LUSBY — Dowell Elementary School students spent a September morning learning where their food comes from, straight from the Calvert County farmers who grow and raise it.
The Calvert County Department of Economic Development joined the school on Sept. 30 for Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week, the county said in an Oct. 16 release. Students rotated through four hands-on stations led by local farmers covering animal agriculture, seed identification, planting and growing crops, and harvesting and end products.
The week is part of the Maryland Farm to School Program, run by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland State Department of Education. It encourages schools to put locally produced food, grown in Maryland or within a few hundred miles, on cafeteria trays and to teach students about the farms behind it.
Who came to school
Participating farms, businesses and groups included:
- Milling Ritter Meat, Swann Farms, Battle Creek Beef, Ben’s Creek Produce, Hall-Wood Farm and Wood Farms
- The Calvert Soil Conservation District and University of Maryland Extension
- The College of Southern Maryland’s agriculture program
“Having local agricultural professionals share their knowledge and expertise made this a valuable learning experience for both our students and staff,” said Dowell Elementary Principal Jamie Smith, who thanked the volunteers and the Board of Education.
Julie Oberg, Calvert County’s director of economic development, said the week connects local farms and schools. “By bringing fresh, local products into the classroom and onto cafeteria trays, we are not only supporting our farmers and strengthening the local economy but also helping students develop healthy habits and a greater appreciation for where their food comes from,” she said.
The release did not say which local foods, if any, were served in Calvert school cafeterias during the week.
Local agriculture has been getting support across the region; this week the state awarded cold-storage grants to Charles and St. Mary’s businesses.
