Thirteen elementary school students’ art pieces have been chosen for the North Carolina Farm to School 2018-2019 calendar.

This marks the eighth year for the contest. The Farm to School program began in 1997 as a collaborative effort of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Food Distribution and marketing divisions.

The two divisions work together to secure orders from child nutrition directors and then source and deliver locally grown fruits and vegetables for school lunch programs.

During the 2017-2018 school year, the program generated nearly $1.3 million with participation by 87 school districts statewide.

“The judges had an outstanding selection of artwork to choose from with more than 2,700 entries,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It is interesting to see agriculture from their perspective, and I am proud they are learning more about where their food comes from, and that agriculture and agribusiness is North Carolina’s leading industry.”

For the month of April 2019, Amon Villarreal, a fourth-grader at Polk Central Elementary, won for his entry.

Limited numbers of the calendars will be available through participating school systems before the start of the school year. Additional copies will be available at NCDA&CS on a first-come, first-served basis, and printer-friendly versions will be available online at www.ncfarmtoschool.com.

– Submitted by Heather Overton