How to Get Started

Atlanta Farm to School and Educational Garden Programs Resource Guide

Sat, Sep 1st, 2007

Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions Barbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour, and Janet Bachmann

Sun, Dec 1st, 2002

This Resource Guide for Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs provides farmers, school administrators, and institutional food-service planners with contact information and descriptions of existing programs that have made these connections between local farmers and local school lunchrooms, college dining halls, or cafeterias in other institutions. To help communities initiate similar programs, this publication includes resource lists.

Farm to School: Minnesota Toolkit for Food Service University of Minnesota

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

Farm to school programs are receiving a lot of attention these days. Concern about a rise in obesity and diet-related metabolic disorders among children combined with increased interest in supporting local economies have lots of people thinking hard about the food that kids get in schools. Placing locally-grown food on school lunch plates can help spark students' interest in a healthier diet, get school food service dollars reinvested in the community, and provide concerned parents and administrators with a short, transparent, traceable route that the food traveled from farm to plate. According to a recent survey of food service directors by the Minnesota School Nutrition Association (www.agobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=105219), many school food service directors are interested in farm to school programs, but lack time to explore options or implement new strategies. This can be an overwhelming obstacle to a food service director who is already under enormous time and budget constraints. A toolkit of ready-to-use materials could go a long way toward increasing participation in farm to school programs. The Willmar School District in western Minnesota has gradually incorporated locally purchased food into its cafeteria menu over the last four years. In response to requests to share their information, Annette Hendrickx Derouin (Willmar's Director of Food and Nutrition Services) and Lynn Mader (U of M Extension, Family Development) have been working with the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and an advisory team to develop an online toolkit for Minnesota school nutrition programs. The toolkit contains information and materials to assist in planning a farm to school program; sourcing, preparing, and serving local foods; and promoting the food to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Ready-to-use items include cafeteria menus and recipes complete with nutritional information, sample newsletter and announcement pieces, posters, and tested methods for getting students to sample the food. While most of this website toolkit is intended specifically for food service, the website also provides links to resources to learn more about farm to school programs, including classroom and community connections. Check out the website, www.mn-farmtoschool.umn.edu . For more information, contact Lynn Mader, made0036@umn.edu, 612-708-8635.

Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden California School Garden Network

Thu, Dec 1st, 2005

A comprehensive instructional resource for teachers, parents and schools interested in garden-based learning. This book was developed by the California School Garden Network (CGSN), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and sustain California gardens to enhance academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle, environmental stewardship, community and social development.

Growing the Links Between Farms and Schools Clare Hinrichs, Kai Schafft, Dara Bloom, and Erin McHenry-Sorber

Sat, Nov 1st, 2008

Guidebook for Pennsylvania Farmers, Schools and Communities: Growing the Links Between Farms and Schools Interested in bringing a farm to school program to a school near you- The Center for Rural Pennsylvania's recently released guide, Growing the Links between Farms and Schools: A How-To Guidebook for Pennsylvania Farmers, Schools and Communities, could help. The guide is aimed at schools and school districts, especially food service directors, teachers, administrators, school nurses, and school health and wellness committees. It was also written for farmers and suppliers who are interested in participating in a farm to school program but are unsure about when or how to develop relationships with local schools. The guidebook recognizes that both schools and farmers need to work together to make farm to school programs work effectively and describes a number of different ways to make connections and to start and sustain a successful farm to school program. Dr. Clare Hinrichs, Dr. Kai Schafft, Dara Bloom and Erin McHenry-Sorber of Pennsylvania State University developed the guide through a grant from the Center.

How Do We Feed Vermont's School Children :An Insiders Guide to Vermont School Meals and How To Impro Vermont FEED

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

The purpose of this primer is: - To outline how Vermont schools currently provide meals to their children. - To show how the Farm2School initiative is working with schools to encourage greater use of fresh local foods and helping Vermont children make wiser, healthier choices about the food they eat.

How Local Farmers and School Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliances Debra Tropp and Surajudeen Olowolayemo

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

On May 1, 2000, more than 180 individuals - school food service directors, State and Federal commodity procurement officials, Extension agents, members of farm cooperatives, and agricultural marketing specialists - gathered at the Georgetown College Training and Conference Center in Georgetown, KY, to share information and strategies aimed at boosting the use of locally produced fresh food in school feeding programs.? The event, entitled the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Small Farm/School Meals Initiative Southeast Regional Workshop, was cosponsored and organized by the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.? This report summarizes the educational highlights of the workshop in an effort to help small farmers and school food service buyers throughout the country explore how they might be able to establish similar business relationships in their own communities.

How We Started A Farm to Cafeteria Program and How You Can Start One Too

Thu, Oct 1st, 2009

This "How To" summarizes New York's farm to cafeteria success.

Local Food Connections: From Farms to Schools. Iowa State University Extension

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

Through direct marketing of their products, Iowa farmers and growers are forming a stronger connection with their customers and obtaining premium prices or those products. One potential direct marketing customer is the local school.

Mapping School Food: A Policy Guide Marlo R. Miura, Jason A. Smith, Jess Alderman

Fri, Dec 7th, 2007

Improving the school food environment can be a difficult task, and understanding school food law and policy can be a barrier to getting started. Mapping School Food was written to help legislators, advocates, parents, teachers and anyone interested in improving school food navigate school food law and policy. Mapping School Food is an innovative guide that describes school food policy from the perspective of different personnel in the school system. It also provides tools to help advocates find answers, resolve conflicts, and build consensus for improving school food in their community. Mapping School Food is available as a free download.

Michigan Farm to School website

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

Michigan Farm to School is a portal for information and a venue for sharing ideas, tools, and resources to support these and other efforts to link schools with local agriculture in Michigan.

Minnesota Toolkit Farm to School University of Minnesota

Fri, Dec 1st, 2006

NJ Farm to School Network Partners New Jersey Farm to School Network

Sat, Jun 19th, 2010

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture gives many links relevant for anyone interested in farm to school in Pennsylvania.

Research and Resources New Jersey Farm to School Network

Tue, Jun 1st, 2010

Selling to Institutions: An Iowa Farmer Robert Luedeman & Neil D. Hamilton

Thu, Dec 1st, -0001

lists helpful information on insurance and legal issues for producers who want to enter institutional food markets. It was written by Des Moines attorney Robert Luedeman and Neil Hamilton from the Drake Agricultural Law Center

Start a Farm in the City (Comience una Granja en la Ciudad) Rex Dufour

Wed, Jul 1st, 2009

This publication outlines some of the pros and cons related to urban farming, illustrated by the story of a young girl starting a garden in the city. It includes 12 pages of resources, with information about urban soils and soil testing resources, as well as a state by state listing of organizations which have urban ag educational programs around the country. The Spanish version is a bit longer as it includes a listing of Spanish language resources. Click here for the English version, and click here for the Spanish version.

The Little Green Schoolhouse: Thinking Big About Ecological Sustainability, Children The Green Schools Initiative

Wed, Jun 7th, 2006

The Little Green Schoolhouse establishes a framework that brings together a variety of school-related environmental health and sustainability issues under one conceptual and strategic roof. It documents how our current school systems are threats to our childrens' health and models of unsustainability. Drawing from a diversity of inspiring efforts going on around the country, the report also presents a broad idealistic vision of what green and healthy schools could look like. And it articulates a series of pragmatic policy recommendations, including organizing to pass school board resolutions that serve as blueprints for sustainable and healthy schools.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition�s Guide to USDA Funding for Local and Regional Food S Kate Fitzgerald, Lucy Evans, Jessica Daniel

Thu, Apr 1st, 2010

Vermont Farm to School: A Guide for Connecting Farms to Schools and Communities VT Food Education Every Day

Mon, Jan 1st, 2007

Contains information and resources on: how to market farm products for use in schools; how to use a farm for education with students; hands-on, farm-based educational activities; how to connect farms to their communities. Please contact VT Feed for a copy of this booklet.