WILSON COUNTY, N.C. — North Carolina’s Farm to School program works to bring education and farming together with the help of growers who are dedicated to reconnecting kids to farming.
Whether it’s getting kids out to his farm on field trips or sending produce to the schools themselves, James Sharp believes it’s part of his job to protect the legacy of agriculture in the state.
“There is a large disconnect from the farm and our job here as farmers are to educate when we can, how we do things, what it takes to get a product to market,” Sharp said.
His farm’s partnership with the N.C. Farm to School program helps him realize that dream. Fresh-Pik Produce sends around 10,000 pounds of strawberries each year to students through the Farm to School program.
“It's so important to let kids know these days that it is actually coming from a farm and not directly from a grocery store,” said Courtney Sharp, a former educator and James Sharp’s wife.
For the past 30 years the N.C. Department of Agriculture has prioritized getting fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to lunchrooms everywhere. It currently offers 17 different fruits and veggies to public schools in the state.
“A lot of kids might not get to eat those fresh fruits and vegetables at home, so the school's a great platform to introduce those foods, and it's an exciting, happy food, strawberries make everybody smile!” James Sharp said.
Strawberries were the first fruit launched from this program, and they’ve been a smash hit ever since. Now, apples from the mountains make their way to the coast, and sweet potatoes from the Sandhills wind up in the Triad. Strawberries in the N.C. Farm to School program are sourced from growers including Cottle Farms, Fresh-Pik Produce, Lewis Farms, Patterson Farms and TC Smith Produce.
Sharp and his wife believe this program is a win for both farmers and students.
“They're going to be our future leaders,” Sharp said. “They're making our rules in the future, and everything we can do to educate anyone is important to our survival.”
