Sometimes ranchers and local cattle feeders instigate the idea and at other times, it has come from local school officials. No matter how the idea is conceived, however, it seems bringing locally raised beef into area school lunch programs has been a well-received, win-win scenario for at least 50 school districts across Nebraska.

"There is no wrong way to set this up," said cattle producer, Rob Marsh, Hebron, at the recent Sandhills Cattle Association convention in Ord. Speaking as part of a panel on the subject, Marsh told the group that there are several benefits to local beef producers raising beef for their area school lunch programs. "Beef is nutritious for the kids," Marsh said. "Such programs promote area agriculture and beef to the students, staff and school," he explained. "And it offers a chance for the community to work together."

For Marsh and local producers near Thayer Central School at Hebron, their three-year program began with the establishment of the Titan Beef Boosters organization. Volunteers with the Beef Boosters took a page from Bridgeport and Bayard, where a similar program had already been implemented.

Volunteers around Hebron asked local beef producers for donations of quality cull cows. They asked families, individuals and businesses for cash donations to help cover processing costs. A total of 12 cows were donated to cover the first school year of the program, where the district prepares about 320 lunches on average per day. Much of the $18,000 total processing costs for the animals were also donated. According to Marsh, total contributions to the program so far have come from 113 donors, who contributed 33 animals and cash and in-kind donations of almost $92,000.

Because the beef was donated, it helps the school lunch program cut costs. And because the beef was raised by local producers, it provided an opportunity to talk with students and staff about local agriculture and beef production. "You may think that all rural kids know about agriculture," Marsh explained. "But they don't. So why not teach them about agriculture and feed them each day like we feed our families out of our own freezers."

Working with school officials and lunch program workers, Thayer Central School planned menus with specific days of the week, known as Titan Beef Days, centered on their donated beef. They also held a kickoff event to promote those who contributed in some way to the program and to talk about the importance of beef production to the community, Marsh said. The school lunch program benefited from doubled beef meal offerings, cost savings and an increased number of students participating in school lunch, he said.

In Hebron, the initial program was established for a three-year cycle of donated beef. "Our school board took the initiative, so after the three years are up, they will buy cattle directly from the producers who donated animals previously," he said.

According to Marsh, such programs fit into the "Farm to School" movement, and the Nebraska Department of Education is onboard, recently releasing a new set of guidelines to help similar efforts across the state. Marsh believes that finding a local producer to spearhead the effort, and cooperating with school officials, school lunch service managers and a local cattle producers organization and the Nebraska Beef Council are crucial elements to a successful campaign.

The effort does not come without challenges. Some schools may have to think about storage issues for the beef, he said. Animals must be processed at a USDA federally inspected facility, and these are not available in close proximity to all school districts in the state. Refrigerated transportation for the beef must also be secured, he said.

You can learn more about guidelines and food safety requirements for Nebraska Beef in Schools programs by visiting the NDE website at education.ne.gov.