USDA photo by Tom Witham.
The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District is excited to share that one of our partners, ECO City Farms, received a visit from USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack! ECO City Farms—which is a non-profit urban teaching and learning farm in Prince George’s County—also received a $300,000 USDA-NRCS Urban Ag and Innovation Production Competitive Grant for its incubator farm project, a collaboration between the District, Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, The Capital Market, and Prince George’s County Food Equity Council. Secretary Vilsack’s visit to ECO City Farms and Riverdale Elementary School occurred on October 12 to celebrate the launch of National School Lunch Week and National Farmer’s Day, which highlighted USDA’s commitment to promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices.
Secretary Vilsack’s visit to both ECO City Farms and Riverdale Elementary School also highlighted Farm to School Month. Just last month, Secretary Vilsack announced $1.5 billion in assistance to support meal programs facing supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Secretary Vilsack said, “Farm to school programs can help address pressing needs across the country—from increasing sustainability to boosting local economies—while also offering opportunities for fun and learning for our nation’s school children. A win-win for all involved.”
USDA photo by Tom Witham.
Other USDA initiatives include awarding grants to bolster school meal programs and relief funds, publishing new education resources for schools to help plan and serve meals, partnering with schools to withstand supply chain issues, and providing funds to expand school breakfast participation in schools across five states and territories.
We are #PrinceGeorgesProud of ECO City Farms and their accomplishments! We are also proud to have two of our staff members participate in Secretary Vilsack’s visit. Learn more about our urban agricultural efforts!
Photo gallery of Secretary Vilsack’s visit to ECO City Farms.
Photo gallery of Secretary Vilsack’s visit to Riverdale Elementary School.
