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An introduction to farm to school and the Farm to School Program at USDA (intended for USDA Farm to School Grant volunteer reviewers).

This webinar reviews the menu planning cycle, making room for local foods, incorporating local foods into schools meals, menu planning tips, and concludes with a question and answer session.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced preliminary Farm to School Census data for school year 2013-2014 that indicate strong farm to school programs can increase the number of students purchasing school breakfast and lunch, improve consumption of healthier foods at school, and reduce plate waste. Census data also indicate that schools purchased nearly $600 million worth of food locally in school year 2013-2014, a 55 percent increase over school year 2011-2012 when the first Farm to School Census was conducted, creating new marketing opportunities for farmers and ranchers in their communities.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced today that USDA will be investing in farm to school programs nationwide to help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. Merrigan joined students at Southern High School to announce the new program that will promote opportunities for nutrition and agriculture education while providing new economic opportunities for food producers of all kinds and communities nationwide. Students at the school displayed and highlighted their farm to school efforts with a tour of the school’s greenhouse.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the release of a request for applications for the third round of USDA's Farm to School grants, including the addition of a new funding track. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers.

Plan your Farm to School program using the new Farm to Child Nutrition Programs Planning Guide. This guide uses the same concepts below to create a robust farm to school program for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Co-hosted by USDA FNS’s Team Nutrition initiative and the Office of Community Food Systems on October 25, 2018, this hour-long webinar focuses on how local foods and nutrition and food education can be incorporated in CACFP settings.

The resources listed  were funded and developed through USDA grants and cooperative agreements. These resources offer extensive information on food safety and school gardens.  Several of these resources provide hands-on activities for children. 

Materials from 2011