Jacey Wesley LSU AgCenter
Woodworth – From July 15 to 18, Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program brought together four dedicated school teams for a multi-day educational retreat at the Wesley Center in Woodworth, LA.
This year’s teams represent the Diocese of Lafayette, Breaux Bridge Elementary School, Central Community School System and Einstein Charter Network. Through interactive sessions and guided work time, the teams explored strategies to enhance their farm to school efforts by improving school wellness, increasing access to local foods, and engaging students through hands-on learning. The retreat established the foundation for a year-long Institute that supports meaningful, school-led changes across Louisiana.
Participants took part in hands-on workshops, collaborative planning sessions, and interactive learning experiences.
“The workshops were amazing. They were really inspiring and invigorating,” said Trudy Ferrand, a veteran educator and member of the Einstein Charter Network team. “I like hands-on workshops where you can take something away.”
The teams, composed of educators, nutrition leaders, administrators, school garden coordinators and community partners, are each embarking on a unique, year-long professional learning journey focused on sourcing local food, integrating agricultural and nutrition education and expanding school gardens and growing projects.
Each team developed a tailored action plan outlining specific goals, timelines, and roles. Supporting each team is a dedicated Farm to School Coach who will provide guidance and resources as they implement their action plans within their school communities throughout the upcoming school year.
“After working in school nutrition for nearly 24 years, I had never truly seen how powerful the connection is between the classroom, cafeteria, and community,” said Pennye McKee, Food and Nutrition Services Assistant Director on the Diocese of Lafayette team. “This retreat showed me how involving students in growing food can spark their interest in healthier eating and bring that enthusiasm home to their families.”
Over the course of four days, teams engaged in the Institute’s four-part action planning cycle, a systematic approach to farm to school planning based on best practices developed by Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day). During this time, teams developed shared values and identified common areas of concern for the youth in their community.
The action plans developed by each team lay out strategic steps teams plan to take to address these issues with purposeful farm to school programming within the classroom, cafeteria, community and beyond. This shared foundation empowers teams to create lasting improvements in wellness, nutrition education, and local food sourcing.
“This retreat was more than just inspiration— it gave school teams the time, structure and support to turn ideas into actionable plans,” said Crystal Besse, Louisiana Farm to School Program Director. “With clear goals and ongoing coaching, these teams are positioned to build stronger, more sustainable farm to school programs in their districts.”
The Louisiana Farm to School Institute is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Louisiana Department of Education and supported by the LSU Agricultural Center’s Seeds to Success Program. The Institute’s professional learning model is based on best practices developed by Vermont FEED. The 2025–2026 Institute is made possible in part thanks to the generous support of sponsors including Immense Networks, Humana, 4Sisters Rice, and Louisiana Farm Bureau.
For more information about the Louisiana Farm to School Institute or the Seeds to Success Program, visit seedstosuccess.com.
Four teams representing the Diocese of Lafayette, Breaux Bridge Elementary School, Central Community School System and Einstein Charter Network joined the Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program at the second Louisiana Farm to School Institute at the Wesley Center in Woodworth from July 15 to July 18. (Jacey Wesley/LSU AgCenter)
