By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Jersey fresh juicy red tomatoes for Garden State school lunches, Save Jerseyans?
Allegedly. While Governor Christie was busy campaigning in Illinois on Monday, Acting Governor Kim Guadagno signed a package of “Farm to School” program bills which, among other pro-agriculture items, establish a so-called “clearinghouse” web portal for farmers to provide their produce to schools and food banks:
· A-156 (Space, McHose, Andrzejczak, Riley/Barnes, Oroho) – Requires the Department of Agriculture to post on its website certain information regarding the state’s Farm to School program
· A-2641 (Space, Andrzejczak, Dancer, Wilson/Barnes) – Provides for voluntary contributions on gross income tax returns to support Farm to School and School Gardens programs
· A-2642 (Andrzejczak, Riley, Space, Dancer/Barnes, Oroho) – Allows contributions to the New Jersey Farm to School program
· A-2643 (Space, Riley, Dancer, Wilson, Andrzejczak/Barnes, Oroho) – Establishes “Best in New Jersey ‘Farm to School’ Awards Program” to annually recognize the best Farm to School programs implemented by a school or school district
· A-2644 (Dancer, Andrzejczak, Space, Wilson/Beach, Beck) – Directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a clearinghouse website for farmers to offer produce and dairy products for use by school breakfast programs, school lunch programs and food banks
Two questions…
How does the “clearinghouse” established by A-2644 function with Michelle Obama’s absurd school lunch rules still in place?
And I know “farm to school” is a logical byproduct of the “farm to table” craze, but can the legislature pass a “civics to table” package next? Our kids are starved in more ways than one…
Well, our state chased Campbell Soup out of using Jersey tomatoes just like they chased Ocean Spray out of processing our cranberries, so what is left but to let the state buy (with our tax dollars) and supply our schools with produce that the free market was priced out of purchasing?
Well, our state chased Campbell Soup out of using Jersey tomatoes just like they chased Ocean Spray out of processing our cranberries, so what is left but to let the state buy (with our tax dollars) and supply our schools with produce that the free market was priced out of purchasing?