Farm-to-School Act passes

Rep. Carl Gatto beams with pleasure as Gov. Sean Parnell signs House Bill 70 into law on May 4. (photo courtesy of Mat-Su Borough School District)

Alaska Agriculture Day, May 4, was the day Gov. Sean Parnell signed House Bill 70 into law. The Farm-to-School Act, sponsored by Rep. Carl Gatto, heightens the presence of locally-grown produce in Alaska schools and creates opportunities for students to be involved in agriculture.

The signing ceremony took place at Palmer High School. SNRAS was represented by Professor Milan Shipka (associate director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station) and Associate Professor Norman Harris (administrator of the Palmer Center for Sustainable Living). Also on hand were Mat-Su farmers, Alaska Grown and Farm Bureau representatives, and FFA students. Don Berberich, Palmer High School agriculture teacher, said, "This is the most exciting thing that has happened in ag education since it was introduced at Palmer High thirty-two years ago. Agriculture opens endless opportunities for students."

"I am so pleased to be able to sign this bill into law and I wanted to come to Palmer to do this," Gov. Parnell said. "Mat-Su offers the state so many agricultural opportunities."

Rep. Gatto said, "I am delighted to be at Palmer for the signing of this bill. We got a 60-0 vote. His (referring to Gov. Parnell) vote is 61. I appreciate Gov. Parnell supporting this bill and signing it into law."

In his sponsor statement, Rep. Gatto explained that the Farm-to-School Act is similar to programs proposed in several states. Its intent is to strengthen links between state agriculture and state food procurement in schools, expand local markets, improve nutrition, and benefit the environment.

Alaska FFA Advisor Jeff Werner was excited about the bill's passage. "It allows instructional programs in high schools to teach production agriculture and grow products in greenhouses at the schools to be used in the schools or to be sold to support the programs," he said. "It also creates opportunities for local farmers to employ high school students with experience in the agriculture industry. It will motivate communities to teach agriculture education for self-sufficient and self-reliant communities."

The program will be administered through the Department of Natural Resources.