Wyoming has been named the champion of the Mountain Plains Region Crunch Off, a competition celebrating locally grown food consumption during Wyoming Farm to School Week in October, Wyoming News Now reports.
The event, part of National Farm to School Month, included nine states: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Wyoming surged to victory by logging 39,982 crunches—bites into locally grown produce—dethroning longtime champion Nebraska. This remarkable total marked a 2,000% increase from the state’s participation last year, which recorded just 1,986 crunches. Much of the success is attributed to the inaugural Wyoming Farm to School Day, celebrated statewide on October 2.
State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder highlighted the achievement as a reflection of Wyoming’s agricultural roots and its commitment to fostering healthy habits among students.
“Growing up in a six-generation ranching family, I understand the hard work and commitment it takes to succeed,” she said. “This victory not only celebrates our state’s agricultural roots but also highlights the importance of fostering a healthy lifestyle for our future generations. Programs like Farm to School connect our children with fresh, local foods and educate them about agriculture and nutrition.”
Bobby Lane, the Wyoming Department of Education’s Farm to School Program Manager, has been instrumental in expanding the initiative over the past year. Lane credited the teamwork between local producers, school districts, and the state for the program’s success.
“Farm to School is growing quickly in the Cowboy State, and local food and agriculture education is showing up in the school cafeterias and classrooms, thanks to the hard work of school food service directors and producers,” Lane said. “We now have over 90 percent participation statewide. We all came together as a team and won big for our Wyoming children.”
The Crunch Off is a collaborative effort led by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Mountain Plains Region and state agencies across the participating states. Local farmers and producers are essential to the success of the event and to the broader farm-to-school initiatives that provide fresh, local food to schools year-round.
