Nebraska’s statewide farm to school network, created by Senator Tom Brandt’s bills – LB396 (2021) and LB758 (2022) and administered by the NE Department of Education – are helping schools address childhood obesity, as covered in the September 25th Omaha World Herald article ‘Nebraska physicians, schools addressing childhood obesity’. From the article:

Public and private schools across the state have adopted a variety of programming to tackle the rising obesity rates in the past decade or so. From school gardens and calorie-limited vending machines to longer recesses and partnerships with local food producers, the strategies aim to reduce obesity while encouraging healthy habits for all children, regardless of weight.

One such initiative that has become more popular recently is farm-to-school programs that connect schools with local farmers and food producers. In the 2021-2022 school year, schools across the state spent more than $3 million on locally produced dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables. That includes more than 1,840 pounds of broccoli, 66,000 ears of corn, 107,000 pounds of chicken and millions of milk cartons.

Sarah Smith, the farm to school coordinator at the Nebraska Department of Education, says that recent policy victories have led to increased interest in the program. In 2021, the Nebraska legislature passed the Farm to School Act, which allocated funding and created Smith’s full-time position to coordinate the programs.