VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FARM TO SCHOOL YOUTUBE VIDEO

Maryland Contest Encourages Students to Think about Locally-Grown Foods

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Sept. 21, 2010) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has posted the video submissions from students across the state who answered the question, “What does ‘local food’ mean to you?”  Vote for your favorite video by going to the Maryland Farm to School website.  Deadline for voting is noon on Monday, October 11. Winners of the Grand Prize and Popular Prize will be announced by MDA in a press release on Tuesday, October 12.  Fifteen videos were submitted for the inaugural contest. Students demonstrated their creativity with video content ranging from skits to interviewing farmers to the abstract.  Contestants are from Cecil and Anne Arundel to St. Mary and Carroll Counties and they range in age from 2nd and 3rd graders to high school seniors.

“We are pleased with the student response to our inaugural YouTube contest and we encourage everyone to check out the videos and vote for their favorite one. Our goal is to engage students about the origins of their food in a way that is both meaningful and fun,” said Agriculture Secretary Hance. “This contest aims to educate students about where their food comes from and all of the benefits of buying local. It’s important to teach students that food does not come from a grocery store – it comes from a farmer.”

The Grand Prize winner(s) will receive an Apple iPod Touch, a Maryland State Park Pass, and a school lunchtime visit from MDA Secretary Buddy Hance, while the Popular Prize winner (s) will receive Maryland State Park Pass.   Judges will include representatives of the agricultural community, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Cooperative Extension, Maryland Department of State Department of Education and the film industry.”

This contest is part of the Jane Lawton Farm-to-School Program, which was established to bring more locally grown food to Maryland schools and to educate students about the importance of local agriculture.    Governor Martin O’Malley officially designated September 13-17, 2010, as Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week and U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton joined Secretary Hance, farmers, and state, local, and school officials to kick off the 3rd annual Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week on Sept. 10 with special classroom educational activities and locally-grown lunch with Edgewood Elementary School students in Harford County.
The demand for Maryland-grown food is growing. Buying locally is a key to ensuring a smart, green and growing future for Maryland families. It preserves farmland, protects the environment, bolsters local economies, and promotes healthy adults and children by providing wholesome, nutritious, great-tasting fresh food.
More details and the Official Contest Rules may be found at www.marylandfarmtoschool.org.

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