National Farm to School Month returns in October, and this year the Louisiana Farm to School Challenge is putting a new spin on a familiar fall favorite. The LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program is building its annual challenge around winter squash with the theme “You’ve Gourd to Try It.”
The statewide challenge invites schools and early childhood centers to discover winter squash through growing, tasting, cooking and classroom activities throughout October.
Winter squash varieties such as butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash, along with pumpkins, are grown in Louisiana and offer students opportunities to learn about food and agriculture, from seed to harvest.
“Farm to school gives students an opportunity to experience agriculture in ways that go beyond a textbook,” Crystal Besse, Louisiana Farm to School Program director, said. “Growing something, tasting something new or learning about a local crop can spark curiosity and help students understand where their food comes from.”
Winter squash can provide a starting point for activities and lessons that span many subjects. Students can observe plant growth in a garden, compare varieties, work with measurements in a recipe or explore the science and history behind the food they eat.
Participants who sign the Farm to School Challenge pledge will receive access to Seeds to Success resources to help plan their “You’ve Gourd to Try It” activities. Schools and early childhood centers can grow winter squash, purchase it from a local producer, hold a taste test, serve it as part of a meal or incorporate it into classroom activities.
National Farm to School Month also provides an opportunity for students to celebrate Louisiana agriculture through the annual Louisiana Farm to School Art Contest. Now in its fifth year, the contest invites Louisiana public and private school students in grades K-12 to create original artwork featuring crops, livestock or other agricultural products produced, raised or caught in the state.
For Tyne Bankester, program manager for curriculum integration and MarketMaker with Seeds to Success, the art contest gives students another way to learn about Louisiana agriculture and share what they see.
“Some of the best learning happens when students have something real in front of them,” Bankester said. “As a teacher, I saw how giving students the opportunity to create and share their own ideas could make a lesson more meaningful. Art gives them another way to show what they notice and understand about the world around them.”
Students can draw inspiration from the agriculture around them, from a crop growing in a field or school garden to a favorite Louisiana food or the people who produce it. Thirteen winning entries will be selected for the 2027 Louisiana Farm to School calendar, continuing a tradition of showcasing student perspectives on Louisiana agriculture.
From a school garden to a blank sheet of paper, National Farm to School Month gives students different ways to connect with the food they eat and the agriculture that makes it possible.
The 2026 Louisiana Farm to School Art Contest is open to Louisiana public and private school students in grades K-12, with entries accepted through Oct. 28. The 2026 Louisiana Farm to School Challenge is open to participants of all ages, including schools and early childhood centers statewide.
Information about the challenge, art contest and other National Farm to School Month activities can be found at seedstosuccess.com/ news-and-opportunities/.
