NC Commissioner of Agriculture Visits Wake School
May 29, 2001 -- North Carolina's Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services Commissioner visited Dillard Drive Middle
School Tuesday to promote locally-grown strawberries as part
of the "Farm to School" program. 
Decked out in a strawberry-red suit, Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps ate lunch in the cafeteria, helping herself to plenty of state-grown strawberries, before speaking to several classes. She asked a 7th-grade science class how many of them ate strawberries at lunch. "You were eating strawberries grown right here in our state. I know our farmers really appreciate it," said Phipps.
WCPSS Child Nutrition purchases strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and broccoli for school breakfast and lunch through the "Farm to School" program.
Phipps discussed the food pyramid, the history of the strawberry,
and a several fruit facts. Strawberries can be grown in all
100 counties in NC, which ranks fourth in the country for
the number of strawberries we grow, she said. Students were
quick to name their favorite ways to eat strawberries - in
smoothies, yogurt and dipped in chocolate. 
WCPSS has participated in the farm program since the NC Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense established it several years ago. The program seeks out local farmers who produce large volumes of fresh fruits and vegetables with the purpose of introducing students to locally grown products and supporting local farmers.
For more information on NC strawberries, click here.