Source: OLD GROVE ORANGE, INC. submitted to
DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPERIENCE-BASED FARM FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS IN THE INLAND EMPIRE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1028843
Grant No.
2022-70026-37849
Cumulative Award Amt.
$82,168.00
Proposal No.
2022-02864
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 1, 2022
Project End Date
Jul 31, 2024
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[FASLP]- Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program
Project Director
Knight, A.
Recipient Organization
OLD GROVE ORANGE, INC.
11500 KING ST
REDLANDS,CA 923748261
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Old Grove Orange, in conjunction with 4 Inland Empire school district partners, will deliver an experience-based farm field trip opportunity for ~2,000 elementary school students and provide high school students with an opportunity to shadow working farmers. This project serves four high-need, heavily urbanized school districts in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The goals are to:Increase student access to local fruits and vegetables,Provide students with an agriculture education opportunity,Provide students with a nutrition education opportunity,Provide students with a venue to meet and work with farmers,Provide Child Nutrition Programs with a tool to broadcast their Farm to School efforts.These goals will be achieved over a two-year period by developing and delivering a farm field trip - one that involves a UPick opportunity; teaching students about the roles of animals in regenerative agriculture and a demonstration of a California NGSS; the superpowers of different fruits and vegetables; and a venue to develop leadership skills on a working citrus grove. This project models an innovative way to introduce mission-oriented, nutrition/agriculture education field trips midwifed by Child Nutrition Services departments and supported by their local Farm to School farmers.This project will be evaluated using a mix method evaluation approach. Process evaluations will be used to modify next step implementation, document challenges and best practices, and monitor project progress. Outcome evaluations will be used at the end of our project to quantify increased food access and assess increases in student knowledge, behavior, and quality of life. ?
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360303020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
Old Grove Orange, in conjunction with 4 Inland Empire school district partners, will deliver an experience-based farm field trip opportunity for ~2,000 elementary school students and provide high school students with an opportunity to shadow working farmers. The goals are to:Increase student access to local fruits and vegetables,Provide students with an agriculture education opportunity,Provide students with a nutrition education opportunity,Provide students with a venue to meet and work with farmers,Provide Child Nutrition Programs with a tool to broadcast their Farm to School efforts.
Project Methods
Project DeliveryThis project will begin with developing a Farm Field Trip curriculum that illustrates a California Next Generation Science Standard;include farm infrastructue upgrades thatensure the safety and well being of all visitors and demonstrateotherwise dispersed farm activites;and host farm field trips for 2000 elementary school students.By providing a fully-funded opportunity for students to visit a working farm, we will be increasing student access to local fruits and vegetables; providing students with an Ag-based learning opportunity; educating kids about the nutritional "superpowers" of different produce; creating an opportunity for students to engage and work with their farmers; and helping CND's generate the exposure they need to continue their ongoing Farm to School efforts. EvaluationThe OGO farm field trip project will be evaluated throughout its two project years using a mix method evaluation approach. We will use process evaluations to modify next step implementation, document challenges and best practices, and monitor our project progress. We intend to incorporate qualitative feedback about the effectiveness of our offering to make iterative improvements in our farm field trip programming. Outcome evaluations will be used at the end of our project to quantify increased food access and assess increases in student knowledge, behavior, and quality of life. There are no agriculture education opportunities working with Farm to School/CNS departments in our area, and we are highly interested in identifying best practices and lessons learned to share with other educators and the broader California Farm to School community.Project evaluation will be overseen by Robert Knight, who will participate in the project partners' regular implementation calls and work with partners one-on-one to ensure each partner understands their role in evaluating the project. All evaluation tools and protocols will be accessible for access by all partners, with the PE made available to answer any questions that may arise. The PE will monitor the implementation of activities for fidelity to the plan and propose improvements to the project as needed, and coordinate a bimonthly meeting with the Project Director to assess project progress, benchmarks, and deliverables. He will also be responsible for producing an annual report in preparation for USDA reporting. In addition to NIFA's standardized evaluation activities, we have identified six quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess our anticipated outcomes.Track number of visitors hosted (process evaluation). Visitors will be totalled by type (student, teacher, other) and by district on a quarterly basis from September 2022 in order to ensure that we are making linear progress towards our goal of hosting 2000 students over 17 months.Track amount of produce provided (process evaluation). Produce provided via UPick - a key component of the OGO farm field trip offering - will be totalled by serving on a monthly basis starting from October 2022.Agriculture Education Quiz (outcome evaluation). Farm field trip guides will administer an "AgEd Quiz" at the beginning and end of a farm field trip session to measure information acquisition amongst students. The AgEd Quiz will include questions related to agricultural practices, the superpowers of fruits and vegetables, and an NGSS concept. AgEd Quizzes will be applied to 20% of tours starting October 2022. This before/after data point will help us measure the effect and quality of our agriculture education offering, and help us retool our curriculum delivery if acquisition is poor.Teacher/Other Visitor feedback (outcome evaluation). Each non-student visitor to OGO's farm will receive a brief satisfaction survey at the end of their trip starting October 2022. Survey questions will be designed to elicit scaled feedback, and will address teacher observations of student engagement, student acquisition of Ag/Nutrition/NGSS knowledge, and their support for their districts' ongoing Farm to School efforts.High School Leader feedback (outcome evaluation). Each High School Leader will complete a post-project survey designed to assess whether they had an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, increase their agriculture knowledge, and learn more about agricultural careers.Child Nutrition Director feedback (outcome evaluation). End-of-project, 60 minute review will be conducted with partner CND's starting May 2024. The goal will be to assess stakeholder feedback on the farm field trip, and gather qualitative feedback from CND's on the delivery of our project objectives. Focus areas will include: how each CND leveraged the field trips to promote Farm to School within their respective communities; whether student agriculture and nutrition education knowledge increased, nutritional heal health was improved; and whether the farm field trip contributed to their students' overall quality of life.

Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, Old Grove managed to reach ~70% of its target audience. Students from Adelanto Elementary School District and Hemet Unified School District, and San Jacinto Unified School District traveled to Old Grove Orange for Farm Field Trips. AESD had a total of 475 students participate, and the cohort included students, parents, teachers, and Child Nutrition Services leadership. Of this group... All students are offerred free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision of the NSLP 71.6% of students qualify for free and reduced price meals 65.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19% Black Hemet Unified School District recorded a total of 477 participating students!Hemet Unified was the earliest, most eager adopter of the farm field trip project and selected two of its most underserved schools to participate. All students are offerred free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision of the NSLP 86.6% of students qualify for free and reduced price meals 63.2% Hispanicor Latino, 11.2% English language learners San Jacinto Unified School District had 2263 students participate in this program's Farm Field Trip! After completing a pilot 500 trips, SJUSD secured additional funding to sponsor every 5th graders FFT attendance. In addition to students and administrators, SJUSD also sponsored an on-farm professional development day for its Child Nutrition Services staff. All students are offered free breakfast and lunch through the Community Elighibility Provision of the NSLP 85% of students qualify for free and reduced price meals 77% of students Hispanic or Latino, 8% black Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Old Grove Orange was able to engage ~60secondary students in on-farm experiences. While students at our low-access partner districts have limited opportunities to interact with farmers, two cohorts of 30-students made thrice-annual trips to Old Grove to meet with farmers and experientially engage with their region's citrus history. Modules included grove care, strawberry planting, livestock integration into crop production, and composing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The resuts of this project and the activities facilited by this FASLP award have been publicized in the California Office of Farm to Fork's monthly newsletter and were presented to a group of 30+ interested folks at the 44th annual EcoFarm confrerence in January, 2024. Old Grove and its project partnership has shared information around this funding opportunity to other farming communities of interest, including Burroughs Family Farms and the Heritage Museum of Orange County. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Increase student access to local fruits and vegetables Old Grove Orange and its project partners succesfully increased student access to local fruits and vegetables by 1) directly providing 4500+ 1/2 cup servings of U-Pick fruits/vegetables during the Farm Field Trip (exceeding our 2000 cup benchmark), and 2) increasing student appetite for locally-sourced produce. In the project's base year of SY21-22, AESD, HUSD, and SJUSD collectively spent $208k on locally grown fruits and vegetables. This value increased to $303k in SY22-23 (+45%) and to $542k (+159%) in SY23-24. By engaging and educating students, lunch ladies, and meal men in an on-farm setting, this project partnership saw a meaningful increase in student access to local fruits and vegetables. Provide students with an agriculture education opportunity This project partnership delivered a Farm Field Trip experience to 4138 students. Students were able to increase their knowledge of agriculture with a Next Generation Sciecne Standards-aligned curriculum, and were incentivized to try fruits and vegetables they might otherwise not. Provide students with a nutrition education opportunity This project partnership delivered aFarm Field Trip experience to 4138 students. Old Grove's farmers taught participating students about the nutritional superpowers of different fruits and vegetables in an age-appropriate way, enabling them to make healthier, nturitious choices. Provide students with a venue to meet and work with farmers 4000+ students met their local farmers in an on-farm setting, with an additional ~60 secondary students participating in AgEducation programming. Provide Child Nutrition Programs with a tool to broadcast their Farm to School efforts AESD, HUSD, and SJUSD all leveraged the Farm Field Trip to broadcast their multi-year Farm to School efforts. AESD presented the results of this pilot to its Board of Education members, with AESD's superintendent, assistant superintendent, and all the district's principals making a visit to the farm. At HUSD, Nutrition Serviceswas able to collarboate with Education Services, expanding the reach and impact of its Farm to School work. SJUSD engaged the district's marketing team to promote its Farm Field Trip offering, and was featured in the California Office of Farm to Fork's monthly newsletter, as well as in Poppy Seeds magazine.

Publications


    Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23

    Outputs
    Target Audience:During this reporting period, Old Grove managed to reach ~30% of its target audience. Students from Adelanto Elementary School District and Hemet School District traveld to Old Grove Orange for Farm Field Trips. Adelanto Elementary - 115 students participated in the Old Grove farm field trip in SY '22-'23. The AESD cohort included students, parents, teachers, and Child Nutrition Services leadership. 100% of Adelanto Elementary's remaining trips are scheduled for SY '23-'24. • All students are offerred free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision of the NSLP • 71.6% of students qualify for free and reduced price meals • 65.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19% Black Hemet Unified School District - 477 students from Hemet Unified participated in the Old Grove farm field trip in SY '22-'23. Hemet Unified was the earliest, most eager adopter of the farm field trip project and selected two of its most underserved schools to participate. HUSD will not be sending additional students as this would exceed allocated funds. 500 elementary school students from Hemet Unified School District • All students are offerred free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision of the NSLP • 86.6% of students qualify for free and reduced price meals • 63.2% Hispanice or Latino • 11.2% English language learners Changes/Problems:Old Grove Orange and its Project Partners have not experienced major changes in its approach. However, we note that after working with our qualified, enthusiastic district partners - Adelanto Elementary School District, Hemet Unified School District, Palm Springs Unified SchoolDistrict, and San Jacinto Unified School District - the Project Team determined that there was no need to retain the consultant services of Kristin Shepherd at Recess Revolution. The funds earmarked for Ms. Shepherd's services have been reallocated within "Other Direct Costs" and will be used to supplement the project's Pollinator Garden - the tool needed to demonstrate pollinators' contribution on a farm. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Old Grove's Project Partners of this reporting period - Adelanto Elementary School District and Hemet Unified School District - used their Farm Field Trips to broadcast their broader Farm to School efforts and generate support amongst their stakeholders. At Adelanto Elementary, Old Grove Orange and Child Nutrition Services were given an opportunity to present on the success of AESD's Farm to School programming to AESD's Board of Education. This presentation was met with unequivoal support by AESD's board members, and was filmed/posted to YouTube for the broader AESD community to view. It was followedby a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and all-district Principals visit in order to generate continuing cultural and financial support for the district's farm field trip programming. At Hemet Unified School District, Child Nutrition Services facilitated the delivery of its Farm Field Trips by working closely with HUSD's Director of Elementary Education, bridging a key divide between nutrition services and educational programming. Hemet Unified also heavily promoted the Farm Field Tripson their social media accounts to reach their parent community. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Old Grove and its Project Partners intend to... Deliver the balance of it project-funded farm field trips in order to meet all 5 of its project goals; Assess stakeholder feedback on the farm field trip to quantify increased food access and assess increases in student knowledge, behavior, and quality of life; Identifying best practices and lessons learned to share with other educators in the broader California Farm to School community; and produce a marketing package of photos and testimonials to pitch the value of Farm Field Trips to other school districts and funders.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Old Grove Orange and its Project Partners successfully delivered 10 (of 36) farm field trips to ~600 students (of 2000) during the reporting period. To each goal's end... The Project Team increased student access to local fruits and vegetables by delivering 1,038 1/2 cup servings of fresh, local produce to the 600 students participating in Old Grove's farm field trips. The items served included organic navel oranges off of historic, 106 year-old trees; organic sugar snap peas that students were able to pick right off the vine; and organic liltte/red gem lettuce heads harvested by directly by students for consumption at home. Some parents and teachers noted that, "getting to pull fruit and vegetables directly from the plant or tree" was one of the most impactful elements of the farm field trip. In addition, the farm field trip indirectly increased student access to local frutis and vegetables by developing increased support for Farm to School procurement. Both AESD (+8% yoy)and HUSD (+1005% yoy) increasedlocal procurement purchases in the first four months of SY'23-'24 following their participation on the Old Grove Orange farm field trips. The Project Team provided 600 students with an agriculture education and nutrition education opportunity in the form of 10 farm field trips. This team worked togther to create a Farm Field Trip curriculum that ecompassed grade-appropriate California Next Generation Science Standards and was inclusive of Spanish language speakers and students with special needs. Students learned about regenerative agriculture and the role played by animals on a working farm; the ways in which farmers work with nature to grow food - planting cover crops, making compost, beneficial insects; and the "superpowers" of different fruits and vegetabels. See above. The Old Grove Farm Field Trip allowed for 600 students to meet their farmers and have experiences on a working farm. Educators most often cited the students' connection between what they were seeing on farm and what they were being served in their cafeterias the most impactful, positive elements of the Farm Field Trip. Comments included, "learning where the food comes from that is served in our cafeteria [was a key positive]," "our favorite - the oranges from the farm were the oranges we have at school," "it made a personal connection with the kids that we receive our veggies/fruits from this farm." This project provided a key vehicle by which Adelanto Elementary School District's and Hemet Unified School District's Child Nutrition Services Departments were able to make inroads amongst their stakeholders. At Adelanto Elementary, Old Grove Orange and Child Nutrition Services were given an opportunity to present on the success of AESD's Farm to School programming to AESD's Board of Education. This presentation was met with unequivoal support by AESD's board members, and was filmed/posted to YouTube for the broader AESD community to view. It was followed by a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and all-district Principals visit in order to generate continuing cultural and financial support for the district's farm field trip programming. Multiple principals committed to independently paying for farm field trips in the future. At Hemet Unified School District, Child Nutrition Services facilitated the delivery of its Farm Field Trips by working closely with HUSD's Director of Elementary Education, bridging a key divide between nutrition services and educational programming. 100% of HUSD's responding educators expressed a desire to bring future groups on the Old Grove Farm Field Trip.

    Publications