Wyoming has been declared the Champions of the Mountain Plains Region Crunch Off, a competition for logging the most bites into locally-grown food per capita during Wyoming Farm to School Week in October. The competition included Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming and was held in honor of National Farm to School Month.
Wyoming claimed the top spot, dethroning long-time champion Nebraska, surging from just 1,986 crunches last year to 39,982 this year — an increase of over 2,000%. A substantial portion of the crunches this year are directly related to the first annual Wyoming Farm to School Day, celebrated at schools across the state on October 2.
“Growing up in a six-generation ranching family, I understand the hard work and commitment it takes to succeed. This victory not only celebrates our state’s agricultural roots but also highlights the importance of fostering a healthy lifestyle for our future generations,” said State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder. “Programs like Farm to School play a crucial role in this effort by connecting our children with fresh, local foods and educating them about the importance of agriculture and nutrition.”
Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), Farm to School Program Manager Bobby Lane has worked to launch and grow the program throughout the last year. Local producers also deserve credit for making this accomplishment happen. This is the beginning of a successful collaboration between the WDE, local districts, and proud Wyoming ranchers and farmers to ensure students have healthy nutrition to support their learning.
“Farm to School is growing quickly in the Cowboy State, and local food and agriculture education is showing up in the school cafeterias and classrooms, thanks to the hard work of school food service directors and producers,” said Lane. “We now have over 90 percent participation statewide. We all came together as a team and won big for our Wyoming children.”
The Crunch Off is a collaboration between the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Mountain Plains Region and eight state agencies. Partnerships with farmers and producers are key to the event’s success and play a vital role in farm-to-school activities year-round.
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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Chief Communications Officer
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov
