Farm to You program brings information about food, nutrition to Arkansas schools
Fast facts
- Farm to You delivers food, nutrition info to schools
- Interactive experience shows how food affects the body
(250 words)
LITTLE ROCK -- Elementary school students around the state of Arkansas are experiencing for themselves this spring just where their food comes from and how their bodies use it for fuel, when the Arkansas Farm to You program makes a stop at their schools.
“It’s an interactive educational experience designed to teach elementary school students about food and nutrition,” said Michael Freyaldenhoven, a program technician with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, which sponsors the program.
Students tour 10 stations, starting with Farmer Dale’s Farm, where they learn about products grown and raised in Arkansas. They also visit a simulated milk processing plant and a market and café where they learn about good nutrition. Then, they go through exhibits showing how what they eat impacts various body parts, including the mouth, stomach, small intestine, muscle, bone and skin.
The program was rolled out last October, and about 15,000 students are expected to take part during this school year.
“So far, the reaction has been really positive,” Freyaldenhoven said. “Kids love it. There is an activity in each station, and they really get into it.”
Upcoming stops for Farm to You include:
- April 25 Perryville Elementary
- May 2: Two Rivers Elementary in Yell County
- May 6: Marguerite Cann Elementary in Conway
- May 9: Huntsville Elementary in Madison County
- May 13: Paragould Primary in Greene County
- May 20: Clarksville Elementary in Johnson County
- May 22: Shirley Elementary in Van Buren County
- May 28: Waldron Elementary in Scott County
- June 3: Western Hills Elementary in Pulaski County.
Schools interested in having the Farm to You program pay a visit can contact their local county extension agent.
For more information about nutrition education in Arkansas, visit our newly revamped site at www.uaex.uada.edu, or contact your county extension office.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
By Rich Shumate
For the Cooperative Extension Service
U of A Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu
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