Northern Kentucky Schools Participate in Farm to School Month Challenge

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Contributors: Kristine Cahall-Dosch, Maddie Chera

Twenty-two Northern Kentucky schools participated in a Farm to School (F2S) challenge as part of the national Farm to School Month celebration in October. Participating schools received education and promotion kits from the Northern Kentucky Health Department to facilitate conversations around nutrition and agriculture. 

October has been recognized as National Farm to School Month since 2010, when the National Farm to School Network advocated a month-long recognition before Congress. The month of October serves a time to celebrate the connections between children and local food. From taste tests in the cafeteria and nutrition education activities in the classroom, to farm visits and school garden harvest parties, communities across the entire United States take part in the celebrations. 

The Northern Kentucky Health Department promotes a localized F2S program called the KY Farm to School Challenge. “They are encouraged to do a TASTE, GROW & LEARN activity. Some are doing taste tests, some are serving on the line, some are doing farm field trips,” said Monica Smith, a Community Registered Dietitian who leads the NKY Health Department’s F2S initiatives. Teachers, food service providers, and administrators are invited to sign-up for the challenge and in return receive F2S kits that include bulletin board kits, resources of where to source local food appropriate for the school cafeteria, word searches, Feed Our Future farmer trading cards, apple cutters, handouts, and much more. 


Green Umbrella’s Food Policy Council partners with the NKY Health Department to supply Feed Our Future educational materials included in the promotional kits. These materials were developed by Feed Our Future and Green Umbrella to highlight regional farmers who supply our tristate schools. F2S initiatives have been a backbone project of the Food Policy Council over the past 7 years to promote local food purchasing as a method to reduce carbon emissions from food miles and creating a resilient food system. 

Want to learn more about the F2S movement? Check out the National Farm to School Network or contact kristine@greenumbrella.org to learn more about what’s happening in our region. 

First Cultivate + Connect Event Brings Together Food System Champions Across the Region

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Contributors: Maddie Chera, Charlie Gonzalez, Anna Parnigoni

Green Umbrella’s Food Policy Council and the Common Orchard Project hosted a celebration at Urban Artifact’s The Reliquary on September 19th focused on the intersections of food, climate, and community. It was wonderful to see over 125 passionate local food champions come together to celebrate the impactful role we each play in creating a resilient regional food system here in Greater Cincinnati. The evening buzzed with energy as attendees cultivated new connections and participated in an interactive photo activity that mapped each of our vital roles in the regional food system—Farmers, Processors, Distributors, Consumers, and Waste Managers. These roles reflect a simplified version of our comprehensive, interconnected food system, and illustrate the circularity in that food system, as we attend to all aspects of the cycle from production through the lifecycle to organics processing.

As they mingled, guests enjoyed food and drink from 18 local businesses (check out the evening’s delicious menu!). One of the goals of the event was to provide an exceptional culinary experience that allowed each attendee to sample food from a variety of entrepreneurs who work tirelessly every day to nourish our communities. We hope you will support these businesses, too, when you cater your next event.

Sharing Experiences & Advocating For Change

As guests took their seats for the event’s main program, they enjoyed family-style dishes and beautiful centerpieces from ByCofi using Wildwood Flora flowers. The program featured Cincinnati City Council Member Anna Albi and five storytellers involved in our programs: Becky Richey, Anna Haas, Fran Knox Kazimierczuk, Polly Campbell, and Levi Grimm.

Council Member Albi highlighted the unexpected connection between youth gun violence and nutrition insecurity that inspired her to engage in food access work in Cincinnati. Richey, Haas, and Knox Kazimierczuk used their unique experiences working across the food system to highlight the importance of collaboration and commitment to community, and encouraged the audience to get involved. Campbell, a longtime food writer, spoke to change and continuity in our regional food system over the decades, and Grimm, the youngest speaker, encouraged listeners to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit in the face of complicated problems and use creativity and hope to work on solutions. It was all inspiring!

Common Orchard Project director Chris Smyth highlighted the dedication of our food system champions in building a resilient and well-fed region. Smyth described the purpose of the event as “celebrating the food that is created here, in our region, acknowledging that we are under constant cultivation and hopefully we are growing a more just, equitable, and tended-to world.”

Food Policy Council director Maddie Chera highlighted how Green Umbrella and its members link long-term climate strategy to the daily realities of nourishing families and the urgent need for sufficient food.

It’s not one or the other, climate or nutrition, long-term or short term, equity or prosperity. With food, it’s all of the above.

Chera shared the incredible climate impact that growing, distributing, and eating local food has in our region. Using Green Umbrella’s Local Food Climate Impact Calculator, the Common Orchard Project and Green Umbrella members, Rich Life Farm and Fungi, Sleepy Bee, and What Chefs Want!, found they saved over 232K kg of CO2 emissions by growing, distributing, and eating local food. That’s equivalent to over 50 gas-powered cars off the road! (If you want help figuring out your emissions savings through local food or food waste diversion, reach out to our Food Policy Council today!)

Cultivating Connections

We observed so many reignited and new connections at the event. Council Member Albi’s office connected Data Bloom with Cincinnati Zoo to utilize the Local Food Impact Calculator and better communicate greenhouse gas emissions savings of their hydroponic production. An NKY member of the Organic Association of Kentucky connected with a nutrition educator from UKY Cooperative Extension. And attendees heard in the concluding remarks that Urban Artifact is now setting up GoZero composting for their entire operations after using the service for this event. And so much more!

What connections did you make? How can Green Umbrella continue to cultivate connections for you? Email us to let us know!

Thanks & See You Next Year

A huge thank you to our event sponsors, Cincinnati Metro, Urban Artifact, and Edible Ohio Valley, whose support was instrumental. Our gratitude also extends to Robeson Marketing for the fabulous photography. And last but certainly not least, we thank all attendees for bringing your passion, filling the room with vibrant energy, and being a part of and supporting this important work we do.

We’ve compiled an album of photos and invite you to download any you’d like to keep or share. (And send us or tag us in any of yours!). Lastly, stay tuned for next year’s Cultivate + Connect! We can’t wait to see you there.

More Information & Resources 

All proceeds from Cultivate + Connect support Green Umbrella’s critical food systems work. If you were unable to attend, you can still support us by making a donation at greenumbrella.org/donate.

The Food Policy Council Welcomes UC Dietetics Student Yale Godfrey

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Contributors: Yale Godfrey, Maddie Chera, Kelly St. Charles

The Food Policy Council Welcomes Another UC Dietetics Student

Yale Godfrey, a graduate student in University of Cincinnati’s Nutrition Science Program, is studying to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN). This summer, he worked with the Food Policy Council (FPC) as an intern in his Community Nutrition Rotation. During this time, Yale focused on developing optimized communication methods that the FPC can use to further connect to the community. Additionally, he was able to expand his understanding of the food system by meeting and chatting with individuals from various sectors of the FPC network so that he may apply this knowledge in his future endeavors.  

A Rotation Based in Community

During his six-week rotation with Green Umbrella, Yale worked on improving communication with members of the community regarding complex subjects. He focused on developing concise informational resources to introduce those inexperienced with food systems to FPC’s work, resulting in two new resources: 

In addition to his communications research, Yale helped with the FPC’s session at the Regional Green Schoolyards Summit, “Enjoying the Fruits of Farm to School: Transformational Collaboration Across Local Food Businesses, School Gardens, and Dining Services”. He also assisted with FPC meetings and presented at the June Full Council meeting. 

Through this community rotation, Yale was introduced to the complexity of our food system and the many different moving parts that are involved just in our region alone. When asked what he would take away with him as he moves toward his goal of a career in clinical nutrition, Yale said, “I have a newfound appreciation for the work of school foodservice directors, after I took a deep dive into their operations. I realized the multitude of challenges they face in their position.” Despite his short time with Green Umbrella, Yale has made an impactful contribution to our communication efforts that will continue to progress the FPC’s work in food systems change in Greater Cincinnati. We love to see the empathy and understanding grow through community connections, and we appreciate Yale, foodservice directors, and all our members in educational institutions!

More Information & Resources 

Celebrating CSA Week: February 19-25, 2024

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Contributors: Maddie Chera, Ph.D. and Kelly Morton; Images provided by Marykate Glenn of Mustard Seed Farm

Happy National CSA Week! CSA Week is an opportunity to celebrate and learn about Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs all across the country—and, of course, sign up for a CSA membership this year! If you’re a farmer looking for resources to support your CSA, check out the CSA Innovation Network for online discussion groups, webinars, resources, and more.

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for “Community-Supported Agriculture.” When you sign up for a farm’s CSA, you purchase a membership, or “share.” Each week of the harvest season, you’ll get a box of freshly picked fruits and vegetables directly from the farm—meaning you’ll get the freshest, most nutritious food you can find, all while supporting a local producer!

Mustard Seed Farm CSA

“Buy a share = get veggies every week” is pretty typical, but most farms’ CSA programs have more options. For example, you can choose larger or smaller share sizes to accommodate your household; you can supplement your veggie box with additional farm products like eggs or cheese; or you can adjust your pick-up from weekly to bi-weekly or monthly. 

CSAs are an excellent way to support your favorite local farm. Purchasing a CSA share provides the farmer with much-needed funds at the beginning of the harvest season; it relieves the burden of having to sell their entire harvest right after it’s picked; and it creates a reliable community around the farm. 

CSAs aren’t just helpful for farms—they’re great for the consumer, too! In addition to getting the best fresh products, you’ll likely discover new produce and new ways of eating it. (Garlic scapes? Purple carrots?? Kohlrabi??? Get ready!) And often you get to meet other food-lovers in your local community, including the farmer themself, which strengthens the food system and your experience through relationships and direct knowledge of where your food comes from.

Picking the right CSA for you

It’s important to take the time to figure out the best CSA for your lifestyle. Before you select your CSA share, ask yourself the following questions:

How much food will my household eat? 

No one wants to watch good food go to waste! If it’s your first CSA and you’re deciding between share sizes, pick the smaller size. Often, you can buy extra produce from the farm if you need it, and next year you can move up to a bigger size. Some CSAs offer a sliding scale for membership pricing or other discounts, including “work-shares,” where you volunteer to help the farm in exchange for a reduced membership rate. Another option is splitting a share with a friend, coworker, relative, or neighbor. You can go halfsies week-to-week or switch off who gets the produce box. Use your creativity to put the “community” in Community-Supported Agriculture!

Which pick-up option is right for me?

Choose a CSA with a pick-up option that is relatively accessible to make it easy for you to grab your veggies every week. Most farms won’t have the capacity to give you your money back if you miss a pick-up (though they might be able to give you a double share next time or donate your share to a local food access point like a neighborhood pantry or fridge). If regular pick-ups aren’t going to be feasible for your schedule, choose a more infrequent share or find a CSA that offers delivery (usually for an extra fee). Luckily, many CSAs have multiple pick-up sites in area communities, often co-located with other locally owned businesses like breweries or community hubs. Some employers in our region even offer workplace pick-ups designed to be extra convenient for employees and a boost to worker wellness!

How adventurous am I with trying new foods?

Your share is going to be made up of whatever produce is in season, so chances are once in a while you’ll get something you’ve never tasted or don’t like (this writer will not abide eggplant!). Most farms can’t offer a lot of customization in their boxes and won’t be able to accommodate requests like “I don’t want any kale, replace all my kale with strawberries.” Some CSAs offer more variety than others, but all CSAs are great for experimenting with unfamiliar foods and trying new preparations of produce you are familiar with. Though you might not have liked a particular veggie in the past, an heirloom variety or the freshly picked version you get in your CSA just might change your mind. Most CSAs offer recipes and preparation suggestions, and swapping ideas with the farmer and fellow CSA members is a major perk of having a share! If all you want from your farm is blueberries and tomatoes with no surprises, a CSA share might not be for you this year.

What items do I want from my CSA?

While most CSAs focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, there are some specialty farms that offer flower shares, egg and dairy shares, or even meat shares. These vary a lot in size, price, and frequency, so make sure you have a clear understanding of what you need (and what you’ll eat!) before you sign up. For example, some farms offer a herd share. When the herd is processed, members get a sizable amount of fresh meat—and not everyone has space in their freezer for half a cow! Most farms offer optional add-ons to their weekly shares, and that’s a great, easy way to get more from your CSA without signing up for a full extra share.

Once you answer these questions, you’ll be in the right position to select your CSA. 

Find your CSA

We’re lucky to be in a FANTASTIC region for local farms! Whatever your neighborhood, CSA needs, and price range, you’ll be able to find the right CSA for you and your family. 

To find your CSA, check out Edible Ohio Valley, a fantastic quarterly magazine that is all about our region’s great food and producers, and the CORV Guide, Central Ohio River Valley’s source for eating local. 

Here at Green Umbrella, we’ve partnered with Mustard Seed Farm in Cincinnati to make our offices, UC’s Digital Futures Building, a CSA share pick-up location for Avondale. They also offer pick-up in Norwood, a home-delivery option, and sliding-scale pricing to help make fresh food accessible for all. Learn more about Mustard Seed Farm’s CSA here.

“[The CSA pick-up] was very convenient, and I have no doubt that my family and I ate more healthily as a result. We especially enjoyed learning to cook and prepare new (to us) veggies and identifying the wide variety of greens and sprouts that came with our share. My partner became very engaged in finding new recipes and it added quite a lot of fun to our meal prep. It felt like opening a surprise every week!” -Chris C., Mustard Seed CSA Member

We’re also collaborating with other local partners like Our Harvest and KY Farm Share Coalition (KYFSC) to support regional expansion of a model that’s had great success in Kentucky: worker wellness CSAs subsidized by employers. You can learn more about this model at KYFSC’s website. If you want to explore how your workplace might adopt such a program, stay tuned for additional resources, training, and consulting by our Food Policy Council, as a Green Umbrella member benefit, or reach out to Food Policy Council Director Maddie Chera directly.

Happy eating!