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VAN BUREN COUNTY, IOWA -- With lunch just hours away, workers are buzzing around the kitchen at Douds Elementary in Van Buren County.
They’re whipping up what looks like a typical school meal, but it includes an extra ingredient - local food.
The district is one of the first in Iowa to begin a Farm to School program to buy produce from area farmers.
Only eight other districts across the state have officially received a state charter for the program.
Students typically eat local fruits and vegetables about two to three times a week. Right now they're eating a lof of cherry tomatoes.
The sweet tomatoes are plucked from the Blair farm just down the road and delivered to the school once a week.
Food Director Judy Thomas often slices them up for lunch.
"We have these little yellow cherry tomatoes and they are so sweet and the kids just love those," Thomas said.
Kim Steele-Blair prepares most of the locally grown produce for the children.
"Usually I see exactly what I have during that week and then I contact the food director and say I can provide you with so many pints of cherry tomatoes or watermelons," Blair said.
She also told KTVO that soon the local food menu will expand.
"We're also growing some broccoli and cauliflowers that weather-permitting will be ready, late September [or] early October for the school system to utilize," Blair said.
The school has a backup plan if there isn't enough local food.
"I try to plan the menu around whatever happens to be at the time, what is available, and if not I also do order from the wholesalers to get the fresh fruits and veggies every week into the kids' menu," Thomas said.
Only two growers are providing produce to the district this year, but Blair and Thomas plan to nurture it until it grows into a much more fruitful program.
"We’re hoping that other farmers get excited and want to join in next year and that we can build the percentage of food locally that kids actually get to consume,” Blair said.
Many experts believe local food can help reduce the number of over-weight and obese children.
