On his 20-acre farm 15 miles northwest of Raymond, Gary Fehr grows about 80 different kinds of herbs and 30 to 40 types of vegetables and fruits.
Anything you'd find in a farmers market, basically, Fehr says: Kale, broccoli, onions, potatoes, peppers, jalapenos, carrots.
But Fehr and his operation — Green School Farms — are raising more than produce. He's also helping grow young minds at schools such as Lincoln Pius X, which was named this summer as one of eight participants in the Nebraska Farm to School Institute, an initiative that helps schools start programs to incorporate local produce in the classroom, cafeteria and community.
Farm to School programs already exist in private and public schools across Lincoln and are funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the National School Lunch Program.
Fehr, who has done ag education work at other area schools, brought the idea to Pius X, and the school was on board. So it applied for a $3,000 grant and started the program in June.
"Because we are an urban school, I think we tend to be disconnected to where our food comes from and the work that goes into making that food appear on our table," said Carmen Goeden, Pius X director of nutrition services. "We need to see how we're all connected."
Drawing those connections is one of the main missions of the program, whether through using local produce from area growers in culinary classes or just to make some pretty darn good pumpkin bread for lunch.
Bringing in local produce is also a way for students to sample new foods — like kale chips, roasted turnips, sweet and savory squash — which have proven to be favorites, too.
Fehr, who transitioned into farming and ag education after working in software engineering, said COVID-19 pointed out the pitfalls of relying on a global supply chain, including for food.
"I think that we just sort of assume that food is going to arrive to us magically at the grocery store," he said.
And although Nebraska is a state built on agriculture, much of the food we consume is imported, he said.
"So how can we change that? One of the ways is for us to just simply grow our own food."
On Wednesday, Fehr dropped by the Pius X cafeteria with fun activities for students to take part in — like a seed identification quiz and a guess-the-number-of-peppers challenge.
The Pius X nutrition services staff was also able to make one delicious meal: stuffed green peppers with rice and beans.
But this is only the start, Goeden said. Pius X currently works with just a handful of local growers for now but is seeking more. And she said the school eventually wants to embark on projects that will help the community — such as a hydroponic garden.
There's also a fledgling Farm to School club at Pius X with about 10 to 15 students, with field trips and tours eyed for the future.
Goeden said: "Time will tell, but we would love for it to really take root."
School board recalls fail
Remember those recall efforts levied against the president of the Wahoo Board of Education and a majority of the Norris school board?
Well, both of those efforts never went anywhere, as petition circulators never turned in any signatures.
While those efforts may be over, a campaign in Waverly to recall a board member is still underway. The Waverly News reported last week that District 145 board member Andy Grosshans is facing a recall effort for supporting a continuation of the superintendent's pandemic emergency powers.
The petitioner has until Saturday to turn in 88 signatures.
Shoring up substitute issues
Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel had some good news for teachers at Tuesday's school board meeting.
The district is increasing its pay for teachers who pitch in to cover other classes from $38 to $50 per class. LPS will dip into its federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for the rate increases meant to reward teachers who give up their own planning time to cover classes when substitutes aren't available.
Eric Weber, associate superintendent for human resources, said he expects the raise to kick in sometime around mid-November.
The problem, officials say, is not necessarily the number of substitutes but rather scheduling conflicts. LPS, for example, has particular trouble filling slots on Mondays and Fridays. The district previously rolled out bonuses for subs who work on those days, and administrators certified to teach are even pitching in.
A tight labor market and the pandemic have contributed to teacher and substitute shortages across the country, leading districts like Grand Island and LPS to schedule extra days off to allow teachers more rest.
Joel on Tuesday also announced that video lessons for quarantined elementary school students were made available starting this week. The filmed lessons created by teachers across the district are meant to keep students caught up while stuck at home — many of whom aren't yet eligible to be vaccinated.
“We can’t deny that there’s a problem. Let’s just figure out what the themes are, figure out what we want to change and get it changed,†one b…
Senior Jack Noel writes down his guess at the number of peppers at a booth set up by local produce farm Green School Farms in the Lincoln Pius X cafeteria Wednesday.