Welcome to Iowa Food and Fitness

Making the Healthy Choice, the Easy Choice!

Join the growing number of people in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties working together to create vibrant communities where the healthy choice is the easy choice.

The healthy choice means that every day all people in NE Iowa have access to healthy, locally grown foods and abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.  Food and fitness is important  because no matter where we are, the places where we live, learn, work and play affect our health and quality of life.

This effort is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program.  Food & Community invests in community-driven policy and system change projects. 

NE Iowa is one of nine projects across the country working to transform our food and fitness systems.

Faces of Food & Fitness: Patty O'Hollearn

Return to Our Roots

Patty O'Hollearn witnessed many changes at Turkey Valley Community Schools over the course of 34 years.  

She recalls how school cooks used to prepare homemade pizza crusts and bread and how they cleaned chickens.  

A Family and Consumer Science teacher, O'Hollearn spent years teaching and cooking alongside students.  She has always been attune to school food and its aromas.

"I love fresh baking bread at school.  I'm convinced it creates a safe and homey environment that encourages students to want to be there," said O'Hollearn.

For the past two years, O'Hollearn has incorporated school garden produce into her foods classes.  

She speaks wildly about a project this past fall which utilized excess eggplant that elementary school students planted in Turkey Valley's garden.   

O'Hollearn challenged 16 of her high school students to find a recipe using eggplant.  There could be no repeats, and as a class they voted on which to cook.  O'Hollearn's favorite dish was a ratatouille pizza with homemade wheat crust.  Many of the students had never had ratatouille let alone eggplant before.  

She refers to herself as an experimental cook and often does not use a recipe.   However, she has learned key rules over the years.

 "I'm learning alongside the kids and it's great because I have lot of people to help in the process, said O'Hollearn.  You can't go wrong with spices and herbs."

O'Hollearn wishes school meals had more fresh ingredients, spices and were prepared from scratch.  However, she is also aware of the time, money and labor it would take to make such meals.  The system is not equipped…yet.

It is not impossible, but O'Hollearn believes policies must change at the top.   Recently, O'Hollearn wrote to First-Lady Michelle Obama explaining the roadblocks that face food service staff face.  

Food service staff at Turkey Valley Community Schools have made an extra effort to use school garden produce in meals.  And O'Hollearn recalls local growers providing melons this past year.    

She appreciates, what she refers to as, "labor of love"— garden and preparing meals.  It is in her blood.  O'Hollearn's mother used garden produce to feed her 12 children, canning everything from peaches to meats.  Her mother still gardens and bakes her famous honey wheat rolls.     

This past year O'Hollearn taught eight classes in seven periods.  O'Hollearn often arrived at school at 7:00AM and stay until 10:00PM.  There were so many school-based activities her students were involved in.  O'Hollearn has kept track of many of her students.  She is especially excited about several who have enrolled in the culinary program at Kirkwood Community College.  

This past year was O'Hollearn's final at Turkey Valley Community Schools.  However, rather than retiring, O'Hollearn is "rebooting."  She has a running list of projects.  O'Hollearn will continue working at The Blue Iris, a floral and gift shop in New Hampton, mentoring a special needs student, spending time with family, gardening, and of course cooking.

Faces of Food & Fitness: Nathan Pech

Nathan's Legacy

While many graduates only return to their high schools for five, ten, 25-year class reunions, Nathan Pech walked the halls of his alma mater—Starmont— just a week post graduation.    

Several teachers gave puzzled looks. "Back already, Nathan?"

Starmont Middle School Principal, Sue Burrack, invited Pech to speak with eighth and ninth grade students about leadership.

Burrack speaks highly of Nathan.  "Nathan has been a great role model for younger students.  He sought opportunities beyond normal school activities and gave his time and energy to making a positive difference for others.  Also, Nathan discovered a future career direction through his activities that fits well with his interests and skills.  He is a terrific young man."  

Articulate and with a smooth cadence, Pech gives advice.  

"My message to you today is get out there and don't be afraid to stand out. Do what's right for you and society. There are so many opportunities for you just beyond these walls.  Don't be afraid to try something."

Pech makes eye contact with everyone.  His confidence is evident.

"I'm more comfortable in front of groups, and talking with adults since being involved in Food and Fitness," said Pech.   
 
He continues explaining his involvement with the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative (FFI).

Pech was recruited to join Starmont's FFI Youth Team his sophomore year.  He served as the Regional Youth Representative his senior year, attending periodic NE Iowa FFI meetings along with Starmont senior, Hannah Andreae.

Originally hesitant to join Starmont's FFI Youth Team, as he was busy with many activities, Pech is glad he made the time. Upon reflection he considers the NE Iowa FFI, "a joy of mine and will always hold a spot in my heart."   
 
Lean and athletic-framed, it is evident Pech lives the life he promotes.  While in high school, he helped coordinate the inaugural Strawberry Point Mini-Triathlon and promoted Taste-it-Treats giving elementary students opportunities to sample healthy, local foods.  Watch him in action as "Starmont Students take a Salad Break."

He was a member of Starmont's School Wellness Team and work with administrators, teachers, and parents to promote health and wellness.  Pech had hoped to see a pasta or salad bar in Starmont's cafeteria during his time, but will look to other students' leadership to achieve this goal.  In fall, he will attend Iowa State University to study kinesiology.  

Pech also was involved in many service programs, student council, athletics (football, wrestling and track), as well as carried an impressive academic load.  

But he also set a lofty lifelong goal while high school, something unique and impressive, for an 18-year-old.

"My goal is to solve world hunger as I go forth in life and hopefully I conquer that goal," said Pech.  

He is well on his way, collecting a handful of unique experiences that have inspired and fueled his mission.

In the spring of 2010 Pech traveled to Arizona for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Community Conference with twenty-two youth and adults from the NE Iowa FFI.  He was surprised to discover that he and the others from Iowa were the only Caucasian youth representatives.  

Pech interacted with youth from both coasts and rural and urban areas.   

"Here [Iowa] we can grow gardens pretty much anywhere, but other kids are growing gardens in the beds of pickup trucks because that's all [the space] they have," said Pech.

Because of Pech's leadership and involvement with the NE Iowa FFI, Starmont's Superintendent of Schools encouraged Pech to apply for the Global Youth Institute at the 2010 World Food Prize in Des Moines. The Global Youth Institute brings high school students together from across the United States to discuss pressing food security and agricultural issues alongside international experts.

While Pech recognizes food security and obesity issues are separate, he finds both equally concerning.  

"It is the opposite aspect of food and fitness— solving world hunger, not obesity. I'm kind of on both sides right now," said Pech.  

How does Pech intend to solve world hunger? Start small.  

Upon returning from the 2010 World Food Prize, Pech rallied support at Starmont and raised $5,000 to fund a food-packaging event for relief efforts in Tanzania, Africa.  

"It [food-packaging event] wasn't satisfying, because I know there are hundreds of thousands of people dying from starvation. That's ridiculous, because here we're obese. It's a result of poor distribution of food, not the lack of it," said Pech.    

His experience at the 2010 World Food Prize inspired Pech in several ways. Foremost, he thinks about his food differently. 

"I don't leave anything on my plate anymore," said Pech.  

It has also instilled a desire to travel.  Pech wants to visit third-world countries while in college, especially African counties such as Tanzania and Ethiopia.  In fact, Pech has already started his building his portfolio.  He researched and wrote Underdeveloped Agriculture about food insecurity in Ethiopia— an essay that won him a slot at the 2010 World Food Prize.

This past April, Pech attended the youth-driven Catalyst Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where along with other youth, he learned about healthy eating and how to advocate for effective change.  He left the Summit believing, "youth really are the voice of the future."  

As Pech makes one last plea to the group of freshman—be change-agents, set goals, and dream big— what exudes is genuine passion.  

"I want to leave a legacy," Pech had mentioned to me earlier.

Indeed, he already has.

Riceville Community Schools

Together, We Grow Healthy Kids

Riceville is a Food & Fitness School.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Riceville Schools:

Food & Fitness Staff and Leaders

Announcements

This page is a collection of announcements for grants and opportunities for schools, communities and farmers.  Check back often!

Presidential Proclamation for National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
On August 31, 2011, the President Barack Obama signed a proclamation (#8702) designating September 2011 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  The proclamation appeared in the Federal Register (76 FR 55207, September 6, 2011).  The text of the presidential proclamation can be found at the following link.

Live Healthy Iowa's new 6-week program 'The Next Step.'  Sept. 8 - Oct 20.  The Next Step invites adult Iowans to join in a friendly competition where teams of two to 10 people track their step count with a pedometer.  The program will run from September 8 - October 20. Posted 9/3/11.

The Iowa Hunger Summit: October 11, 2011  Celebrate our common heritage of humanitarian action at the 2011 Iowa Hunger Summit, the kick-off to our annual World Food Prize events. The fifth annual Iowa Hunger Summit will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. This year's events will focus on how various policy, educational and relief efforts can help ensure a secure and nutritious food supply for all. A full schedule of the day's event can be found on their website.

Grant:  Healthy School Environments Action Learning Collaborative Award Application, Due Oct 13.
Mini-grant opportunity for innovative school health teams at 5  public schools across the country in low-income and under-served areas to receive $5,000 to help their school meet the USDA's Healthier US Schools Challenge. You can find a link to the RFP here. 

3rd Annual digIN Green Weekend, Sept 16-18, Decorah
You are invited to the Decorah area for a weekend of green fun including digIN activities like sustainable home tours, "yardening" tours, outdoor movie night, educational seminars, hands-on activities, live music, amazing local foods, coffee cupping, local brew tasting and more! Home owners, business owners, and experts, will show you how to bring more "green" into your life and back into your wallet. Visit http://www.digindecorah.com.   Posted 9/3/11.

The MyPlate Makeover Challenge is simple: consumers can upload a snapshot of their plate, showing how they made half of it fruits and veggies, to the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Facebook page.  They'll then receive a coupon and be automatically entered to randomly win a free weekly $100 grocery gift card.  Posted 9/3/11.

Live Healthy Iowa Kids Fall Fitness Day, October 5
Celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by taking part in Fall Fitness Day! This is a FREE, one-day event encouraging Iowa schools to engage students in 30 minutes of continuous activity.  All registered schools that report 100% participation are eligible for the drawing to win monetary awards!  Register your school at www.livehealthyiowakids.org.  Posted 9/3/11.

Start Somewhere Walk On October 7, 2011, noon.
The Governor is kicking off the "Healthiest State Initiative" by walking one kilometer together as a state. Wherever you are – work, school, home, church – take about 12 minutes out of your day to go on a quick one kilometer (0.62 miles) walk with friends, family, neighbors or co-workers.

National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day, October 12.
National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day is about communication—talking to your school and to your child to learn about what's going well, and how you can work together to make school food even better.  The event is part of National School Lunch Week (October 10th-14th), which the School Nutrition Association is supporting with the theme "School Lunch: Let's Grow Healthy." A planning toolkit is available at http://www.myhealthyschool.com/.

The Healthy Iowa Conference: Creating a Culture of Wellness, October 20, Des Moines
The Healthy Iowa Conference will motivate, challenge, inspire, excite, energize and connect. We will share new thoughts and ways of thinking that will propel you to greatness–making a mark for you, your company, your community, and the state.  October 20, 2011, Hy-Vee Conference Center, 5820 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Test Page

This Is A Test

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Starmont

Connecting kids to their food

Starmont is one of the six Farm to School pilots for this year.   This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Starmont:

About Us

Creating vibrant communities where the healthy choice is the easy choice

The Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative has brought people in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties together to make our region a place where every day, all people have access to healthy, locally grown foods and abundant opportunities for physical activity in the places where we live, learn, work and play.  

Diverse groups have joined together to create a common vision.  Regional learning communities, involving schools, youth, active living and community health, nurture quality relationships and policy change successes.

Youth engagement is key to our success.  Eighteen high school-based Food & Fitness Teams actively work with their administrators, food service, wellness committees, and teachers to improve their school's food and fitness environment and policies.

Our strategies are to ensure that 1) School district policies & practices support healthy living of children, families and community members. 2) Local, health-promoting food is available and affordable in all communities, neighborhoods and institutions. 3) Communities have a built environment that supports abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.  

Our targets are to create procurement policies allowing for geographical preference of local foods in schools, to invest in new and existing producers who produce food for local food systems, to promote development of storage/processing capabilities for local food; and to develop and maintain infrastructure for walking and bicycling to and from schools in communities.  Current efforts include piloting "Farm to School" and "Safe Routes to School" programs in each county.  The Food & Fitness Initiative also supports the ongoing work of the NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition.

This initiative is one of nine projects nationwide supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community Program working to transform our food and fitness systems through policy and system change projects.

Links:
Our Work Group Leaders & Staff
What We've Learned (Data & Assessments)
Our Photo Gallery
Our Video Gallery
Community Action Plan: Year 1
Community Action Plan: Year 2
Community Action Plan: Year 3

Monthly Budget Reports

Monthly financial reports for FFI workgroups and county teams.

SEPTEMBER 2010
Convening


NIFF Coalition
Active Living
Community Health
Youth
Farm to School
Safe Routes to School
Allamakee County
Chickasaw County
Clayton County

AUGUST 2010
Convening
NIFF Coalition
Active Living
Community Health
Youth
Farm to School
Safe Routes to School
Allamakee County
Chickasaw County
Clayton County

North Winneshiek School

N. Winneshiek school is a Food & Fitness school.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Educational Events

For Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs

To submit an event for this page, Contact Us.

Food System Consultant Visits Decorah
Nov 12, 2 pm, Country Inn & Suites.  Rink DaVee will be visiting farmers during the day and sharing his thoughts at a public meeting at 2 pm.  Rink DaVee is owner of Green and Green LLC.  Green and Green is a local foods aggregation and marketing business that represents over 20 farms in Wisconsin and products that include a full selection of local fruits and vegetables along with eggs, cheese and honey.  Rink has been working with local foods for over 20 years with experience in restaurants, grocery stores, distribution and for the past 14 years owner of Shooting Star Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm outside of Mineral Point that he farms along with his wife, Jenny Bonde.

Federal and State Funding Programs for Farmers
Nov. 22, 2010, 10 am, NICC Calmar, Wilder Auditorium.
Are you looking for ways to develop your innovative agricultural business? Join us for a workshop designed to help you identify which grants might be right for you. This workshop will also discuss ways to plan your project and strengthen your application.  (Read more)

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right

Early Childhood Nutrition Curriculum

The Healthy Iowa Communities Initiative uses intentional messaging to inform, create behavior change, and advocate for changes in public and private policies to make the healthy choice the easy choice in Northeast Iowa.

The curriculum will help join a diverse group of health providers, educators and organizations to plan, implement and sustain communication avenues to promote healthy eating and physical activity. We want to engage and empower people in the health culture to be messengers for healthy lifestyles choices.

The curriculum lessons below were designed for preschool and early childhood settings. Visit www.healthykidstoday.com for more ideas.

The grant project was made possible from funds that were granted to the  Winneshiek County Board of Health from the Iowa Department of Public Health.  Read a story about this program.

Click here for the parent activities in Spanish.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right

Early Childhood Nutrition Curriculum

Actividad en Casa

Faces of Food & Fitness

Spain Family Meats -- Vince & Stephanie Spain Family, Castalia, Iowa

Click the image above to watch a video!


Spain Family Meats is located between Castalia and Clermont, Iowa.  The 570-acre farm is owned by Vince and Stephanie Spain. 

Vince grew up on a farm in southeast Iowa.  As a FFA member in high school, Vince grew oats for the Quaker Oats Improvement Project.  He won an award for the highest oat yield in Iowa. 

After college, Vince bought his own farm and started Spain Family Meats.  Some years, the Spain's grow oats as a cover crop or for livestock feed. 

The Spain' also raise sheep, hogs and cattle without the use of hormones or antibiotics.  The family keeps an assortment of pigs— including Duroc and Berkshire breeds, which are famous for their high-quality meat. 

In the summer, the Spain's sheep graze on grass that isn't suitable for their cattle.  The sheep are penned in with movable electric netting and grazed rotationally.  A commercial shearer helps trim the sheep's coats.   
The Spain's livestock is processed at the Edgewood Meat Locker.  Their refrigerator is full of their own product— tasty peppered bacon, smoked ham, pork chops, and ground beef patties and during Easter-time, fresh lamb.  

They sell to local markets, by word of mouth and supply to Annie's Gardens and Greens.  Valley of Elgin High School has used the Spain's products at their concession stands. 

The three Spain children help with chores and are active members of 4-H showing calves and heifers at fairs.  Sadie—the family stock dog—helps around the farm too.

When he isn't busy farming, Vince enjoys watching tractor pulls and his children show 4-H animals.

Click here to watch more videos about eating local food.

Faces of Food & Fitness

Ridgetop Acres - Scott & Marissa Nordschow, Decorah, IA

Click the picture above to watch a video.

Scott and Marissa Nordschow have been farming together for five years on a couple of acres north of Decorah, Iowa.  Their farm is next to Scott's parents' 700-acre farm.

The Nordschows raise eggs, meat goats, and produce.  In 2010, they raised 1,700 chickens for the first time.  They purchased chicks from Decorah Chick Hatchery at five different times.   Their farm dog, Maggie keeps watch on the groups of 350 chickens pecking in the barn or in the outdoor chicken run.

The chickens and other livestock eat feed grown on the farm.   The chickens take four weeks to mature will weigh about nine pounds.  At processing time, the Nordschows gather the chickens into big crates and take them to Lanesboro, Minnesota.  The process of harvesting the chickens and getting them prepared for eating is called "dressing".  The Nordshow's chickens will dress at five pounds.

Luther College purchases the chickens to use in their dining services.  The Nordschows also sell their products through GROWN Locally and by word of mouth.  The Nordschows eat their own chicken and eggs, as well as goat meat (called chevron), and beef from Scott's parents.  

Both Marissa and Scott grew up on farms.  Marissa used to show horses, chickens, and sheep through 4-H.  The newest addition to the family, Carlton, has already discovered a love for toy tractors.  It's only a matter of time before the toddler will be asking to ride their horses, Fred and Cricket.

Marissa and Scott like to camp in their free time.  Marissa referees basketball in the winter and enjoys biking and running in the summer.  Marissa also enjoys gardening.  She preserves her summer bounty by freezing, canning, or pickling and finds great reward having a table full with food grown or raised on their farm. 

Click here to watch more videos about eating local food.

Faces of Food & Fitness

Rapson Dairy - Dave Rapson Family, Hawkeye, IA

Click the image above to watch a video!

David Rapson, his wife, five children and golden lab, Shelby, live just outside of Hawkeye, Iowa on a 70-acre dairy farm.  David grew up in Michigan, started milking at 17, and purchased his own operation in northeast Iowa nine years ago.  David, two of his sons, along with hired help, manage the herd of 300 Holsteins and one big, sweet Jersey cow.
 
Like most farms, the Rapson's cows have personalities— there are bossy cows, tame cows, and shy cows.  Their oldest cow is 14 years old.
 
The herd is milked three times a day -- before sunrise, at noon and in the evening.  Each cow wears an electronic tag in its ear which transmits a signal to a computer in the milking stall.  With this technology, the Rapson's can track how much milk each cow produces.  And, the cows produce a lot of milk – they average is 92 pounds of milk a day.  That is almost 11 gallons from each cow everyday!  

The cows have big appetites to produce so much milk.  Each cow will eat about 100 pounds of feed and drink a bathtub-full of water each day. The Rapson's also grow corn which his harvested for silage to feed the cows.  

The milk is picked up at the farm and is taken to Waterloo.  From there it's shipped across the Midwest.  

Currently, the Rapson's are building a processing facility on their farm.  They plan to make their own yogurt and sell it to local markets.     

David stresses you have to enjoy dairy, because the job is seven days a week and early hours.  He appreciates working at home with family.  David also enjoys husbandry— keeping his cows comfortable and healthy so they reward him with high quality milk.  In 2007, the Rapson's had the Top Herd in Iowa according to the Dairy Herd Improvement Association!

Click here to watch more videos about eating local food.

Faces of Food & Fitness

Stone Creek Farm - Mike & Rachel Gooder Family, Cresco, Iowa

Click the image above to watch a video!

Plantpeddler, a greenhouse located in Cresco, has been owned by Mike and Rachel Gooder for 30 years.  However, it started as Cresco Greenhouse, a small ma and pa operation in 1880.  

When the Gooder's purchased the greenhouse it was 12,000 square feet.  Since that time it has expanded to 348,480 square feet.  That means a full eight acres are under glass!    

During spring—the busy season— Plantpeddler employees nearly 70 workers.  Most of these workers are responsible for planting small cuttings of flowers they receive from all over the world.  Plantpeddler grows many annual flowers, shipping them to all 50 states.  They're famous for their holiday poinsettias and hanging begonias.

The Gooder's decided to start growing vegetables when they learned that the grocery store produce travels an average 1,500 miles to reach northeast Iowa.  Their produce is sold under the Stone Creek Farms label.

Selling produce locally allows Plantpeddler to reduce transportation cost. In addition, costumers see the logo, and can easily find out where their tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces were grown.  Plantpeddler employees regularly give greenhouse tours.

When Plantpeddler started growing produce several years ago, they tried everything from arugula to zucchini.  Now, from June until March, the greenhouse is full of their most popular sellers— tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers.   

Plantpeddler provides produce to area restaurants.  In fact, McCaffrey's Dolcé Vita in Decorah features tasty homemade pickles made from Plantpeddler cucumbers.  They supply to Local Harvest Supply and food cooperatives in Ames, Iowa City and Decorah.  In addition, Iowa State University and Luther College, as well as Cresco High School have purchased produce from Plant Peddler.

Rachel's mother taught her how to garden and can years ago.  These activities are a way of life in the Gooder family.  They (Mom, Dad, Abby and John) grow an assortment of vegetables and fruits on their own acreage.  They hunt and often can venison.  They're also experimenting making wine with aronia berries— a native fruit to Northeast Iowa.  And the Gooder's make a mean sauerkraut honoring their German heritage.

Click here to watch more videos about eating local food.

Faces of Food & Fitness

Meet our partners, neighbors and friends

Faces of Food & Fitness

Annie's Garden & Greens - Ann Bushman, Ft. Atkinson, Iowa

Ann Bushman has owned Annie's Gardens and Greens near Fort Atkinson, Iowa for 15 years.  Even though her property is less than acre, it's home to a greenhouse, a high-tunnel building, and a hoop house.  These buildings extend the growing season well into winter.   

Ann grows a variety of crops.  She normally grows asparagus, green beans, peas, carrots, onion, radishes, beets, potatoes, celery, Swiss chard, herbs, rhubarb, raspberries, but every year she tries something different.

Ann sells produce at her roadside stand from May to October and a storefront in Calmar called Annie's Green Grocery.  The store has fresh, local produce all year long as well as other products from local growers like frozen meat, dairy, eggs, wine, breads and preserves.  Ann also runs a CSA (community supported agriculture) where local food is delivered to homes and drop-off points across the region.
 
In her certified kitchen, Ann processes produce by freezing or canning.  She sells the product to area schools.  In addition, school children have visited her garden— helping plant in the spring and harvest in the fall.  

Ann likes herbs because they satisfy hunger. In the summer, Ann hosts a tea and grilling workshop featuring fresh herbs.  Both workshops include tours of the gardens and explanation of the different plants; then, the guests pick and sample herbs.  During the tea workshop, guests use the herbs to make teas.  There is also a luncheon complete with homemade tea, cucumber and dill sandwiches, apples and sage upside-down cake and tarragon cookies.  During the grilling workshop, guests learn how to skewer meat, rub them with herbs and grill to perfection.  

Ann and her husband have five children, eight grandchildren, and Max, their golden retriever.  Her family is very busy—between gardening and operating custom farming, trucking and composting businesses.  

Ann has been playing in the dirt all of her life.  She loves fresh, green things and likes being self-sufficient.  Ann hates leftovers, so the Bushman's either eat, freeze, or can excess produce. 

Click here to watch more videos about eating local food.

New Hampton Community Schools

New Hampton is a Food & Fitness School.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from New Hampton Schools:

Recipes for Schools

Websites:
Minnesota Farm to School
Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook
Iowa Gold Star Cycle Menus

Recipes:
Apple Webinar:
Baked Apples
Apple Crisp
Apple Muffin Squares
Apple Oatmeal Squares

Broccoli Webinar:
Crusty Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Stir Fry Veggies
Cheesy Broccoli Omelet

Cucumber Webinar:
Cucumber Apple Salad (MA)
Creamy Cucumber Saland (MN)
Cucumber Veggie Wrap (MN)

From NE Iowa Schools:
Focaccia Bread (Chef Monique Hooker)
Ratatouille (5th Season Workshop, 2010)
Marinated Vegetable Salad (Postville)
Pineapple-Cabbage Salad (Oelwein)
Sweet Honey Sauce (Valley)

Soups:
Farmer's Table Vegetable Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Tomato Chili
Tuscan Bean Soup

Food & Fitness Schools in Northeast Iowa

These schools have embraced the vision of the Food & Fitness Initiative and are creating healthy environments for their students, staff and community members.

Information for the school pages is obtained from local media and submitted by school teams. 

Clayton Ridge
Central
Decorah
Howard- Winneshiek
New Hampton
North Winneshiek
MFL MarMac
Postville
Oelwein
Riceville
St. Joseph's, New Hampton
South Winneshiek
Starmont
Turkey Valley
West Central
Send stories, photos and information to Teresa Wiemerslage at wiemer(at)iastate.edu.

St. Joseph's Community School

Raising Healthy Kids

St. Joseph's is a Food & Fitness School.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities. 

Spring Activities

Northeast Iowa Funders Network

For sustainable communities

The Northeast Iowa Funders Network was established to connect community foundations and other philanthropic organizations as they collaborate to leverage regional and national funding opportunities in northeast Iowa.

Goals of the Network:

• Learn more about the FFI initiative at the regional and community level
  
• Understand how each funder's goals fit with the initiative
• Collaborate to support regional policy-focused approaches to meeting initiative goals
• Support grant-making which reflects and leverages the work of the initiative
  

Regional Leadership Team

The purpose of the Regional Leadership Team is to assure a regional, integrated approach to the work achieves the highest quality results for children and families in Northeast Iowa.  The Regional Team meets quarterly. Current delegates (voting members) include Work Group Leaders (NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition, Youth, School, Active Living, Community Health); two leaders from 6 County Teams and Postville Community, 7 Youth Leaders (6 counties and Postville). Co-conveners provide coordination and facilitation.  Fiscal Agent is Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.

The Vision Team consists of Work Group Leaders and meets monthly.  The Vision Team compiles the budget and determines the plan of work for the year. 

MFL MarMac Schools

MFL MarMac school is a Food & Fitness school district.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

West Central Schools

West Central school is a Food & Fitness school district.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Resources for County Team & Work Group Partners

The work of our county team, work group leaders and resource contacts is extremely important to our work.  Below are resources to make the tasks of program facilitation, recordkeeping and evaluation easier.

Our work is broad and far-reaching.  To help you determine if an activity or item should be reported, consider whether the activity or item helps us reach one of the policy targets listed below.  If it does, report it.

Policy Targets
1: Procurement Policy which allows for geographic preference of local food in schools
2: Production of health promoting foods schools can purchase
3: Promotion of physical activity in school curriculum
4: Investment in new and existing producers who produce food for local food systems
5: Development/maintenance of storage/processing capabilities for local food
6: Development/maintenance of infrastructure for walking and bicycling to and from schools in rural communities.

• Click here to enter information about EVENTS hosted by FFI related to our community action plan.
  
• Click here to enter information about any PRESENTATIONS given to groups about the FFI.
• Click here to enter information about any GRANTS received for work related to FFI. 
• Click here to add a person's contact information to a mailing list, county team or work group. Please include all new partners--even those without email. 
• Click here to register for a program or tour

Turkey Valley

Connecting kids to their food

Turkey Valley is one of the six Farm to School pilots for this year.   This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Decorah Community Schools

Connecting kids to their food

Decorah is a Food & Fitness School.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Decorah schools:

Oelwein Community Schools

Connecting kids to their food

Oelwein is one of the six Farm to School pilots for this year.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Oelwein:

Howard-Winneshiek Schools

Connecting kids to their food

Howard-Winneshiek schools are the Farm to School pilot for Howard County.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Howard-Winneshiek:

Postville Community Schools

Connecting kids to their food

Postville is the six Farm to School pilots for Allamakee County .   This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Videos from Postville:

South Winneshiek Schools

South Winneshiek school is a Food & Fitness school.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Clayton Ridge Community Schools

Raising Healthy Kids

Clayton Ridge is a Food & Fitness School.  This page highlights some of their projects and activities.

Ann Mansfield - Project Director & Co-Convener

Luther College - (563) 382-2949 - mansan01(at)luther.edu
Ann Mansfield has 30 years experience in health care and facilitation utilizing process improvement, multidisciplinary teams and systems thinking to achieve desired outcomes. Her degrees include BA-Nursing from Luther College and MSN from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Brenda Ranum - Core Partner

Iowa State University Extension - (563) 382-2949 - ranum(at)iastate.edu
Brenda Ranum is the Regional Extension Education Director for Region 4 Extension in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.  Brenda is responsible for Extension programming in the six-county region.  Her areas of expertise are youth development and communities. She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in child development from Iowa State University.

Testing All The Options

This is Just a Test.

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Teresa Wiemerslage - NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition

Iowa State University Extension - (563) 794-0599 - wiemer(at)iastate.edu
Teresa Wiemerslage is the Program & Communications Coordinator for Iowa State University Extension in northeast Iowa.  Half of her time is spent coordinating the work of the Northeast Iowa Food & Farm Coalition (NIFF). She holds a BS of Science degree in Biology and Microbiology and a Masters of Science in Plant Pathology from Iowa State University.  She has a strong background in plant science including horticulture and agronomy.  She lives on a fourth generation cow-calf operation along the Minnesota border where they finish 180 head of natural beef annually.

Regional Team

Lynette Houser- Youth Engagement Coordinator

Iowa State University Extension - lmanders(at)iastate.edu - (641) 330-5653
Lynette Houser is the Regional Youth Coordinator for ISU Extension and Outreach in Region 4.  She has a degree in Education from Northeast Iowa Community College and was the county youth coordinator in Howard County for thirteen years. 

Flannery Cerbin - Communications Liaison

Iowa State University Extension - (563) 382-2949 - fcerbin(at)iastate.edu
A graduate of Luther College, Flannery spent one year working as an AmeriCorps member with Food & Fitness. While in college she was an intern journalist for the La Crosse Tribune in Wisconsin, a Sports Media Assistant at Oberlin College, and the Garden Manager at Luther College. She has been an invited participant in national Food and Fitness conferences and workshops, including a work session to guide the development of a national Food Corps program. Flannery holds a bachelor's degree in environmental studies.

Our Stories

Capturing and telling the stories of the Initiative are important for reflection, impact and evaluation.  Here are some of the stories of our work.

The Active Living Regional Team

Creating opportunities for active living in the natural and built environment

The Active Living Regional Team directs the work of creating opportunities for active living in the natural and built environment in northeast Iowa. 

The Team has representation from each of the six counties and school and trail enthusiasts. Some of the key organizational champions behind this work include: Schools, City Parks and Recreation, County Conservation, Trail enthusiasts, Iowa DNR, Civil Engineering, Community Planners, Resource Conservation and Development, ISU Extension, Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, State Safe Routes to School with Dept. of Transportation, Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and Luther College.

Active Living News, December 2010
Active Living News, June 2010

Plan for Year 1: 
The Active Living Regional Team will participate in a learning community conference. The Active Living Team will create a strategic plan for engagement and strategies for expanding community walkability in the first 12 months.

Strategies:
Ensure that school district policies and practices support healthy living of children, families and community members.

Ensure that communities have a built environment that supports abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.


Policy and system change targets:

• Promotion of physical activity in school curricula
• Promotion of school facility use by children and the public outside school hours
• Development/maintenance of infrastructure for walking and bicycling for local transportation
  

• Implement Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program in six schools.  These schools will complete SRTS assessments, convene a school-community team, assess readiness of teams to conduct SRTS community workshops, support teams to create plans for their schools and communities.
• Provide Safe Routes to School mini-grants for 6 additional schools.
• Increase youth and family participation opportunities, programming, and system/plans for physical activity and active play every day.  This can be accomplished by expanding the use of school gyms and yards for community after school hours and assisting schools and communities in the development of joint-use agreements.
  
• Integrate additional minutes of daily physical activity into school curricula.

Youth Conference

School Wellness

"Making the healthy choice, the easy choice..."

The current generation of children in the United States is expected to have shorter life spans than those of their parents, due to disease related to sedentary lifestyles and inadequate nutrition.  Society faces a twin epidemic of physical inactivity and poor nutrition.

The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative is helping schools meet the growing need to improve student health and academic performance. Recognizing the interdependency between food and fitness, the NE Iowa FFI supports two successful national programs Farm to School and Safe Routes to School.

Check out what's happening in the School Wellness Newsletters!
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

   
To extend Farm to School and Safe Routes to School program opportunities to the region's 27 school districts, the NE Iowa FFI developed the School Wellness Team Action Plan Guide. 

School Wellness Team Action Plan Application Spring 2011 ( Word doc)    (pdf)

Additional Resources for schools:
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Toolkit: School Wellness Council
Promoting Healthy Youth, Schools, and Communities


NE Iowa FFI staff serve as "resource contacts"— liaisons between the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative and area schools, who help schools assess their assets and needs, set food and fitness goals, complete the School Wellness Team Action Plan Guide and build local capacity for policy and environmental changes in schools to support healthy eating and active living.  General questions about school wellness may be directed to, Rachel Wobeter, School Wellness Liaison at 563-387-1573 or email us.

The School Wellness Team Action Plan helps school communities mobilize school-based wellness teams.  It also helps schools meet standards established by the Iowa Healthy Kids Act— legislation that establishes physical activity requirements for students and nutritional content standards for food and beverages sold or provided on school grounds.

The NE Iowa FFI celebrates many strong local leaders who are working together to create vibrant schools where the healthy choice is the easy choice. 

School Wellness Policy Pointers

Who Should Be on a School Wellness Team & Why?

Students are respected leaders, change agents and advocates for their school and community.

Teachers exercise direct influence on instruction of students

School food service providers deal directly with the procurement of food and finances for school meals

Administration focused on the use of resources to create and implement plans in a standardized way

School board members provide representation of the community, are focused on how the school serves its families and students, and address the values, vision, and goals of the district

Parents have a vested interest in their child's well-being and the school environment

School nurses provide health screenings for students, have expert knowledge of the status and trends of student's health, and can provide concrete ways to improve the health environment in schools

Local government officials help address many of the infrastructure needs and city codes

Community members provide a community-wide perspective

Community health care professionals bring a distinct perspective to the school wellness team that may help change student and family behaviors as well as support school nurses

School Wellness Teams Help Build Capacity For:

Integration of the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative: Farm to School, Safe Routes to School and Youth Engagement to increase the daily access of local healthy food and physical activity opportunities in the school-community environment.

Program planning: curriculum review, identifying emerging health issues, encourage innovation in health education and in-service trainings

Advocacy: build understanding of school wellness in the school and community

Education: school-wide health promotion events

Evaluation and accountability: ensure people are achieving goals, collect information and ideas from parents and staff, and identify health needs

Resource mapping: identify county resources and match them to specific program need

Fiscal planning: raise money for school wellness activities and apply for applicable grants


Youth Taking Charge
Youth Change Concession Stand Food
Youth Attend Conference in Boston

Heidi Skildum - Safe Routes to School Liaison

Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission - (563) 382-6171 ext. 201 - hskildum@uerpc.org
Heidi Skildum is a graduate of Luther College in English, Spanish and Secondary Education. She currently works with communities to create better walk and bikeability as well as helping families play outside together.  She is a certified National Safe Routes to School Instructor.  In her free time, Heidi enjoys running, gardening, baking bread and spending time with her friends and family.

The Youth Regional Team

Youth are leaders in NE Iowa FFI

From FFI's inception, youth leadership and youth/adult partnerships have been central to our work. Seven youth participated in the first Systems Thinking work session where we created the FFI purpose, values, and vision. Youth comprise one-third of the Regional Leadership Team and formed a Youth Regional Team. Over 200 students are actively working on FFI in 16 schools.

Youth are ready to lead implementation, as evidenced by their work during the first phase of FFI.

• The Youth Team designed and implemented a one-day workshop, "Highway to Health", attracting 111 high school students from 11 school districts and16 teacher/coaches in April 2009.
• A second Youth Conference was held in November 2009 with over 180 youth from 16 schools attending. Youth led sessions on policy advocacy, nutrition, and wellness.
  
• High school youth taught K-6 children about healthy eating and active living, generated energy for engagement across the age range of youth, and developed youth-adult partnership models in our schools.
  
• Clayton Ridge, North Winn and Decorah Youth Teams assisted with Go The Distance days at their schools this Spring.
  
• Riceville youth worked on the Walk & Roll to School Day and a Bike Rodeo.
  
• Two FFI youth served as Youth Advocates for the Iowa Food Policy Council meeting in Des Moines.
• Team members wrote the job description for an adult youth coordinator,interviewed candidates, and hired the coordinator.
  
• Youth wrote jobdescriptions for adult coaches and recruited adults they believe bestserve in this role.

Working Across Geography to Cultivate Meaningful Community Change

Working Across Geography to Cultivate Meaningful Community Change  (August 2010)
The Prevention Institute interviewed FFI co-conveners Ann Mansfield and Brenda Ranum to write this summary of FFI work for the Communities Taking Action database. The article features many stories of the FFI.  It discusses how stakeholders have overcome the barriers of trying to create long-term sustainable change in a rural, geographically spread out region, and in fact, have even identified the benefits of working collaboratively in a rural region.   The Communities Taking Action database, and other Prevention Institute documents, are available at no cost on thier website at www.preventioninstitute.org.

Postville residents learn how to make healthy meals in a hurry
The Food and Fitness Initiative teamed up with Iowa State University Extension to host two meal education classes. The classes focused on preparing quick, healthy meals, food safety and the importance of family mealtime. Read more.

Latest News:

Northeast Iowa Funders Network Honored at Iowa Nonprofit Summit

The Northeast Iowa Funders Network, an emerging collaborative of six county community foundations recently received the Nonprofit Collaboration Award  at the Iowa Nonprofit Summit in November. The summit brought together more than 600 leaders of nonprofit organizations from across the state to discuss management, fundraising, training, governance and other issues. As part of the Summit,organizers also presented five individuals and non-profit organizations with awards honoring their work.  (Read more.)

Scot Michelson - Active Living

Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Scot Michelson, a park ranger with the Iowa DNR, provides regional leadership for the Active Living Work Group to align the SRTS work with the FFI Vision. Michelson is the Ranger for Volga Lake State Recreation Area. He has worked in conservation and recreation with the Dept. of Natural Resources for 29 years.

Data & Assessments

The Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative uses various sources of data--both internal and external --to evaluate our program.

Contents on this page:
     Assessments of the Built Environment
     Assessments of Food Security
     Assessments of the Local Food System
     Assessments of Schools
     Assessments of Worksites
     Community Health Data
     Initiative Evaluation Reports

Assessments of the Built Environment
Active Living Annual Report 2011   NEW!!
Safe Routes to School Travel Tallies, Spring 2011
Central of Elkader,  Elma,  John Cline (Decorah),  New Hampton,  N. Winn,  St. Joseph's,  Starmont,  Valley of Elgin,  W. Central

Safe Routes to School Travel Tallies, Spring 2010
Central of Elkader, Waukon, Valley of Elgin, DeSales, New Hampton, South Winn

Walkable/Bikable Community Mapping (2008)
         Elkader: front page, back page
         Fayette: front page, back page
         Cresco: front page, back page
         Calmar: front page, back page
Inventory of NE Iowa Built Environment (2008).  See the Active Living Tab.
         Tool: Inventory Sheet
         Tool: Inventory Sheet Instructions
School Use Survery (2008)
         Tool: Survey Questions
NE IA Regional Safe Routes to School Project
Children's Bill of Rights Survey Results (2008)
Park Survey in Winneshiek County (2008)
Walkability of Trails in Decorah (2008)
Community Assessments by Luther College Students (2007)
        Walkability of Allamakee County
        Barrier Mapping in Elkader
        Survey of Activity Levels of Children at Recess
        Analysis of consumer household survey to study effects of locally grown foods
        Relationship of walking and happiness

Community Assessments by Luther College Students (2008)
        An Analysis of the Benefits of a Community Wellness Center
        Correlations Between Positive Affect & Fruit/Vegetable Intake on the Luther College Campus
        Gender Differences in Response to Preventative Health Care
        Self Reported Health Consciousness Levels: Organic vs. Non-Organic Shoppers
        Park Survey in Winneshiek County, Iowa
        Studying the Health Behaviors of Decorah Students with an Emphasis on Walking and Biking to School
        Saving School Lunch: Utilizing Healthier Options to Combat Obesity
        Initiative for a Healthy Lifestyle through Food: "Think Global, Eat Local"
        Determining Efficacy of Sidewalks and Trails for Employees to Walk to Work
        Walkability of Trails in Decorah
        Assessment of Winter Recreational Opportunities & Facilities in Decorah, Iowa

Producers learn about greenhouse production on local tours
June brought both hot and cool weather to Northeast Iowa. This summer month also gave producers the opportunity to tour four local greenhouses.  Read more.

$14,750 in Grants Received for Regional Projects

The Northeast Iowa Funders Network expresses sincere thanks to Winneshiek, Clayton, Allamakee, and the Fayette County Community Foundations' Board Members for their confidence and strong financial support of this regional effort to facilitate an open, creative and participatory network for funders around the issues related to building strong and vibrant communities. These contributions of $14,750 to our grantmaking pool, will serve the families and communities six-county region, and brings the Funders Network balance to $20,509.

Regional Leadership Team

Directing the work of the Food & Fitness Initiative

The purpose of the Regional Leadership Team is to assure a regional, integrated approach to the work achieves the highest quality results for children and families in Northeast Iowa.

Regional Team Members delegates (voting members) include Work Group Leaders (NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition, Youth, School, Active Living, Community Health); two leaders from 6 County Teams and Postville Community, 7 Youth Leaders (6 counties and Postville). Co-conveners provide coordination and facilitation.  Fiscal Agent is Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.

The key responsibilities of the Regional Leadership Team include:

• Bring ideas, proposed actions, concerns, suggestions, and learning from work groups and county teams for discussion by regional team members
• Create synergy and learning across the region and beyond
• Work with co-conveners and the Vision Work Group to set regional priorities, decide how funds will be allocated, and provide leadership for the FFI
• Serves as the decision-making body for FFI

The Story of the NE IA Food & Farm Coalition
The NIFF Coalition became the first pilot community selected in 2006 by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Regional Food System Working Group. Their initial three goals were to provide an opportunity for existing and new producers to diversify, to explore development of regional processing and storage facilities to add value to all agricultural products in the area, and to increase the consumption and sale of locally grown crops.  Read more.

First Grant Awarded

The members of the NE Iowa Funders Network approved a $9720 request from the Food and Fitness Intitative for the Farm to School Cross-Age Teaching Folios. The folios will be used by high school youth to teach 1-3 graders about where Iowa food comes from and what, that any of the foods we eat are grown in NE Iowa. The focus is on the importance of purchasing foods locally in order to support local jobs, local producers and local  communities.

Through this project, students and families will strengthen their knowledge about agriculture, local foods, nutrition and the environment. This project will touch 1400 first graders and high school youth together with 120 teachers and the families of the children in the six county region including schools in Decorah, Postville, Turkey Valley, Howard-Winneshiek, Oelwein and Starmont. This grant leverages $7740 in costs plus the in-kind match from the FFI Regional Team for development of the folios. Folio topics are diverse and include information on local fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and grain products.

Youth attend Boston Conference
Nine Northeast Iowa residents, including five high school youth, attended a youth planning retreat for Food & Fitness in Boston, Mass.  The conference was organized by the Youth Engagement Associates with the WK Kellogg Foundation to allow five of the nine Food & Fitness community cooperatives the opportunity for cross-site learning.  Read more.

PE4Life

The Northeast Iowa Funders Network is reaching out to the Iowa Business Council and its PE4Life program. The Northeast Iowa Funders network has much in common with the Iowa Business Council as we seek to gather funders committed to building a healthy future for Iowa through partnerships with our schools. Does your school district participate in PE4Life? To learn more, visit: www.pe4life.org.

County Team Meeting Materials

The following materials are for use at the next County Leadership Team meeting.  Visit the calendar for meeting locations and times.

Meeting Materials, March 2010:
Meeting Agenda for participants
Farm to School Summary
Farm to School Newsletter
Please review the Farmers Market info for your county.
Work Group Report - Feb 2010


Meeting Materials, February 2010:
Meeting Agenda for participants (doc)
Mark Fenton DVD Handout


Meeting Materials, January 2010:
Meeting Agenda for participants (doc)
Community Action Plan (CAP) Summary
Organizational Structure
For Reference:
Meeting agenda for facilitators (doc)
School Based Food & Fitness Teams as 4-H Clubs
Youth Workgroups Function & Organization


FFI Partner Page

Aspen Institute Presentation

The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit organization serving missions around the globe, hosted Northeast Iowa Funders Network Convener M.J. Smith as a presenter in April for a symposium of the Kansas Community Foundation. Aspen Community Strategies Co- Chair John Molinaro commended the Northeast Iowa Funders Network for being a model for regional cooperation for other rural states. Most noteworthy to conference participants was the willingness of counties to come together around a common vision for the future, and overcoming barriers to dialog and sharing of financial resources for the benefit of all.

Emily Neal - School Wellness Coordinator

Luther College - nealem01(at)luther.edu
Emily Neal works with educators, administrators and students in Northeast Iowa to promote, create and support initiatives relating to Sustainability and Wellness. She has a B.S degree in Exercise Science and Master's degree in Science Education, University of Iowa.  

County Leadership Teams

Connecting Food & Fitness to Your Community

The purpose of the County Leadership Team is to implement the Food and Fitness Initiative in its county, and to inform the direction of the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative by making suggestions, gathering learning from their work, and identifying opportunities and needs within the county.  There are County Teams in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties and in the Postville community.

The following materials are for use at the next County Leadership Team meeting.  Visit the calendar for meeting locations and times.


Meeting Materials, April 2010:
Meeting Agenda for participants
Community Wellness Grant Summary
Slide Handouts
Direct link to slide presentation
Let's Move website

For Reference:
Work Group Report - Mar 2010


Click here to see the past County Meeting materials.

For more information about the county team meetings, contact:
    Allamakee:  Danielle at Waukon Wellness Center, (563) 568-0074
    Clayton:  McKenzie at Strawberry Point Economic Development, (563) 933-4417
    Chickasaw:  ISU Extension--Chickasaw County, (641) 394-2174
    Fayette:  Karla at Fayette County Economic Development, (563) 422-5073
    Howard: Sue at  ISU Extension--Howard County, (563) 547-3001
    Winneshiek: Rick at Decorah Park & Rec, (563) 382-4158

Join a Mailing List to receive email updates about meetings or contact us by email.


Key responsibilities of the county teams:

• Serve as the voice and face of FFI in the county
• Engage other county residents in FFI by recruiting them to participate on the county team and in local events and activities
• Encourage and initiate local policy, organizational, and environmental changes and projects that create healthy food and fitness environments
• Support pilot projects and mini-grant work within the county
• Monitor progress of the FFI work in the county through participatory evaluation
• Assist in documenting impact of local work
• Make decisions regarding use of county mini-grant funds
• Participant in FFI initiative evaluation

• January – FFI Community Action Plan Overview – Youth Engagement
• February – Active Living Learning Community – Safe Routes to School
• March – Farm to School
• April – Community Health Learning Community – Messengers of FFI
• May – No meeting
• June – NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition – Tours
• July – No meeting
• August/September – Youth and Schools Learning Community
• October – FFI Fall Conference – No county meeting
  

Sonja Arneson-Ecklund - AmeriCorps

Luther College - ecklso01(at)luther.edu - (952) 237-1860
Resource Contact for Central, North Winneshiek, and MFL MarMac schools.
Sonja is a recent graduate of Luther College in health and psychology. She is originally from Minneapolis. At Luther, she completed a two-year research position in the psychology department, an internship in the wellness department, and a position teaching yoga. She also completed certification in wellness coaching at The National Wellness Institute. In her free time, she enjoys reading, riding her bike, baking/eating desserts, yoga, painting, jogging, and watching HGTV.

Leah Chapman - FoodCorps

Luther College - leah.chapman@foodcorps.org - (402) 689-0046
Resource Contact for Howard-Winneshiek, North Fayette and West Central Schools
Leah recently graduated from the University of Florida where she studied political science, religion, and sustainability studies. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she Leah recently completed a six month corporate environmental internship program with ARAMARK in which she helped expand UF's Farm to School program, create a Styrofoam-free campus, and develop a sustainable catering menu for the university with local, organic, and fair trade-certified options.

Contact Us

Join the growing number of people in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties working together to create vibrant communities where the healthy choice is the easy choice.

The healthy choice means that every day all people in NE Iowa have access to healthy, locally grown foods and abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.  Food and fitness is important  because no matter where we are, the places where we live, learn, work and play affect our health and quality of life.

This effort is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program.  Food & Community invests in community-driven policy and system change projects.

NE Iowa is one of nine projects across the country working to transform our food and fitness systems.

Register for a program or tour

Join a mailing list or county team

Contact us


Project Co-Conveners:
Brenda Ranum, ISU Extension
Ann Mansfield, Luther College

Iowa State University Extension - Region 4
325 Washington Street
Decorah, IA  52101
Phone: (563) 382-2949


Grant Administrator:
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Nancy Van Milligen, President/CEO
Dubuque Building, Suite 195
700 Locust Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001

Phone: (563) 588-2700
Fax: (563) 583-6619

Stephanie Conant - FoodCorps

Luther College - conast01(at)luther.edu - (703) 725-2810
Resource Contact for Turkey Valley, South Winneshiek and Oelwein schools.
Stephanie Conant is originally from Fairfax Station, Virginia.  She graduated from Luther College in June 2010.  For the past year, she has been working for the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, as the farm to school intern. This year, Stephanie is one of two FoodCorps members joining the NE Iowa team.  Stephanie is excited to be back and working with your communities again!

Elizabeth Makarewicz - AmeriCorps

Luther College - makael01(at)luther.edu - (660) 619-1988
Resource Contact for Postville, Starmont and Valley schools.
Originally from Missouri, she has spent the past four years living in the upper Midwest at Beloit College in Wisconsin, where she studied anthropology and Spanish.  In her free time Elizabeth enjoys all the hobbies one might suspect from someone working to promote local food in public schools (gardening, cooking, baking, etc.), though she many times combines these activities with bicycling.

Northeast Iowa Farm to School Chapter

"Linking schools with farming communities..."

Farm to School is a national movement connecting schools with their local agricultural communities.

Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative (FFI) joined this effort in 2009 with the adoption of pilot projects in six school districts.  The FFI provided technical, educational and financial support for these schools, while the schools assembled teams to plan and implement Farm to School activities. During the 2009-2010 school year each site received $1,500 in mini-grants to create healthier school environments.  Read the final report.

The NE Iowa FFI recently committed to extending Farm to School program opportunities for all of the region's 27 school districts. The School Wellness Action Plan catalogs Farm to School and Safe Routes to School activities, which the NE Iowa FFI supports. There will be learning opportunities for students, teachers and food service staff and producers. 

Farm to School helps children understand where their food comes from and how their food choices impact their bodies, the environment and their communities. The NE Iowa FFI encourages a comprehensive five-component approach: 

Teacher Training
Hold workshops exposing teachers to Iowa Core standards and cross-disciplinary Farm to School curriculum

Cross-Age Teaching
Engage high school students as Farm to School educators using lessons focusing on a local food each month

School Gardens
Plan, plant and harvest school gardens involving students, teachers, staff and administration in the process.

Field Days/Producer visits
Provide students the chance for place-based educational experiences and involve producers in the classroom.

Food Service Training
Provide networking opportunities for food service staff, as well as professional development opportunities to learn how to use local foods in school meals.

Questions about Farm to School?  Please contact, Stephanie Conant, AmeriCorps Farm to School Intern at 563-387-1600.


PRESENTATIONS:
NE Iowa Farm to School Gardens Slideshow
School Food Webinars


RESOURCES:

• Eat Smart--Farm Fresh! A Guide to serving locally grown produce in school meals (USDA)
• School Meal Program Updates for District Decision Makers (ISU)
• Standard Operating Procedure: Direct Purchase of Food Products from Grower by K-12 School Districts (ISU)
• Checklist for Retail Purchasing of Local Produce (ISU)
• USDA memo: Geographical Preference
• USDA Farm to School policies (May 2010)
  
• The Lunchbox: a toolkit to transform school lunchrooms
• Oklahoma School Food Produce Calculator
• Sample Spec sheet for local foods for schools
• Steps for Using Informal Bid Procedures (Iowa)
  
• Letter from IDALS/DIA on use of local food in food service
• Recipes for Schools
• Seasonal Guide to Local Produce in NE IA
• USDA Discussion on Geographical Preference
• Current USDA F2S memos (Iowa, June 2010)
  

• Team Nutrition Guide to Green School Fundraisers
  

• FFI Garden Harvest Log
• Sources of Seeds for School Gardens
• USDA memo: Using food from school gardens
• Harvest maturity indicators for fruits and vegetables (Kansas)
• Connecting school gardens to curriculum (California)

• Best Practices for Using Produce from school gardens (Oklahoma)
• Fresh, Healthy and Safe Food: Best Practices for using produce from school gardens (Virginia)
• Food Safety in the School Garden (Maryland)
• Five Steps to Food Safe School Gardening (Connecticut)
  

Melanie Stewart - AmeriCorps

Luther College - stewme01(at)luther.edu - (515) 975-4880
Resource Contact for New Hampton, St. Joseph's and Riceville schools.
An Iowa native, I was born in Des Moines, raised in Ankeny, and am a recent graduate of Grinnell College where I studied Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies. I had a great time this past summer interning as a naturalist educator at a nature center in southern Minnesota.  I really look forward to a year of working with schools and learning more about the food system.

Maren Stumme-Diers - Food Sustainability Coordinator

Luther College - stumma01(at)luther.edu - (563) 387-1722
Resource Contact for college students and Allamakee schools.
Maren Stumme-Diers works with the Food and Fitness Initiative and Luther College as a Sustainable Foods Educator.  At Luther Maren works on edible landscaping, campus gardens, community gardens and the facilitation of education opportunities related to food. On behalf of Food and Fitness provides support to school gardens and food service directors throughout the region as they work to incorporate more local food into the menu.  Maren graduated from Luther College with degrees in Environmental Studies and Spanish.

School cooks back to school

N. Winn cooks went back to school early this year to sharpen their cooking skills by attending a 5th Season Workshop hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.   Guest chef and author, Monique Hooker from De Soto, Wisconsin showed food service workers how to prepare and store fresh local produce to be used throughout the school year by creating a vegetable dish called ratatouille.  (Read more)

Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition

Building a Local Food System

Download our story page

Looking for Local Food?  Visit the Iowa Fresh Food webpage (Buy Fresh Buy Local)

The NIFF Coalition was the first pilot community selected by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Regional Food System Working Group (2006).  NIFF has 30 very active members and over 60 producer members.   The NIFF Coalition completed a strategic planning process with a diverse group of stakeholders where the assets, strengths and opportunities of the area were identified as well as the barriers and challenges.  The conversations quickly narrowed to food production as a strength in the area.  Farms in this area lead the state in direct food sales with $1.3 million dollars in sales. Yet, local food sales only account for about 1 percent of the total food purchased. 

Today, the work of the NIFF Coalition has been integrated into the NE Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative (FFI) a partner of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program and one of one of nine initiatives in the U.S. The goals of the FFI are to promote opportunities for existing and new producers to engage in the local food system and regionally advance planning and policy change to support processing, distribution and storage opportunities in the local food system. 

The Impact:
Creation of a learning community.  The NIFF Coalition became the first pilot community selected in 2006 by  the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Regional Food System Working Group.    Their initial three goals were to provide an opportunity for existing and new producers to diversify, to explore development of regional processing and storage facilities to add value to all agricultural products in the area, and to increase the consumption and sale of locally grown crops. 

Developed a strategic plan.  This plan was instrumental in their proposal submission to the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, and they were selected as the site of one of nine Food and Fitness initiatives across the U.S.   The work of the NIFF Coalition has since been integrated into the NE Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative (FFI). 

Facilitated institutional purchases of produce, dairy, and meat products. Through the work of the NIFF Coalition and RFSWG, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship clarified its policy on the use of local food by institutions, including schools, care centers and hospitals, and these buyers are again purchasing local fruits and vegetables.

Expanded the growing season. In 2008, increased buying interest from institutions led to a local wholesale and retail horticultural company to convert almost three acres of greenhouse space into a home for several types of vegetables and fruits.

Engaged Schools. The availability of off-season produce in the greenhouses led local school districts to realize they could purchase local food for approximately nine months out of the year.  As of the spring of 2009, the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative is collaborating with the school system to provide children and their families access to healthier food options.

Increased commitment to buying local.  Luther College, a local private college in the region, will contract with local producers for seven high volume food products in 2009, and has committed to purchasing 35 percent of its food from local producers by 2012.

Leverage funding and expertise.  In two years, the initial $20,000 provided by the RFSWG in 2006 to support the NIFF Coalition has leveraged approximately $1.2 million in food and fiber infrastructure and resources for the region. This includes investment in greenhouses, apple and pear trees, grapes, poultry expansions, garden expansions, honey bee production, farm stand marketing, construction of packing sheds, hydroponic production, and much more.   By tracking the purchases of four to five institutions in the last two years, the NIFF Coalition has realized an increase of more than $377,000 in local food purchases. 

Northeast Iowa Safe Routes to School

"Creating walkable, bikeable communities..."

Safe Routes to School is an international movement promoting safe walking and bicycling to school modeling the 5Es: engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation.

Northeast Iowa FFI joined this effort in 2009 with the adoption of pilot projects in six school districts. These schools with support from the NE Iowa FFI involved students, parents, teachers, administration and community leaders in planning and implementation of Safe Routes to School activities. Equally as important, Safe Routes to School involves increasing physical activity opportunities during the school day.

As an extension of the program, the NE Iowa FFI supports collaboration between local government, school members and community leaders to brainstorm community-design suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. There is a strong correlation between communities with safe bicycle and pedestrian environments, and having more active residents.

The NE Iowa FFI recently committed to extending Safe Routes to School program opportunities for all of the region's 27 school districts. The School Wellness Action Plan catalogs Safe Routes to School and Farm to School activities, which the NE Iowa FFI supports. There will be physical activity opportunities for the entire school population.
 
The 2009 National Household Travel Survey collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation, indicates that 13 percent of children five to 14 years old usually walked or biked to school compared with 48 percent of students in 1969.  Safe Routes to School is helping reverse this downward trend in northeast Iowa, and creating healthier communities in the process. 

Questions about Safe Routes to School?  Please contact, Anna Wikan, AmeriCorps Active Living Intern at 563-387-1797. Questions about Active Living? Please contact, Heidi Skildum, Safe Routes to School Liaison, at 563-387-1219.

Active Living Newsletter:
Active Living News, December 2010
Active Living News, October 2010
Active Living News, June 2010


Resources:

• Northeast Iowa Regional SRTS Project (NE IA RC&D)
• Iowa Safe Routes to School
• Iowa Bicycle Coalition
• National Center for Safe Routes to School

Membership:

The NEIFN is comprised of representatives from community foundations in the region, including Allamakee, Winneshiek, Howard, Chickasaw, Clayton, and Fayette as well as host foundation representatives in Waterloo and Dubuque.
 
The role of community foundation representatives is to become educated about projects and funding opportunities and then officially communicate the network¹s business back to the county boards as well as bring the county board¹s needs to the network.

Funding Partners:
Allamakee County Community Foundation
Clayton County Foundation for the Future
Chickasaw County Community Foundation
Howard County Community Foundation
Fayette County Community Foundation
Winneshiek County Community Foundation
Community Foundation of NE Iowa
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

For more information, contact:
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Nancy Van Milligen, President/CEO
Dubuque Building, Suite 195
700 Locust Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001

Phone: (563) 588-2700
Fax: (563) 583-6619

115 children attended Elma Wisdom & Wellness Program

The Elma Wisdom & Wellness Program offered children a summer full of constructive actives, including physical education as well as arts – and even swimming lessons. Program Director Sandy Sullivan says that without help from the program's donors, it would cost $75-$90 per child participating in the program by the time they pay for the swimming lessons and bus fees.  Read more.

Keeping Kids Active in Cresco

Nutrition Director Cheryl Dickman says the community has responded well to the Cresco Wisdom & Wellness Program – a program she directs that is hosted at Crestwood High School.  "This is our first year here in Cresco, and I think it's become a great success," she said, adding that the program's success is owed in part to the many volunteers from the Crestwood High School Silver Cord Program as well as the Food & Fitness Initiative.  Read more.

Community Health Team

The Messengers of Food & Fitness

Health's messages and practices are at the core of FFI and basic elements in all of our work.  Community Health Work Group has defined their role in NE Iowa as messengers for FFI.  We are the catalyst to tell the story of what being healthy can look and feel like if you make healthier lifestyle choices with food and fitness.

The Community Health Work Group is a collaboration among a diverse group of health providers, educators and organizations.  Our goal is to plan, implement and sustain communication avenues in the region to promote healthy eating and physical activity. We truly believe healthier people make stronger families and vibrant communities.

How-Winn implements Healthy Living/Mileage Club

As you step foot inside the Crestwood Elementary/Junior High School, you may notice a lengthy, single-file line of colorful construction paper shoes running along the walls throughout the building. These paper shoes represent the many students at Crestwood who have implemented a healthier lifestyle through the district-wide Healthy Living/Mileage Club. Each shoe represents 100 minutes of exercise.  On Friday, March 25, the 200 students had accumulated 275,426 exercise minutes. Read more.

In their words: Howard-Winn students talk about FFI activities

The Howard-Winneshiek Youth Food & Fitness Team has 58 members involved in different areas.  Team members contribute to the school garden, walking clubs and nutrition education.  FFI team members share their experiences with food and fitness at their school.  Read more.

Students take the Senator to Lunch

Crestwood High School students hosted a special guest at lunch last week. State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm dined in the school cafeteria as the guest of the Crestwood Food & Fitness team.

Lauren Obermann, Bronc Dykstra, Ariel Grinhaug, Lindsey Anderson, Kate Sheehy, Elyse Kerian and Kyler Friedhof led Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm through the lunch line and into the school board meeting room where the students shared the history and stories of the Food & Fitness Youth team at the Crestwood High School.  Conversation focused around their committee work on the milk machine, cross-age teaching and the school/community garden.  (Read more)

Elma Elementary Get Active in October

The Elma Elementary students and staff enjoyed a Fall Fitness Day on Oct. 6 by participating in a 30 minute activity by walking on the Elma bike trail.  The weather was beautiful and everyone was excited to see all the new improvements on the trail.

To celebrate Fire Prevention Week, the students and staff enjoyed a walk to the Elma Fire Station on Oct. 7.   Students got to see fire equipment and several demonstrations from local firefighters. 

Several staff members and their families took part in Elma's Fall 5K/10 mile Run/Walk on Oct. 10. Over 200 runners/walkers filled the trail with perseverance and smiles. The weather was sunny and warm for families to enjoy the bike trail and see the pretty colors of the fall season.

School cooks back to school

Turkey Valley cooks went back to school early this year to sharpen their cooking skills by attending a 5th Season Workshop hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.   Guest chef and author, Monique Hooker from De Soto, Wisconsin showed food service workers how to prepare and store fresh local produce to be used throughout the school year by creating a vegetable dish called ratatouille.  (Read more)

School District participates in Fall Fitness Day 2010

For the second year in a row, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District participated in Fall Fitness Day. "We had 100 percent participation between Lime Springs, Elma, Crestwood Elementary and Junior High School," said Deb Obermann, Family Consumer Science (FCS) teacher and Food and Fitness coach, explaining that each school was able to choose their own activities to promote the day.  [Read more]

Food & Fitness Update by Kyler Freidhof

(Oct 2010)  Currently in the Food and Fitness program, students are in the process of Cross-Age Teaching.  This type of instruction allows high school students to teach elementary students about nutrition, foods and a healthy lifestyle.  A few weeks ago high school cross-age teachers went to Calmar for and in-service to learn effective methods for sharing information with elementary focusing on something new about food.  Topics include: apples, squash, cauliflower and potatoes.  Each session begins with Cardio Blast, which gets everybody moving and excited about the new food they get to try.

In addition, the Food and Fitness program will bring the milk machine back to the high school.  This machine offers products such as pudding, cheese, milk and yogurt.  New products are being ordered as well.  Students enjoy the variety of choices.

County Teams

The purpose of the County Leadership Team is to implement the Food and Fitness Initiative in its county, and to inform the direction of the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative by making suggestions, gathering learning from their work, and identifying opportunities and needs within the county.  There are County Teams in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties and in the Postville community.

Allamakee Leaders - Angela Gibbs and Barb Winters
Postville  Leaders - Mary Koopman, Cici Mueller
Chickasaw Leaders - Joanne Tupper, Laurie Marzolf
Clayton Leaders - McKenzie Johnson, Vacant
Fayette Leaders - Donna Story, Gary Sandholm
Howard Leaders - Elaine Govern, Laura Schmauss
Winneshiek Leaders  - Johanna Bergan, Brandon Friedlein
Join a Mailing List to receive email updates about meetings or contact us by email.

It's Garden Time

Where were Turkey Valley students for the second to last day of school?  Planting veggies. 

With guidance from horticulturist David Cavagnaro, students in Robyn Vsetecka's fourth grade class designed and planted a 20-by-70 foot plot in a few hours.  However, much preparation contributed to the success of the day.

School and community members started planning the garden in February.  Vsetecka and her 25 students started tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in their classroom.   Add garden tools purchased with a Farm to School grant from the NE Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative and a friendly neighbor to till a section of the school lawn, and the garden started to take shape.  (Read more)

Nathan Pech: Nathan's Legacy

While many graduates only return to their high schools for five, ten, 25-year class reunions, Nathan Pech walked the halls of his alma mater—Starmont— just a week post graduation.  Pech was invited to speak with eighth and ninth grade students about leadership.  Originally hesitant to join Starmont's FFI Youth Team, as he was busy with many activities, Pech is glad he made the time.  "My message to you today is get out there and don't be afraid to stand out. Do what's right for you and society. There are so many opportunities for you just beyond these walls.  Don't be afraid to try something."  Read more.

Patty O'Hollearn: Return to Our Roots

Patty O'Hollearn witnessed many changes at Turkey Valley Community Schools over the course of 34 years.  A Family and Consumer Science teacher, O'Hollearn spent years teaching and cooking alongside students.  She has always been attune to school food and its aromas. For the past two years, O'Hollearn has incorporated school garden produce into her foods classes.  Read more.

Cross-Age Teachers Proven Role Models

Kids eating tomatoes like apples?  Youth begging for Pepperjack cheese?  Sounds like fiction, but these were some of the actual reactions of students at Crestwood Elementary involved in Northeast Iowa's Farm to School cross-age teaching program.   "Cross-age teachers" are high school students who model lessons for elementary students.

 "When you show them a new food and they actually like it, and they bring [the folio] home and show their parents, and their parents end up liking it, it changes their whole perspective on different foods," said Kameron LeFebvre, a cross-age teacher at Cresco High School. (Read more)

Cooking School for School Cooks - Stir Fry

(9/26/11) Oelwsin school food service staff are sharpening their cooking skills by attending 5th Season Workshops hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.  Guest Chef Jason Skarin from Luther Collage led a stir-fry workshop at Decorah Middle School.  Food service staff prepared and froze stir-fry vegetables from the school garden and local farmers. Read more.

Cooking School for School Cooks - Stir Fry

(9/26/11) S. Winn school food service staff are sharpening their cooking skills by attending 5th Season Workshops hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.  Guest Chef Jason Skarin from Luther Collage led a stir-fry workshop at Decorah Middle School.  Food service staff prepared and froze stir-fry vegetables from the school garden and local farmers. Read more.

Annie's Garden & Greens - Ann Bushman, Ft. Atkinson, Iowa

Ann Bushman has owned Annie's Gardens and Greens near Fort Atkinson, Iowa, for the past 15 years. Ann grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, supplying her own roadside stand and storefront in Calmar.  Ann also runs a CSA (community supported agriculture) where local food is delivered to homes and drop-off points across the region.  In the summer Ann hosts fun educational workshops, as well as groups of students on field trips.  Ann has been playing in the dirt all of her life.  She loves fresh, green things and likes knowing that she can be self-sufficient. (Read more)

Students Put Writing Skills to Test

Starmont students learned to write grant proposals in thier English class to seek funds for projects at their school. This project is one way the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative looks for ways to build capacity within communities to support access to healthy local food and increased opportunities for physical activity.  Read more.

Ridgetop Acres - Scott & Marissa Nordschow, Decorah, IA

Scott and Marissa Nordschow have been farming together for five years on a couple of acres north of Decorah, Iowa.  Their farm is next to Scott's parents' 700-acre farm.  Both Scott and Marissa grew up on farms.  Marissa used to show horses, chickens, and sheep through 4-H.  In the summer Marissa enjoys gardening. She finds reward having a table full of food grown or raised on their farm. The Nordschows raise eggs, meat goats and produce.  In 2010, they raised 1,700 chickens for the first time.  They sell their products to Luther College, through GROWN Locally, and by word of mouth.   (Read more)

Cross-Age Teaching in Decorah Schools

Not too long ago, a group of second grade students in Decorah could not answer the following question: "What sound does the animal make, that gives us hamburger?"

It may be hard to believe this could happen in a town surrounded by farms and rooted in rural cultural traditions; but it's a measure of how far people -- even people living in largely rural areas -- have moved away from knowing the sources of the food they eat. That's changing, though -- thanks to the efforts of an organization committed to bringing, in essence, the farm back to the schools.  Read more.

A School Greenhouse

A committee of students, educators and FFA alumni is working to raise funds and build two greenhouses at New Hampton. The committee says the greenhouses will offer marketing, public speaking, horticulture, construction, food preparation, and sales experiences for students as well as promote the importance of eating fresh, locally grown produce."  Read more.

S. Winn School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

(August 2011) School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialist Cindy Baumgartner.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa. Nineteen food service staff from South Winneshiek, Oelwein, West Central, MFL Mar-Mac and Central of Elkader school districts participated.  Read more.

Cooking School for School Cooks - Stir Fry

(9/26/11) Oelwsin school food service staff are sharpening their cooking skills by attending 5th Season Workshops hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.  Guest Chef Jason Skarin from Luther Collage led a stir-fry workshop at Decorah Middle School.  Food service staff prepared and froze stir-fry vegetables from the school garden and local farmers. . Read more.

Walking on the Wildcat Trail

Students of the Riceville School had a real treat on the morning of October 5, 2011 when Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm joined the students for International Walk to School Day. The Wildcat trail was installed as part of the school's commitment to healthy living. Students will be able to track their walking record along the trail. Art students will soon paint paw prints lining the Wildcat Trail.  Read more.

Fitness Trail Dedication

One of the Legacy activities that the entire Starmont district is pursuing is the Fitness Trail project.  The Fitness Trail is being designed as a rock trail that will have different fitness stations. The trail is another extension of the Healthy Kids Act which reinforces the idea of helping students and community members get and stay fit.

On September 15, the entire student body participated in the ground breaking for the new Fitness Trail.  Dignitaries were invited and students and staff brought shovels from home to help with the groundbreaking.

Donations are being accepted for this project.  Please contact the Starmont Middle School Office.

Rapson Dairy - David Rapson Family, Hawkeye, IA

David Rapson, his wife, five children and golden lab, Shelby, live just outside of West Union, Iowa on a 70-acre dairy farm.   They have a herd of 300 Holsteins and one big, sweet Jersey cow.  The herd is milked three times a day.   Each cow produces an average of 92 pounds – or 11 gallons -- of milk a day!  These cows eat a lot too— over 100 pounds of feed a day and a bathtub-full of water.

David enjoys husbandry— keeping his cows comfortable and healthy, so they reward him with high quality milk.  In 2007, the Rapson's had the Top Milk Herd in Iowa according to the Dairy Herd Improvement Association! (Read more)

Decorah Students talk about work for school wellness team

Last year Decorah school administration started getting folks together to form a Decorah School Wellness team, encouraged by the Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative (FFI). The plan was to get people from throughout the community working toward a healthier environment in the schools -- and a key component of that plan involved getting students on board. Several months later, three students -- Sam Iverson, Shelby Varney and Liz Hovden -- are the youngest members of the school wellness team. Read more about their involvement.

Riceville FFA Receives Grant for Greenhouse

Kari Dunn of Elma  has been selected as a winner in the America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM program, which gave farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations. The Monsanto Fund sponsors the program, and winning farmers designate a local nonprofit organization to benefit from the donations. Dunn has designated the Riceville FFA to receive the donation. Read more.

Oelwein School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

(August 2011) School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialist Cindy Baumgartner.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa. Nineteen food service staff from South Winneshiek, Oelwein, West Central, MFL Mar-Mac and Central of Elkader school districts participated.  Read more.

Central School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

(August 2011) School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialist Cindy Baumgartner.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa. Nineteen food service staff from South Winneshiek, Oelwein, West Central, MFL Mar-Mac and Central of Elkader school districts participated.  Read more.

West Central School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

(August 2011) School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialist Cindy Baumgartner.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa. Nineteen food service staff from South Winneshiek, Oelwein, West Central, MFL Mar-Mac and Central of Elkader school districts participated.  Read more.

MFL MarMac Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

(August 2011) School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialist Cindy Baumgartner.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa. Nineteen food service staff from South Winneshiek, Oelwein, West Central, MFL Mar-Mac and Central of Elkader school districts participated.  Read more.

Students participate in Fall Fitness Day

(October 7, 2011) Fall Fitness Day is a one-day event sponsored by Live Healthy Iowa and is endorsed by the Iowa Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Nutrition.  The purpose of Fall Fitness Day is to create awareness, emphasize and educate students concerning the numerous benefits of good health and physical fitness.  Youth are encouraged to become healthier by increasing physical activity in a positive, fun way.   Activities at Clayton Ridge Middle School included having students rotate through various physical activity stations such as dodge ball, kickball, blob tag, tug of war, jump rope, hula hoop and more.

S. Winn FFI Team hosts 5K Run/Walk

The Fun Run/Walk was held on a cool May 8 morning.  Many participants came out to join in the fun.  Medals were given to the top runners in different age categories.

S. Winn students enjoy a fitness walk at Lake Meyer

S. Winn students spent a beautiful fall afternoon going on a fitness walk at Lake Meyer.

Stone Creek Farm - Mike & Rachel Gooder Family, Cresco, Iowa

Plantpeddler, includes eight acres of greenhouse located in Cresco, Iowa. Mike and Rachel Gooder have owned the company for 30 years.  However, it started as Cresco Greenhouse, a small ma and pa operation in 1880.  

During spring—the busy season— Plantpeddler employees nearly 70 workers.  They receive flower cuttings from all over the world, raise them to maturity, and ship them to all 50 states.  Plantpeddler also grows vegetables under the label "Stone Creek Farms".  From June until March the greenhouse is full of tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers.   They sell to local schools, restaurants, and food cooperatives.   (Read more)

Good Food in Decorah Schools

Working with FFI, Gina Holthaus, a health and physical education teacher for Decorah schools, along with Decorah Schools Superintendent Mike Haluska, last November formed the Decorah School Wellness Team -- a community wide committee of health care and nutrition professionals, educators, parents and students in Decorah looking at ways to increase school wellness.  Read more.

Youth Lead New Hampton's Wellness Movement

Students are running the halls in New Hampton schools.  Yes, running.  At least once a week, K-8th grade students participant in 20 minutes of walking or running.  Kids are eating more fruits and vegetables at lunch.  Youth are leading community discussions on fitness opportunities.  The movement is part of New Hampton School Districts effort to foster healthier school environments.  Read more.

Volunteers Map iWALK School Routes

Area youth found a new use for their cell phones as they used them to map school walking routes in West Union and Riceville.  Chris Seeger from ISU Extension instructed adult and youth volunteers from each community on how to use an iPhone as a GPS unit. Working as teams, volunteers mapped the sidewalk conditions, intersections, and walking barriers.  Read more.

Minutes & Notes from County Teams and Workgroups

The Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative values inclusiveness and transparency.  Below are the minutes and notes from the county teams and work groups.

Regional Team
Meeting December 7, 2011
Meeting October 19, 2011
Teleconference October 5, 2011
Teleconference August 24, 2011
Meeting June 29, 2011
    School Wellness Action Plan Summary
    School Wellness Team Goals for 2011-12
Meeting February 23, 2011
Meeting January 19, 2011
Meeting December 1, 2010
Meeting October 27, 2010
Teleconference October 6, 2010
Meeting September 22, 2010
Teleconference September 1, 2010
Teleconference July 7, 2010
Teleconference August 4, 2010


Work Group Summary Reports
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
September 2010



Workgroups
Active Living
3/18/11 Meeting
01/08/10 Teleconference
02/05/10 Teleconference
June 18, 2010
November 23, 2010


NE Iowa Food & Farm Coalition
December 2011
July 2011
June 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011

January 2010
February 2010    Email Update 2/3/10
March 2010         Email Update 3/2/10
No meeting in April
May 2010            Email Update 5/2/10
June 2010
August 2010      Email Update 8/1/10


Community Health
December 2011
September 2011
May 2011
January 2011
September 2010
June 2010
Committee meeting, 6/2/10
January 2010
March 2010

School cooks back to school

Decorah cooks went back to school early this year to sharpen their cooking skills by attending a 5th Season Workshop hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.   Guest chef and author, Monique Hooker from De Soto, Wisconsin showed food service workers how to prepare and store fresh local produce to be used throughout the school year by creating a vegetable dish called ratatouille.  (Read more)

School cooks back to school

Oelwein cooks went back to school early this year to sharpen their cooking skills by attending a 5th Season Workshop hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.   Guest chef and author, Monique Hooker from De Soto, Wisconsin showed food service workers how to prepare and store fresh local produce to be used throughout the school year by creating a vegetable dish called ratatouille.  (Read more)

S. Winn Food & Fitness: 2009 Summary

The South Winneshiek Food and Fitness team was organized the fall of 2009.  The year started out with the high school students walking around Lake Meyer in October of 2009.  The food and fitness team applied for and received grant money to help off set the cost of fresh food in both centers.  The high school students had the opportunity to eat fresh, locally grown, apples, potatoes (baked), celery, carrots, broccoli and apple cider.  The elementary students had the opportunity to eat baked potatoes, celery, carrots and apples.

Mrs. Sheryl Holien has been busy teaching mini health units to the Early Childhood through 5th grade students.  The year started out with stranger danger safety, fire safety, water safety, and winter weather safety.  In January Mrs. Holien started bringing in different fruits for the students to try.  The students had the opportunity to try kiwi, mango, fresh pineapple, and Clementine's.  The student also had the opportunity to learn about the importance of dairy in their diet.  At the end of the mini health unit the students enjoyed a piece of string cheese (provided by the Winneshiek County Daily Producers) The mini units will wrap up with home made pumpkin bread, bike and water safety.   

A garden is in the early stages at the Ossian center.  Kristin Kriener and Sheryl Holien are heading up this project.   The garden will contain vegetables that will be prepared by the cooks in both centers so the South Winneshiek students can experience how much better locally grown vegetables taste.

At the home high school basketball games the food and fitness team sold turkey and cheese sandwiches on whole grain white bread (A healthy choice) They also provided the Booster Club with turkey and cheese sandwiches on whole grain white bread, gogurt (yogurt in a tube) and string cheese for the Pee Wee Wrestling Tournament held at South Winneshiek.  All of the healthy items were a hit and we want you to look for them in the concession stands this fall and winter.

The food and fitness team has also offered the chance for high school student to sample a variety of home made breads like pumpkin, banana and poppy seed.  They were offered during semester exams and the yearly tests given in January and February.  Milk was also offered.

The high school students also had the opportunity to enjoy string cheese as a healthy snack.  The Winneshiek County Daily producers provided Mrs. Sheryl Holien with 600 pieces of string cheese for the EC-12 grade students.  Needless to say it was a Big hit.

Spain Family Meats -- Vince & Stephanie Spain Family, Castalia, Iowa

Spain Family Meats is located between Castalia and Clermont Iowa.  The 570-acre farm is owned by Vince and Stephanie Spain.  Their three children help on the farm, and are active members of 4-H.

The Spain's own and raise sheep, hogs and cattle and grow all of their own grain livestock feed.  The family raises Duroc and Berkshire pigs, which are famous for their high-quality meat.  They also raise beef and sheep without the use of hormones or antibiotics. They process their meat at the Edgewood locker and sell mostly by word of mouth and supply to Annie's Gardens and Greens.  (Read more)

Cruising the Halls in New Hampton

For 20 minutes a week students at New Hampton Elementary and Middle School walk or run the halls.  The activity is part of the New Hampton School wellness goals.  Middle school Principal Donita Sweitzer plans to have students walk or run outside once the weather warms.  

The minimum recommended amount of physical activity for children is 60 minutes per day.  There are many benefits for meeting these minimum requirements, especially for students as physical activity has been linked to improved concentration, higher rate of learning, and better behavior in the classroom.

Youth Team Hosts Dance-a-thon & Faculty Supper

April 2011 - The Clayton Ridge Middle School Food and Fitness team held a Dance-A-Thon where students signed up in teams and someone from their team had to be on the dance floor dancing throughout the event.

Students also prepared a healthy meal and served it to the faculty during supper break during parent teacher conferences.  It was a great way to get faculty involved in food and fitness.  (Submitted by Renae Kraus)

School Garden Flourishing at Clayton Ridge

July 2010 - A group of Clayton Ridge students together with their teacher, Dana Einck, and school nurse Ranae Kraus, RN, have planted potatoes for the annual Homecoming Day Grill-out.

Think onions, butter, salt and pepper to flavor slices of Yukon Gold and Blue Potatoes. These are two of the varieties now blooming and growing at a first-ever school garden on a G and G Living Centers plot near the corner of Kosciusco and the Great River Road.  (Read more)

School Lunch

Turkey Valley has used some of their FFI funds to purchase a salad bar for their school lunch. 

Nutrition Education

The Starmont FFI Team made food kabobs and shared them with elementary students. 

Healthy snacks

Starmont students are selling bagged salads at thier concession stand.  One day, the student body got to try the salads as a snack.

School Garden

Students, adults and volunteers from Turkey Valley have been planning the school garden.  Parents, staff and youth are doing some serious planning!  One fourth grader interested in herbs is leading the pack! 

They are meeting on April 6 to with two teachers and students for a tour of potential garden locations.  On April 22 (Earth Day), classes will be planting tomatoes and peppers.  From May 27 to the end of the year, they hope to engage as many kids as possible on the very last days of school to keep them from going nuts by having them all help plant the garden!

Postville Hosts Family Night

(9/26/11) Leaders from the community and school planned a meal for National Family Day.  Over 170 people attended the event and enjoyed local pork sandwiches, a cole slaw made with local cabbage, local apple slices and homemade applesauce.  The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative had a booth sampling brownies made with pumpkin and zucchini bread. Parents could select Pick a Better Snack recipe cards and kids were excited to take home Pick a Better Snack erasers and bookmarks.  Kids also enjoyed writing their names on Postville's graffiti pumpkin, which stayed at the school to decorate the cafeteria.

Local Youth Host FEEST in Postville

On a Sunday afternoon, the Postville FEEST filled the kitchen of St. Paul Lutheran Church and created a variety of dishes from donated local foods including stir fry, vegetable frittata, fried green tomatoes, roasted green beans, steamed purple cabbage, caramelized apples and squash, baked butternut squash, and tomato bruschetta with homemade tortilla chips.  Read more.

Cooking School for School Cooks

Postville school food service staff are sharpening their cooking skills by attending 5th Season Workshops hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.  At one workshop, guest chef and author Monique Hooker from De Soto, Wisconsin showed food service workers how to prepare and store fresh local produce to be used throughout the school year by creating a vegetable dish called ratatouille. A 5th Season Workshop is designed to teach food service staff how to prepare and store local foods from farmers or school gardens.  As the name implies, the fifth season is when you utilize local foods that have been preserved by a variety of methods in meals. Read more.

Cooking School for School Cooks - Stir Fry

(9/26/11) Turkey Valley school food service staff are sharpening their cooking skills by attending 5th Season Workshops hosted by the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Farm to School program.  Guest Chef Jason Skarin from Luther Collage led a stir-fry workshop at Decorah Middle School.  Food service staff prepared and froze stir-fry vegetables from the school garden and local farmers. Read more.

Postville Teens Install Frisbee Golf Course

Have you checked out Postville's new Frisbee golf course?  The course is set up at Lull Park around the Butterfly trail area.  This course was a project of the Engaging Youth Serving Community teen group, and with additional funds from Postville supporters.  Read more.

FFI Team members flex dodge ball muscles!!

Advisor time at Postville High is now dodge ball tournament time that promotes school-wide bonding with student and staff exercise.  The dodge ball tournaments started in January and concluded in April.  The whole high school student body watched two days a week as two homerooms battled each other.

This was just one of the many projects Postville completed with their mini-grant money this year.  Schools who attended the FFI Fall Conference and nurtured high school teams received funds to increase access to local food and opportunities for physical activity.

Postville used some of their FFI funds to test the student body for diabetes and were happy to report that 177 students tested below the normal range.  The students also supplied nutritious snacks to their classmates during Basic Skills testing.

One person from each grade (6-12) was randomly selected each day to wear a pedometer and to keep track of their steps. Each participant received a water bottle and the student with the most steps received a "blinker."  The top winners for the school year received free subs. Cici Mueller reports that this program has made students aware of their activity and they work hard to move more.

Cross-age teachers trained

High school students participated in a training to prepare them for their role as cross-age teachers in the Farm to School program which will begin in January.  The high school age team teachers will facilitate Farm to School lessons with second grade students once a month using folios developed specifically for northeast Iowa.  The folios feature a different local food each month and provide information for parents and students. (Read more)

Cross-age teachers trained

High school students participated in a training to prepare them for their role as cross-age teachers in the Farm to School program which will begin in January.  The high school age team teachers will facilitate Farm to School lessons with second grade students once a month using folios developed specifically for northeast Iowa.  The folios feature a different local food each month and provide information for parents and students. (Read more)

Cross-age teachers trained

High school students participated in a training to prepare them for their role as cross-age teachers in the Farm to School program which will begin in January.  The high school age team teachers will facilitate Farm to School lessons with second grade students once a month using folios developed specifically for northeast Iowa.  The folios feature a different local food each month and provide information for parents and students. (Read more)

Cross-age teachers trained

High school students participated in a training to prepare them for their role as cross-age teachers in the Farm to School program which will begin in January.  The high school age team teachers will facilitate Farm to School lessons with second grade students once a month using folios developed specifically for northeast Iowa.  The folios feature a different local food each month and provide information for parents and students. (Read more)

School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialists Cindy Baumgartner and Jill Weber.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa.  ServSafe® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.  Participants learned about prevention, regulatory requirements, and how to improve food quality. (Read more)

School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialists Cindy Baumgartner and Jill Weber.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa.  ServSafe® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.  Participants learned about prevention, regulatory requirements, and how to improve food quality. (Read more)

School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialists Cindy Baumgartner and Jill Weber.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa.  ServSafe® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.  Participants learned about prevention, regulatory requirements, and how to improve food quality. (Read more)

School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialists Cindy Baumgartner and Jill Weber.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa.  ServSafe® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.  Participants learned about prevention, regulatory requirements, and how to improve food quality. (Read more)

School Food Service Workers Complete ServSafe Training

School food service employees from five school districts participated in a day-long food safety in-service taught by Iowa State University Extension specialists Cindy Baumgartner and Jill Weber.  The training was part of the Farm to School project in northeast Iowa.  ServSafe® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.  Participants learned about prevention, regulatory requirements, and how to improve food quality. (Read more)