Grand Forks students to dine on, learn about local potatoes

GRAND FORKS - Students in the Grand Forks region will dine on and learn about local potatoes this Wednesday and Thursday at multiple events during Fresh from North Dakota School Lunch Week, which runs Sept. 30 through Oct. 4, 2024.<_o3a_p>

Representatives from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA), the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and Northland Potato Growers (NPG) will visit two area elementary schools Wednesday, Oct. 2, and Thursday, Oct. 3, to educate youth on potatoes and how they impact agriculture in the state. Potatoes will be donated to Grand Forks Public Schools by NPG to encourage youth to eat local. The students will also participate in a crunch off, which is a competition held during October 2024 among seven states to see who can get the most crunches into a piece of locally grown produce, per capita.<_o3a_p>

On Wednesday evening, NDDA, NPG and the Blue Zones Project will be hosting a potato cooking demonstration with Chef Heather Schneider at the UND Wellness Center Culinary Corner from 5:30 - 7 pm. The free event is open to UND students, staff and faculty.<_o3a_p>

"North Dakota is in the third largest potato-producing region in the United States, producing 2.6 billion pounds annually. Highlighting high-quality raw commodities such as potatoes helps students learn how their food is produced," Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. "School lunch programs can help local economies and the state's economy by buying locally produced and processed foods."<_o3a_p>

October is Farm to School month nationwide. <_o3a_p>

For more information on the crunch off, visit https://www.ndda.nd.gov/crunch.<_o3a_p>