriculum, engaging teachers in the integration of the farm to school vision on a district-wide basis, equipping kitchen facilities to increase the capacity to store, prepare and serve locally sourced foods, and upgrading classrooms for project-based learning experiences. USDA Media by Lance Cheung.