Governor Stein Proclaims Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month

Farm To School And Early Care And Education Month

2025

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, research demonstrates that Farm to School offers experiential educational opportunities for children and youth related to agriculture, health, and nutrition and connects schools, farms, and communities to promote lifelong health and wellness; and

Whereas, agriculture, nutrition, and health education plays a critical role in educating children and youth about local food from production to consumption, instilling a respect for natural resources and food as a source of well-being, and schools provide a market for local agriculture, bringing development opportunities for regional food and agricultural economies; and

Whereas, according to the 2023 USDA Farm to School Census, 66.8 percent of North Carolina school food authorities report participating in Farm to School, reaching 2,232 schools and 1,278,587 students; and

Whereas, according to the 2021 North Carolina Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Survey, 77 percent of ECE sites offer farm-to-ECE activities, including teaching lessons about local food (69 percent), serving local food in meals, snacks, or taste tests (64 percent), and gardening at the child care center/home (57 percent); and

Whereas, Farm to School benefits schools, early childhood education programs, farms, and communities, and legislation designated October as National Farm to School Month for the purpose of promoting the importance of farm-to-school activities; and

Whereas, the State of North Carolina joins the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina, NC Farm to Preschool Network, and schools and communities across the state in participating in the NC Crunch to celebrate Farm to School Month, in offering youth and adults the opportunity to taste and learn about locally grown produce and recognize our essential professionals involved in feeding our communities;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 2025 as “Farm To School And Early Care And Education Month” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all citizens.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventeenth day of October in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-fifth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.