June 2025 Newsletter

Hello, all!

We hope that you are enjoying this lovely launch into summer! 

Garden educators have wrapped up their last classes this week and are transitioning into summer hours. This year was full of hatching new lessons, piloting never-before-seen programming, and eating delicious farm-fresh meals! 

We’re so lucky to be in this line of work – the connections we get to make with our students while teaching them emotional regulation tools, scratch cooking basics, and gardening skills are priceless. 

Our biggest fundraiser is just weeks away, and we want you there! Come kick off summer with us at Fry Family Farms on June 22. We’ll have live music, local goods, and delicious food and drinks! Grab your tickets here and support our programming! 

Farm & School Garden Educator Community of Practice Gathering

Did you know that RVF2S supports farm to school and school garden education across Jackson and Josephine counties? Through our partnership with the Oregon Farm to School Network, our staff provides technical assistance and resources for farm to school and school garden work in our region. In addition to providing guidance, we also host educational gatherings and trainings, like our annual Community of Practice gathering for farm to school educators! This month, we had a lovely celebratory gathering of school garden and farm-based educators at Del Rio Vineyards. Attendees had the opportunity to connect with each other, talk about their successes and challenges throughout the year, and learn about how to incorporate trauma-informed nutrition practices into their teaching. If you are interested in learning more about this group, please contact ellie@rvfarm2school.org.

This year’s gathering brought together more than 40 school nutrition professionals and local producers to explore how to sell and use local beef in schools. We spent the day in Rusted Gate’s new net-zero farmstand facility, which houses a farm store, commercial kitchen, and conference room.

We were pleased to be joined by the Oregon Farm to Institution Collaborative (OFIC), which shared valuable tools and best practices for producers working with institutional buyers.

The morning kicked off with presentations from Aliza McHugh, OFIC Coordinator, and Amy Gilroy and colleagues from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). The session covered the fundamentals of selling to institutions—especially schools—and included insights into the Oregon Farm to School Network, case studies from around the state, and expert guidance on food and farm safety. We also learned about the OSU Food Innovation Center, which helps producers with market research, product development, and navigating institutional sales.

A delicious lunch catered by Black Barn Kitchen featured local ground beef from Salant Family Ranch, along with other locally sourced bites. In the afternoon, Rogue Valley Farm to School shared program updates and provided school nutrition staff with beef-focused resources, including recipes and educational tools.

We were honored to host a panel discussion with ranchers and school nutrition staff from Jackson and Lincoln counties, who shared candid stories about the challenges and successes of getting local beef into school meals.

The day wrapped up with a tour of the new slaughter facility, led by John Souza of Rusted Gate Farm, followed by a kitchen training session led by our Farm to Cafeteria Coordinator, Deanna Waters-Senf. This facility is a game-changer for our region—providing much-needed infrastructure that allows small and mid-sized ranchers to process meat locally. By reducing the need for long-distance transportation, it lowers costs, minimizes environmental impact, and keeps more of the economic value within our community. Most importantly, it strengthens the local food system—making it more sustainable, resilient, and accessible to institutions like schools.

The training featured a braising technique for larger, less commonly used beef cuts—offering an affordable, nutritious option for school menus while supporting whole-animal utilization and farm viability.

Beyond the learning and hands-on experiences, the event created space for meaningful networking and strengthened relationships between producers, school nutrition staff, and the organizations working to support them. Together, we’re helping to grow a more resilient and sustainable regional food system.

Have ideas for next year’s Procurement Gathering or want to learn more about how Rogue Valley Farm to School supports local purchasing? We’d love to hear from you!

We hope that you enjoy all of the end of the school year festivities and have a great kick off to summer!