Activists are hopeful that the newly expanded Cortez Middle School heritage orchard can help grow congressional support in Washington, D.C.
Lobbyists with the National Farm to School Network and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition traveled to the nation’s capital this week, urging lawmakers to incorporate the Farm to School Act of 2015 into the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization package.
If the legislation makes it to the House floor, Rep. Scott Tipton would look to see if it meets school nutrition needs in a fiscally responsible way, without making sacrifices in the number of students served or the overall quality of meals, according to spokesperson Josh Green.
“With the nation facing over $18 trillion in debt, the primary focus of school meal programs should be providing students with healthy food options at affordable prices in order to serve the maximum number of students within the confines of tight budgets,” said Green. “If it is possible to utilize local agriculture to achieve those ends, all the better.”
Last week, the National Farm to School Network featured the middle school’s heritage orchard on its website as a means to advance its cause. Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 Superintendent Alex Carter said the national exposure was a tribute to community efforts of the Montezuma School to Farm Project.
“Thank you to the Montezuma School to Farm Project staff for all of their hard work, and thanks to our community for your continued support of our growing and engaging programs,” said Carter. “Together, we are making a tremendous impact in our region and inspiring other programs across the country.”
Officials with the National Farm to School Network said the middle school’s orchard was a shining example on how to build more resilient communities, connect the next generation with the country’s agricultural history and provide teachers with hands-on learning environments to inspire students.
The orchard sprouted last fall as students planted 50 apple trees grafted from nearly 100-year-old stock. The orchard was recently expanded via a USDA Farm to School Grant as 25 new nectarines, peach, plum, pear, pluot (cross between plum and apricot) and pluerry (cross between plum and cherry) trees were planted.
The grant is expected to further expand the orchard when raspberries, blackberries, table grapes and strawberries are added to the two-acre site.
When fully mature, the 75-tree orchard is expected to produce nearly 40,000 pounds of heirloom fruit annually.
The current law, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, is set to expire on Sept. 30. Widely known as the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, the measure authorizes all federal child nutrition programs to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com