On the heels of the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative launched last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that aims to connect people more closely with the farmers who supply their food, the agency announced another novel partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and the nation’s dairy farmers to promote good nutrition and fitness in the nation’s schools.

With childhood obesity squarely in the crosshairs, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – who’s been vigorously touting the importance and relevance of healthy eating to meaningful health care reform of late – said that the collaboration was established to help “reverse this dangerous trend and give our kids the opportunity to eat smarter, exercise more and lessen their risk of disease.”

As part of President Obama’s effort to promote good nutrition and physical fitness for America’s children, the effort will enlist the support of both the public and private sectors, which Vilsack said “will have to work together to marshal their combined expertise and resources.”

After meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Thomas Gallagher, chief executive of Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), which runs the National Dairy Research and Promotion Program, Vilsack and the two organizations successfullly hammered out the framework for the allied nutrition and fitness program based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in some 60,000 schools this fall.

Dubbed “Fuel Up to Play 60,” the social marketing program seeks to empower kids to assume leadership in being more active and eating more healthy foods while inspiring them to “fuel up” with the nutrient-rich foods they often lack — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low- or no-fat dairy products — and “get up and play” with 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Student teams will evaluate their school’s wellness and choose the healthy eating and physical activity programs on which the school will focus.

Looking ahead, Vilsack and the program’s partners discussed next-step plans for developing a joint Memorandum of Understanding, which would allow USDA programs and Fuel Up to Play 60 to collaborate and collectively tackle the critical issue of children’s health.

Commenting on the NFL’s partner role in the new program, commissioner Goodell called the effort “an important component” of the NFL’s own Play 60 campaign, whose goal “is to raise awareness about the importance of staying fit and eating right, especially for America’s young people.” The commish further described the partnership as “a powerful alliance linking the USDA, National Dairy Council and the NFL to address childhood obesity and emphasize the role of daily physical activity in a healthy lifestyle.”

Speaking of the important topic of child nutrition, the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings kicked off the fourth annual “Love Your Veggies” program, which will provide $10,000 in grants to 10 public elementary schools in the United States to support increased access to and consumption of fresh produce.

In partnership with School Nutrition Foundation, the Love Your Veggies grant program aims to help schools fund the implementation of fresh fruit and vegetable education programs in the lunchroom and in the classroom following the 2004 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which required school districts to adopt local school wellness policies to strengthen nutrition and physical activity programs.

In addition to the 10 grants, the Love Your Veggies effort will also award another $10,000 grant to an elementary school through a Twitter contest set to run Sept. 21 to Oct. 2. Elementary schools will be asked to tweet their 140 character application — which can include a link to a Web site or photo — to @HVRanch, and then launch a re-tweet campaign for their chance to win. Interested schools may apply for the full grant program through Nov. 6, 2009 via the “Grant Program” section at LoveYourVeggies.com, with winners announced in April.

And though both Hidden Valley Ranch’s and the USDA/NFL/DMI alliance don’t directly target supermarkets, increased exposure to vegetables, fruits and sound nutrition choices will not only potentially improve children’s diets in the short term, but also, more importantly, impart positive lifestyle gains for the long run with the next generation of consumers.