Building on her commitment to ensuring California children have the best start in life, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced the release of a new report, Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap for Success on February 24, 2022. The report highlights policy goals to advance child well-being, economic growth, environmental resilience, and racial equity through farm to school systems that connect children to locally sourced, whole foods and produce in cafeterias, classrooms, and gardens.
The report and its recommendations are the result of a collaboration -- led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross -- among a number of state agency leaders, education professionals, and farm to school experts and practitioners.
Read the full report here!
Pamela Lee
North Coast Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino)
Pamela Lee is the Farm to School Regional Network Lead for the North Coast Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Pamela facilitates relationships with partners across the school food ecosystem and supports California Farm to School Incubator Grantees in the North Coast Region. Pamela has over 20 years of experience in improving the quality of food being served in institutional settings, including schools, ECE centers, and Senior Nutrition Programs. Pamela earned her BA in Foods and Nutrition, is a certified yoga and wellness coach, and a graduate of a 2-year leadership course, Radical Aliveness. She lives in Arcata, CA surrounded by family and friends. To get involved in the North Coast Region farm to school movement, please contact Pamela at Pamela.Lee@cdfa.ca.gov.
Meerae Park
North Coast Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino)
Meerae Park is the Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist for the North Coast Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where he serves the farm to school community and focuses on connecting local farmers with local schools. He is grateful for the opportunity to help farmers provide students with local food. Before joining CDFA, Meerae worked as a teacher and farmer for the Agriculture program at College of the Redwoods and completed an M.S. in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of California, Davis. Meerae is excited to connect farmers with funding opportunities, to build collaboration with school food systems, and advise on farm to school policy. To get involved in the North Coast Region farm to school movement, please contact Meerae at Meerae.Park@cdfa.ca.gov.
Jennifer Rogge
Superior Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yuba)
Jenn Rogge is the Farm to School Network Regional Lead for the Superior Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). She is excited to connect communities who are passionate about supporting local agriculture and sustainable farming practices, while nurturing students in their school environments. Before joining CDFA’s Farm to School team, Jenn grew vegetables for a CSA in Yolo County and taught farm to school education on an elementary school student farm in Davis, CA. From this experience, she truly believes that Farm to School programs can change kids’ lives for the better while supporting local farmers and ranchers. Jenn is now living in the beautiful Scott Valley of Northern California, and is looking forward to meeting people from schools, ranches, and farms from the Oregon border to Sacramento. To get involved with the Superior Region farm to school movement, please contact Jenn at Jennifer.Rogge@cdfa.ca.gov.
Mike Whamond
Superior Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yuba)
Michael Whamond is the Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist for the Superior Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where he supports the efforts of local farms to work with schools. Before joining the CDFA team, Michael co-owned Hillview Farms where he managed a farm crew to grow organic diversified vegetables for local farmers markets, food hubs, and retail stores using regenerative farming techniques. Michael is looking forward to using his farm experience to help ensure that farmers have the tools they need to be successful in the farm-to-school space. Michael still lives at Hillview Farms in Lincoln, CA with his family and is thrilled to cultivate new opportunities at CDFA while his family continues to operate the farm. To get involved in the Superior Region farm to school movement, contact Michael at Michael.Whamond@cdfa.ca.gov.
POSITION OPEN
Bay Area Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
POSITION OPEN
Bay Area Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
Michael Ackley-Grady
Central Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Yolo)
Michael Ackley-Grady is the Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist for the Central Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Michael is a first-generation farmer and owns and operates AG Livestock, located in Sacramento, CA. He, alongside his wife, raise livestock including goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Michael has a passion for agriculture and is excited to work with California farmers, ranchers, producers, and processors to help connect them to the school food system and provide California's youth with some of the best locally produced food. To get involved in the Central Region farm to school movement, please contact Michael at Michael.Ackley-Grady@cdfa.ca.gov.
POSITION OPEN
Central Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Yolo)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
Nick Anicich
Farm to School Program Manager
Nick Anicich is the Farm to School Program Manager at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) where he leads the California Farm to School Network, the California Farm to School Working Group, and CDFA's Urban Agriculture Grant Program. Before joining CDFA, Nick worked as Community Programs Coordinator at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova CA, and as School Garden and Nutrition Coordinator at Sacramento Charter High School in Sacramento, CA. Nick is excited to share his experience building networks, supporting changemakers, and expanding farm to school programs across California. He lives in Sacramento, CA with his family. To contact Nick, please email him at Nicholas.Anicich@cdfa.ca.gov.
Amy Garfinkel
Farm to School Network Lead
Amy Garfinkel is the statewide Farm to School Network Lead at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Amy coordinates the CA Farm to School Network, cultivating statewide opportunities for farm to school practitioners to collaborate and engage in peer-learning. She also facilitates opportunities for CA Farm to School Incubator Grantees across the state to connect. Amy is excited to hear from you to learn how the CA Farm to School Network can support your work. To contact Amy, please email her at Amy.Garfinkel@cdfa.ca.gov.
Rachel Finkes
Farm to School Special Projects Coordinator
Rachel Finkes is the Farm to School Special Projects Coordinator at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where she provides support to the CA Farm to School (F2S) team and administers the CA Farm to School Network (CFSN) Conference, regional and virtual gatherings, Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, and the CFSN database. Rachel also coordinates the F2S communications, which include the general inbox, social media, newsletters and press releases. She is grateful to be a part of the farm to school transformation across the state and is excited to continue connecting communities together and highlighting the hard work being accomplished by F2S champions! To contact Rachel, please email Rachel.Finkes@cdfa.ca.gov.
Jane Alvarado- Banister
San Joaquin Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Tulare)
Jane Alvarado-Banister is the Farm to School Network Regional Lead for the San Joaquin Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Jane is a veteran bilingual, bi-cultural program manager who has worked with local communities to advance policies, systems, and environments for nearly two decades in some of the most underserved communities of California. She also currently serves on the California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative and in 2021 was appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to the California Child Nutrition Advisory Council. Jane is happily married with two children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time in nature with her family. To get involved in the San Joaquin Region farm to school movement, please contact Jane at Jane.Banister@cdfa.ca.gov.
POSITION OPEN
San Joaquin Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Tulare)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
Jacqueline Day
South Coast Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura)
Jacqueline Day, MDR, JD, is the Farm to School Network Regional Lead for the South Coast Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Jacqueline is also the Nutrition Education Specialist and Vice Chair of California’s Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC). Prior to working at CDFA, Jacqueline was a health policy consultant, health educator and a mediator. Jacqueline enjoys working collaboratively with others to ensure everyone has easy access to healthy and affordable food. She lives with her husband and furry kids in Pacific Grove, CA – aka: Butterfly Town USA. To get involved with the South Coast Region farm to school movement, please contact Jacqueline at Jacqueline.Day@cdfa.ca.gov.
Chris Massa
South Coast Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura)
Chris Massa is the Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist for the South Coast Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Chris started his Farm to School journey in 2013 as a FoodCorps Service Member where he built numerous school gardens and taught nutrition education. After that, Chris became the Farm to School Operations Specialist for Ventura Unified School District. There he established integral relationships with local farmers and worked to implement systems change to provide school children with local, fresh, and healthy food options. He looks forward to continuing to support this work throughout the region. Chris lives in Ventura with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. To get involved with the South Coast Region farm to school movement, please contact Chris at Chris.Massa@cdfa.ca.gov.
Sophia Riemer Bopp
Greater LA Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino)
Sophia Riemer Bopp, MPH, RDN, is the Farm to School Network Lead for the Greater Los Angeles Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where she is working to expand and support equitable farm to school programming. Sophia has national, state, and local experience in farm to school through her time as National Farm to School Network’s Farm to ECE Program Manager, Washington State’s Farm to ECE Coordinator, and as Program Manager for a farm to afterschool program held in Title 1 schools. Based in Long Beach, CA, Sophia is dedicated to bringing her experience in network building and collaborative change to help uplift and empower the farm to school movement in her hometown. To get involved with the Greater LA Region farm to school movement, please contact Sophia at Sophia.Bopp@cdfa.ca.gov.
Tracey Kimura
Greater LA Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino)
Tracey Kimura is the Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist for the Greater LA Region at the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where she supports local farmers with opportunities to sell to school districts. Tracey was born and raised in the Inland Valley of Southern California and has worked in the region for almost a decade with experience in a range of urban agriculture settings including school gardens, small farms, and community gardens, where she gained experience in all aspects of urban farming including production, sales, marketing, grant writing, administration, and event planning. Before joining CDFA, Tracey worked at UC Riverside R’garden, Cal Poly Pomona Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies, Pomona Unified School District, and Huerta del Valle. To get involved with the Greater LA Region farm to school movement, please contact Tracey at tracey.kimura@cdfa.ca.gov.
POSITION OPEN
Southern Region - Farm to School Network Regional Lead
(Imperial, Riverside, San Diego)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
POSITION OPEN
Southern Region - Farm to School Regional Producer Engagement Specialist
(Imperial, Riverside, San Diego)
Click here to view the job description or apply!
The California Department of Food and Agriculture – Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) is excited to share that the California Budget Acts of 2020, 2021 and 2022 include nation-leading investments in farm to school programs.
The Budget Act of 2020 included a $10 million one-time General Fund allocation for the 2020-21 fiscal year and $1.5 million annually thereafter for the CDFA to establish a Farm to School Incubator Grant Program and provide ongoing support for the California Farm to School Network.
The Budget Act of 2021 included a $60 million one-time General Fund allocation for CDFA-F2F to sustain and expand the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, with $30 million allocated for fiscal year 2021-22 and $30 million allocated for fiscal year 2022-23.
The Budget Act of 2022 includes an additional $30 million one-time General Fund allocation for the CDFA-F2F to further expand the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program in fiscal year 2022-23.
Taken together, this amounts to $30 million to fund the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program and $60 million to fund the 2023 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program (details to come). To stay up to date on the upcoming application cycle for the 2023 round of funding, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter.
