Missouri Gears Up for Annual Crunch Off

Missouri students and residents are gearing up to participate in the annual Crunch Off competition this October. The event, which takes place during Farm to School Month, aims to promote healthy eating and support local agriculture by encouraging people to “crunch” into locally-grown produce. The competition tracks how much local produce each state can consume per capita, with each unit being called a “crunch.” Last year, Missouri finished third out of eight states in the USDA’s Mountain Plains Region, with a total of 188,673 crunches.

Nebraska has been the reigning champion for five years, but Missouri won Event of the Year in 2023 by supplying popcorn at Mizzou football games. Brad Law, a popcorn farmer from King City, is one of the local producers contributing to the competition. Law and his family have assembled 41,180 bags of popcorn for this year’s Crunch Off, with 5,000 bags being tossed to attendees at the Mizzou Homecoming parade.

Missouri events support local produce

Tracy Minnis, the Farm-to-Institution Local Foods Coordinator with MU Extension, helps plan and execute Crunch Off events. “We celebrate all things local during Farm to School Month by connecting with local producers and connecting kids with where their food comes from,” Minnis said.

Several Missouri organizations, including the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri Department of Social Services, Missouri Department of Education, and Missouri Grown USA, are also involved in the Crunch Off. Events can range from family dinners to large-scale gatherings like the Mizzou football game against Auburn, which will be a Crunch Off event this year. With 163,000 crunches already planned, Minnis is optimistic about Missouri’s chances in the competition.

“It’s looking good so far,” she said. A guide for participating in the Crunch Off can be found on the official website.

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• MyLeaderPaper.”Missouri gears up for Farm to School Crunch Off competition”.
• MorningAgClips.”IT’S CRUNCH TIME! Let’s bring home the win, Missouri!”.
• MorningAgClips.”Mo. Celebrates Farm to School, ECE Month”.

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