from farm to school

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RESOURCESERIES

BRINGINGLOCALFOOD

TOLOCALINSTITUTIONSA RESOURCEGUIDEFORFARM-TO-SCHOOL

ANDFARM-TO-INSTITUTIONPROGRAMS

Small-scale farmers are often unable to selltheir produce and processed meats directly to

local markets such as grocery stores, schools,hospitals, prisons, and other institutional din-ing facilities. Food production and process-ing are very centralized in America, with mostof our food grown and distributed by large-scale or corporate farmssome located inother nations.

Consumers overall are disconnected from oneof the most important components for their ownhealth and happinessthe food they eat. Rarelydo they have contact with or personal knowledgeabout the farms and farmers who grow their food.As a result, most consumers have very limitedcontrol over the quality and safety of their food.

When small-scale farmers are able to sell theirproducts to local stores and institutions, they gainnew and reliable markets, consumers gain accessto what is often higher-quality, more healthfulfood, and more food dollars are invested in the

local economy.This publication provides farmers, school

administrators, and institutional food-serviceplanners with contact information and descrip-tions of existing programs that have made theseconnections between local farmers and

INTRODUCTION

The Farm-to-School salad bar at Malcolm X Middle School inBerkeley, CA, proves that the fresh taste of locally-purchasedfoods appeals to kids of all ages.

ByBarbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour,and Janet BachmannNCAT Agriculture SpecialistsOctober 2003Copyright2003 NCAT

Table of Contents

Introduction .............................................1

Benefits and Constraints of

Farm-to-School

or Institution Programs ............................2

Program Coordination .............................2

Table 1. Funding and Assistance

Programs ..................................................5

Program Implementation Steps...............7

Table 2. 2002 Farm Bill Provisions

that Impact on Development of

Farm-to-School Programs ........................8

Table 3. United States Department of

Agriculture Programs ..............................9

Successful Programs ................................9

Acknowledgements ............................... 11

References .............................................. 11Table 4. Farm-to-School and

Farm-to-Institution Publications ...........13

Table 5. Local Food Security

Publications ...........................................16

Table 6. Farm-to-School and

Farm-to-Institution Programs ................ 18
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20People


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local school lunchrooms, college dining halls, orcafeterias in other institutions. To help commu-nities initiate similar programs, this publicationincludes resource lists of:

Publications on how to initiate andmanage farm-to-school and farm-to-institu-tion programs.

Sources of funding and technical assistancefrom government and non-government pro-grams.

Provisions within the 2002 Farm Bill support-ing implementation of farm-to-school andother community food programs.

BENEFITSANDCONSTRAINTS

OFFARM-TO-SCHOOLOR

INSTITUTIONPROGRAMS

BENEFITS

As mentioned above, selling to schools,colleges, hospitals, prisons, or other institu-tions provides smaller-scale farmers with a de-pendable market. Forconsumers, local pro-duce means fresh food

from a known source.Breakfasts and lunchesprovided by schoolsare often the majorsource of nutrition forchildren from low-in-come homes. At other in-stitutions, the food ser-vice may be the pre-dominant, if not only,source of food for con-sumers. Consumers

who have access to local food in schools or otherinstitutions become more aware of local food sys-tems and may be encouraged by the superiortaste and quality to increase their purchases oflocally produced food through farmers markets,farm stands, or other venues. This has positiveripple effects on the local economy. For collegesand universities, farm-to-campus programs canhelp break down barriers between town andgown, while stimulating the local economy.

These programs also provide opportunities forstudent involvement in related educational andcommunity-based activities such as composting,recycling, and community gardening.

POTENTIALCONSTRAINTS

While schools and institutions a generationago relied heavily on local products for meal

planning and preparation, the majority of todaysinstitutions use food obtained through nationalfood distributors. Much of this food is processedand prepared by food service companies, thuseliminating the need for schools and institutionsto have cooking staff or kitchen facilities. Simul-taneously, the huge growth in the fast foods in-dustry has affected food preferences of both chil-dren and adults. As a result, students and otherinstitutional customers often reject, rather thanembrace, the introduction of fresh salads, fruitplates, or other dishes prepared from local pro-

duce (1).

PROGRAM COORDINATION

To be successful, farm-to-school programsmust have a good buying, selling, and distri-

bution system. Food ser-vice buyers want to maketheir food purchases us-ing a one-stop shoppingapproach that allows

them to order, receive,and pay for produce in anefficient and cost-effec-tive manner. Farmerswant a dependable buyerwho pays them a reason-able price, while not re-quiring them to absorbexcess processing or dis-tribution expenses.

DISTRIBUTIONSYSTEMS

Kelli Sanger with the Washington State Depart-ment of Agriculture Small Farm and Direct Mar-keting Program summarized distribution ap-proaches that existing farm-to-school and farm-to-institution programs have used successfully (3):

A farmers cooperative acts as a distributorand broker. Individual farmers belong to acooperative that collects their produce, then

A good way to get students interested in eating vegetablesand fruit is having them grow produce in school gardens.


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Farmers & institutions: critical constraints they face

Both farmers and the schools or institutions they seek to serve face several critical constraints in the develop-ment of farm-to-school or farm-to-institution programs. From the perspectiveof the institution, these constraints include (2):

Current contract agreements they have with food service compa-nies

Lack of knowledge of food service staff in how to store and preparefresh farm products and meet mandated portion requirements

Food preferences of students and other consumers

Lack of availability of many fresh farm products during certain timesof the year

Lack of efficiency of ordering and payment procedures with farmers compared to contract foodservice companies

Institutions having limited funds to purchase food, while local foods often cost more than prod-ucts available through contract food service companies

Institutional access to free or low-cost foods through USDA surplus commodities programs

From the perspective of farmers, these constraints include whether they can:

Supply food in quantities that meet the needs of the institution

Assure food quality and food safety

Obtain adequate liability insurance

Get access to processing, packaging, and storage facilities

Efficiently distribute and transport products to educational or institutional buyers

processes and distributes it to schools and/

or institutions.Examples: New North Florida Cooperativeof Small Farmers and University of Wis-consin campus diner service program

A non-profit organization acts as distributorand broker. A community-based nonprofit or-ganization serves as a liaison between grow-ers and institutional buyers. The organizationreceives food orders from institutions and co-ordinates with the cooperating farmers to filland deliver the order.

Example: All-Iowa Meals project with IowaState University

A local wholesaler acts as distributor and bro-ker. A local food wholesaler picks up, pro-cesses, and delivers produce to schools and/or institutions.

Example: America Fresh DistributionSystem

Farmers markets serve as the central loca-

tion where schools pick up farm products.

Schools or institutions purchase produce ata local farmers market. To ensure that insti-tutional buyers get the type and quantity ofproduce they desire, orders are placed in ad-vance with specific vendors. A coordinatoris required to order, pick up, and deliver pro-duce from the market to the schools.

Example: Santa Monica-Malibu School Dis-trict and the Occidental College Center for Foodand Justice

State government acts as the distributor of

state commodities and produce. The StateDepartment of Agriculture works with theU.S. Department of Defense produce procure-ment program to identify and contract withfarmers. These agencies coordinate the pur-chase and distribution of produce for the pro-gram.

Example: North Carolina Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services

Fresh Produce Program: The U.S. Depart-



ment of Defense (DOD) acts as a procurementagency for produce used in school lunch pro-grams. It purchases food from farmers andthen serves as vendor to the schools. TheDOD does not deliver produce to schools.

Examples: North Carolina, Florida, Tennes-see, Kentucky, and Washington State areworking with the U.S. Department of Defensein coordination with theUSDAs SmallFarms/School Meals Initiative. California andIllinois also havepilot programs un-derway.

Food service compa-nies as intermediariesin farm-to-campusprograms. Privatefood service compa-nies that contract

with colleges anduniversities to pro-cure, process, and de-liver food to cafete-rias procure some oftheir meat and pro-duce from local farm-ers rather thanthrough institutionalbrokers.

E x a m p l e s :

Aramark at SlipperyRock University inP e n n s y l v a n i a ,Burlington Food Ser-vices at MiddleburyCollege in Vermont,Bon Appetit at Ever-green State College inWashington.

FARMERAGREEMENTSWITHSCHOOLSORINSTITUTIONS

Farmers who propose to sell food productsto schools or institutions need to carefully ana-lyze what they can offer, when they can provideit, and the quantity that they can deliver. If theyare approaching a school or institution that hasnot previously made purchases from farmers,producers also need to conduct some basic mar-ket research to determine what products theschool wants or needs.

In addition, producers need to convince the

institution of the benefits of buying from localfarmers (2). Smaller-scale farmers may need toform cooperative agreements with other farm-ers in the area or work through existing distri-bution networks, such as the U.S.Department of Defense procurementagency, to provide schools and institutions withthe necessary volume of farm products on a con-

tinuing basis (4). Often, farmers can form initialagreements with schools and institutions by

agreeing to provideproducts that serve aparticular niche, such asfoods favored by vari-ous cultural groups orproducts that are hardto obtain through theusual institutional foodservice companies (4).

Several face-to-facemeetings between thefarmer and the institu-tional buyer may be nec-essary before an agree-ment can be signed. In-stitutional buyers willprobably need to visitthe farm or cooperativesite to inspect the fieldsand washing and cool-ing facilities. The

farmer may encourage avisit from institutionalchefs, who generally aretrained to appreciatefood quality and fresh-ness.

Once the farm-insti-tution link is established, some institutions holdan annual training for their food service staff ata participating farm. During these trainings, staffcan see, taste, and prepare the produce freshlyharvested from the field. They can also meet par-ticipating farmers to learn about growing andharvesting produce and suggest additional vari-eties for the farmer to grow.

Farmers wanting to establish and maintainmarketing agreements with schools or institu-tions should be particularly sensitive to the needto deliver their products in a timely manner thatis consistent with food preparation schedules.Their products also need to be stored in a man-ner that retains product freshness until the con-

Suggestions for creating contracts

Once farmers have an initial agreement tosupply food to schools or institutions, theyshould draw up finalized contracts that includethe following components (5):

The total estimated volumeof each item to be delivered

The time an item will be ripe,when it will be delivered, and acceptableseasonal substitutes

The amount and price of standing orderitems

Delivery schedule: time of day, frequency,and location

Packing requirements: standard box, grade,loose pack, bulk, etc.

Postharvest handling practices; is the prod-

uct pre-cooled? Processes for meeting health and safety

standards

Cost per unit, payment terms, paymentprocess



Program

Department of Defense Fresh

Produce Program

USDA-AMS CommodityProcurement Program

AMS, Federal-StateMarketing ImprovementProgram

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and ExtensionService

Rural Development

Rural Business CooperativeServices

Rural Cooperative

Development Grant (RCDG)Program

Rural Business CooperativeServices

Value-Added AgriculturalProduct Market DevelopmentGrants (VADG)

Comments

The DOD developed a partnership with the USDAin 1994 that would enable the national school lunchprogram to use DODs procurement and distribu-

tion system for fresh fruits and vegetables. Schooldistricts pay an overhead fee of 5.8% to use thisprocurement service. Farmers must be registeredthrough the Defense Supply Centers Central Con-tractor Registration database.

While many commodity purchases use strict com-petitive bidding processes, other purchases are ex-plicitly designed to increase the participation ofsmall, minority-owned, or economically disadvan-taged business as suppliers to the National School

Lunch Program and other federally sponsored feed-ing programs. Purchases are made in semitrailerload quantities.

The FSMIP gives high priority to small farms, di-rect marketing, and sustainable agriculture prac-tices. Grants awarded to state-sponsored mar-keting projects.

The USDA-CSREES Web site has a wealth of in-

formation and links to a variety of programs relatedto food systems, including funding sources andcontacts for state and local partners.

This site has information and links to Rural Busi-ness Enterprise Grants and Rural Business Op-portunity Grants. It focuses on funding for agricul-tural marketing and production innovations.

Rural Cooperative Development grants are madefor establishing and operating centers for coopera-tive development for the primary purpose of improv-ing the economic condition of rural areas through

the development of new cooperatives and improv-ing operations of existing cooperatives.

One objective of this program is to encourage in-dependent producers of agricultural commoditiesto further refine these products and increase theirvalue to end users. The second objective is toestablish an information resource center to collect,coordinate, and disseminate, information on value-added processing to independent producers andprocessors.

Web

DOD certificationrequirements andapplication:

DOD Fresh ProduceProgram:

USDA/AMS FoodPurchase Resources:

Description of theapplication process forSMIP grants:

Continued on page 6

Table 1. Funding and Assistance Programs

Procurement Programs

United States Department of Agriculture Programs
http://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htmhttp://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htmhttp://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htmhttp://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/http://www.ams.usda.gov/cp/resources.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/tvadg.htmhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.reeusda.gov/http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/cp/resources.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/cp/resources.htmhttp://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/http://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htmhttp://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htmhttp://131.82.241.3/contract/new.htm



Lists the programs under the FNS, including Food Stamps,WIC/Farmers Markets, Food Distribution, Team Nutrition,and Child Nutrition. Lists grants for state agencies includ-ing Team Nutrition and Federal State Marketing Improve-

ment Program (FSMIP).

Funded by the USDA and organized by region, the SAREprogram has competitive grants that may be used to fundcreation of new marketing strategies for farmers and otherinnovative projects. SARE also funds multi-institutional,collaborative approaches to sustaining local food systems.

Coordinates, along with USDA, the implementation of aprovision in the 2002 Farm Bill calling for the creation of apilot program with school food services designed to in-crease the amount of fruits and vegetables children eat byproviding them free during the school day. Indiana, Michi-gan, Iowa, and Ohio serve as pilot sites. Each of 25 schoolsin each state may receive up to about $50,000 to offerfresh and dried fruits and vegetables at no charge to allchildren in the school .

The American School Food Service Association can pro-vide information on industry trends and directions.

Federal grants to support the development of CommunityFood Projects designed to meet the needs of low-incomepeople by increasing their access to fresher, more nutri-tious food supplies; increase the self-reliance of commu-nities in providing for their own food needs; and promote

comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutri-tion issues.

This is a project of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to sup-port the creation and expansion of community-based foodsystems enterprises (CBEs) that are locally owned andcontrolled, environmentally sound, and promote goodhealth.

Lists foundations by state with an easy-to-use U.S. map

graphic. Also uses maps to show locations of each com-munity foundation.

Corporate and community foundations listed by state orgrant category with links on "How to Write a Grant Pro-posal." Grant categories include environmental nonprofitorganizations and agricultural resources.

For a $20 monthly fee one can have access to and searchthe foundation center database for possible funding op-portunities. Many grant directories are also available.



ful farm-to-school or farm-to-institution pro-gram will differ from one situation to the next.

The common theme in all these steps is buildinga trusting relationaship between buyers andsellers, which increases the sustainability of theprogram. To build this trust, it also helps to startsmall (i.e., one school or one cafeteria, or evenone type of food/produce, such as a salad bar),then build on successes.

Often the first step in developing a farm-to-school or farm-to-institution program involvesthe formation of a food advisory committee. Fora farm-to-school program this committee wouldprobably include farmers, food purchasers for theschool, kitchen personnel, school board mem-bers, and representatives from any coordinatingorganization. Based on the experience of exist-ing farm-to-school programs, this committeeguides new program development by (2, 4, 6):

tracted delivery time. Farmers may also needto change their production schedules and themanner in which they process and packagetheir products to meet the needs of the food ser-vice provider (4).

PROGRAM

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

The initial phase of program implementa-tion is typically time consuming, involves sev-eral face-to-face meetings, and may require thepurchase of processing, storage, or distributionequipment. This program development step usu-ally requires the work of a program coordinatoror facilitator. Examples of initiators of farm-to-school or farm-to-institution agreements include:

A government organizationExample: Natural Resource ConservationService (NRCS) working with the NewNorth Florida Cooperative Program

An interested college student

Examples: Slippery Rock University inPennsylvania and the University of Wis-consin

A faculty member in the School of Hospitality

Examples: Pennsylvania College of Tech-

nology and Cornell University A non-profit organization

Example: Practical Farmers of Iowa sellingfarm products to Iowa State University andGrinnell College

An interested food service director

Examples: High School District 211 in NWCook County, Illinois, and Williams CollegeinMassachussetts.

Farm-to-institution coordinators educatefood service buyers and consumers about thebenefits of using locally produced food. Theyalso serve as meeting coordinators and managethe negotiation, inspection, and distribution pro-cesses required to develop and maintain farm-to-school or farm-to-institutions contracts. Theymay also be responsible for seeking outside fi-nancial assistance to cover management andequipment costs.

Specific steps used to implement a success-

Stanford Food Service Director, Nadeem Saddiqui,inspects organic strawberries at ALBA, the AgriculturalLand Based Training Association.

Every effort should be made to make purchasing localfoods easy for institutional staff.



Examining logistical and management con-cerns such as:

type of food consumed by school chil-dren

cooking and storage facilities availableat schools

food preparation skills of food service

personnel access to processing facilities (and cost)

amount of produce that schools can useand when

type and amount of produce that farm-ers can provide and when

processes for food quality and food safetyoversight

selling prices for produce

pick-up and distribution systems that areavailable and their cost

billing and payment systems

regulations affecting food handling andmarketing practices

Addressing issues identified in the feasibil-ity study. In most cases this can involve de-veloping a pick-up, processing, and deliverysystem, as well as a business office to coordi-

nate orders, billing, and payment. The eco-nomic sustainability of the program is impor-tant to keep in mind. In their initial years,many of these programs require externalfunding, but that will last only a short time.Many programs enlist volunteers, drawingon parental or student interest, but unless thevolunteers time is well coordinated, their in-terest will wane. Program developmentshould include processes to institutionalizecontractual agreements between farmers andfood service operations.

Identifying or establishing a coordinator po-

Section 4125.

Assistance forCommunity Food

Projects

Section 4303.Purchases of

locally producedfoods

Section 4305. Fruitand Vegetable Pilot

Program

Program must meet specific state, local, or neighborhood foodand agricultural needs, including needs for the creation of in-novative marketing activities that mutually benefit agriculturalproducers and low-income consumers.

Program must encourage long-term planning activities and mulit-system, interagency approaches, with multi-stakeholder collabo-ration, that build the long-term capacity of communities to ad-dress their food and agricultural problems.

Program must include innovative programs for addressing com-mon community problems. To this end, grants will be availableto gather information and recommend innovative programs foraddressing a) loss of farms and ranches, b) rural poverty, c)welfare dependency, d) hunger, e) need for job training, f) theneed for self-sufficiency by individuals and communities.

The Secretary shall encourage institutions participating in the

school lunch program under this Act and the school breakfastprogram established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966(42 U.S.. 1773) to purchase, in addition to other food purchases,locally produced foods for school meal programs, to the maxi-mum extent practicable and appropriate.

The Secretary shall carry out a pilot program to make available tostudents in 25 elementary or secondary schools in each of 4 states,and in elementary or secondary schools on 1 Indian Reservation, freefresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables through the school day in 1or more areas designated by the school.

FoodStamp Act

ChildNutritionProgram

Table 2. 2002 Farm Bill Provisions with Impact on Development ofFarm-to-School Programs



sition or coordination structure to facilitatecommunication and business management.

Identifying and coordinating with availablefunding or coordination structures such asU.S. Department of Defense procurementprograms and local processing and distribu-tion facilities.

Assisting schools or institutions to identifyand obtain federal, state, or local exemptionsto standard competitive bidding require-ments when purchasing from local or minor-ity-owned businesses.

Assisting producers to increase the diversityof their products and extend their growingseason.

Ensuring that the program maintains pro-fessionalism, accountability, and strict ad-herence to food safety and quality standards.

Helping integrate appreciation for food pro-duction into the curriculum by developingfarm visits or other food-system-related ac-tivities for school children.

SUCCESSFULPROGRAMS

Farmers and food service directors wantingto establish local farm-to-school or farm-to-insti-tution programs can learn from the experience

of established programs. Schools and institu-tions are becoming increasingly receptive tothese programs, as are the food services withwhich they contract. Funding and governmentsupport for these programs is also becoming in-creasingly available. The 2002 Farm Bill pro-vides funds for selected schools in four pilotstates (Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio) to

offer fresh and dried fruits and vegetables to chil-dren at no charge (7). Based on a 1994 agree-ment between the United States Department ofAgriculture and the U.S. Department of De-fense, national school lunch programs can usethe DOD procurement and distribution system,referred to as DOD Fresh, to obtain fresh fruitsand vegetables.

Local and state organizations are also work-ing to change policies to favor procurement oflocally produced foods. In New York State, NY

Farms! is urging the state legislature to ease thebidding requirements for contracts with schoollunch programs to allow school foodservice directors to use more lo-cally produced foods. The Community Food Se-curity Coalition works with local organizationsto develop farm-to-school programs, while theCenter for Food and Justice in the Urban and En-vironmental Policy Institute at Occidental Col-lege works to promote policies that make schoolshealthier places to learn.

Organization

Agricultural MarketingService

Food and NutritionService

Cooperative StateResearch, Education, andExtension Service

Web Based Information

Direct marketing publications

WIC and Senior Farmers MarketFood Stamps

Local purchase of produce forschool lunch programs

Community Supported Agriculture

Web Address

Comments: Several excellent farmer-direct marketing publications, including How Local Farmersand School Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliances, and an overview of the New North FloridaCooperative, an early, innovative farm-to-school effort. Also see the following Web page for a PowerPoint presentation of the New North Florida Cooperative:

Comments: This site has links to many others with information about CSAs, including a link to anational state-by-state CSA database.

Comments: Farm Bill provisions, farm to school planning documents.

Table 3. United States Department of Agriculture Programs
http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/publications.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/publications.htmhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csaorgs.htmhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csaorgs.htmhttp://www.ezec.gov/Pubs/noflacoop.ppthttp://www.ezec.gov/Pubs/noflacoop.ppthttp://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csaorgs.htmhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csaorgs.htmhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/publications.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/publications.htm



The farm-to-school and farm-to-in-stitution programs described in the fol-lowing resource list cover a broad range

of marketing interactions, food prod-ucts, and types of community involve-ment. For example:

Farmers in north Florida formed acoopera-tive to process and distribute col-lard greens and other crops to local schools.This cooperative has expanded its operationsto work with 15 school districts in threestates, while also increasing its product lineand packaging capabilities (8).

Cafeterias at colleges and universities asso-

ciated with the University of Wisconsin sys-tem purchase up to one-third of their ingre-dients from local and organic farmers (10).

Schools in upstate New York (11)and in Min-nesota (12)provide markets for local farm-ers, while seeking to influence childrens foodpreferences, by involving youth with food inmany ways, including growing, harvesting,preparing, taste-testing, learning about it, andtouring farms and farmers markets.

High schools in Pennsylvania have estab-

lished School Market Programs where, by cre-ating and operating farmers markets, stu-dents learn about nutrition, food marketing,and the role of food in their community (13).

Professors and students at the University ofNorthern Iowa helped establish marketinglinks between local farmers and a county hos-pital. The hospital now buys almost 25% ofits food locally(14).

These programs also demonstrate how farm-

to-school or farm-to-college programs can helppromote more sustainable lifestyles on cam-puses, in schools, and within the community.For example: Bates College, Bowdoin College, Bastyr Uni-

versity, Middlebury College, Slippery RockUniversity, and Tufts University all have

composting programs in conjunction withtheir farm-to-college programs.

Some schools food services have adoptedgreen mission statements to guide alltheiractivities, not just food purchases. For ex-ample, Northland College is adopting moresustainable practices in its dining services,including switching to more environmen-tally safe cleaning supplies, installing andusing energy and water-saving devices, in-creasing recycling and reuse efforts, and

working with renewable energy sources. The Oberlin College Food Service purchases

foods from local producers who support therights of farm workers.

People interested in establishing farm-to-school or farm-to-institution marketing arrange-ments can also share their experiences at severalregional and national conferences.

In 2002, the Community Food Security Coali-tion (http://www.foodsecurity.org/index.html)sponsored the first national conference on Farm

Institutional markets like this Stanford,CA, salad bar (left) are great for smallfarmers. Fresh fruits and vegetables atMalcolm X Middle School in Berkeley, CA,(below) leave patrons smiling.
http://www.foodsecurity.org/index.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/index.html



to Cafeteria: Healthy Farms, Healthy Students.The enthusiastic response to this conference nodoubt ensures that other conferences and work-shopswill focus on this subject in the future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to express their thanksto NCAT Technical Specialists Nancy Mathesonand Julia Sampson for their insightful review ofthis document. Marion Kalb, the Farm to SchoolCoordinator for the Community Food SecurityCoalition, provided invaluable assistancethrough her review of and many additions tothe programs list.

REFERENCES

1) Stern, Robert. 2002. Community Food Se-

curity Coalition listserve. November 1.2) Gregoire, Mary, Catherine A. Strohbehn, and

Jim Huss. 2000. Local Food Connectionsfrom Farms to Schools. Iowa State Univer-sity. University Extension, Ames, IA. At:. 4 p.

3) Sanger, Kelli. 2001. Creative ways to selland distribute locally produced foods toschool and university cafeterias: Examples ofselling and distributing food from across thenation. Washington State Department of

Agriculture, Olympia, WA. 19 p.4) Tropp, Debra, and Surajudeen

Olowolayemo. 2000. How Local Farmersand School Food Service Buyers are Build-ing Alliances. USDA Agricultural Market-ing Service, Washington, D.C. At: .30 p.

5) Visher, David. 1996. Selling Directly toLocal Schools. Small Farms Center, Uni-versity of California, Davis, CA. At:. 2 p.

6) Valen, Gary. 2001. Local Food Project. AHow-to Manual. Humane Society of theUnited States, Washington, D.C. 41 p.

7) USDA to Select Schools for Fruit andVegetable Pilot. Amerocam School FoodService Association. asfsa.orgWeb page.

At: .

8) Holmes, Glyen, Vonda Richardson, andDan Schofer. 2002. Taking it to the nextlevel: Success of small Floida vegetable co-op leads to a network of similar coopera-tives. Rural Cooperatives. September/October. p. 18-23, 37. At: .

9) Mascarenhas, Michelle, and RobertGottlieb. 2000. The Farmers Market SaladBar: Assessing the First Three Years of theSanta Monica-Malibu Unified SchoolDistrict Program. Community FoodSecurity Coalition, Los Angeles, CA. 24 p.

10) The College Food Project. InstitutionalFood Purchasing. Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systems. University of Wis-

consin. Web page. At: .

11) Neff, Glenda. 2002. Community FoodSecurity Coalition list serve. November 1.

12) Koester, Ulrich. 1999. Giving Children aRole in Sustainable Agriculture. MidwestFood Connection, Minneapolis, MN. 28 p.

13) The Food Trust. Building Strong Comuni-ties Through Healthy Foods. Web page.At: .

14) Strohbehn, Catherine A., and MaryGregoire. 2002. Local Food Connections:Food Service Considerations. Iowa StateUniversity. University Extension. Ames,IA. At: .4 p.
http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/96032.htmhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/96032.htmhttp://www.asfsa.org/http://www.asfsa.org/http://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/fruitandvegpilot.asphttp://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/fruitandvegpilot.asphttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.thefoodtrust.org/schools.htmlhttp://www.thefoodtrust.org/schools.htmlhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853C.pdfhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853C.pdfhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853C.pdfhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853C.pdfhttp://www.thefoodtrust.org/schools.htmlhttp://www.thefoodtrust.org/schools.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/research/institut.htmlhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/sep02.pdfhttp://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/fruitandvegpilot.asphttp://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/fruitandvegpilot.asphttp://www.asfsa.org/http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/96032.htmhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/pubs/SFNews/archive/96032.htmhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdfhttp://www.exnet.iastate.edu/



By Barbara C. Bellows,Rex Dufour, andJanet BachmannNCAT Agriculture Specialists

Photographs by Rex Dufour.

October 2003NCAT 2003

The electronic version of Bringing LocalFood to Local Institutions is located at:HTMLhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.htmlPDFhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/farmtoschool.pdf

IP242Slot #244
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20Peoplemailto:[email protected]?subject=Bringing%20Local%20Food%20to%20Local%20People


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Valen, Gary. 2001. Local Food Project. AHow-to Manual. Humane Society of theUnited States. 41 p.Available from the Humane Society of the

United States2100 L. St., NWWashington, DC 20037202-452-1100Fax: 301-258-3081http://www.hsus.org

Gregoire, Mary, Catherine A. Strohbehn, andJim Huss. 2000. Local Food Connectionsfrom Farms to Schools. Iowa State UniversityExtension. 4 p.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853A.pdf

UW CIAS. 2000. New markets for producers:selling to colleges. Research Brief 39. Uni-versity of Wisconsin Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systems.http://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/039.html

UW CIAS. 2001. Dishing up local food onWisconsin campuses. Research Brief 55.University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated

Agricultural Systems.http://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/055.html

Koester, Ulrich. 1999. Giving Children a Rolein Sustainable Agriculture. Midwest FoodConnection, Minneapolis, MN. 28 p.612-871-0317, ext. 345

An excellent resource for people interestedin starting a local food project. Drawingupon his experience in developing a farm-to-college project at Hendrix College in Arkan-sas, Valen outlines why local food systemsare important and what steps to take toimplement a local food systems project.This booklet contains a good resource list.

Provides an overview of potential opportuni-ties and issues to be addressed in imple-menting farm-to-school programs. Thisbooklet also provides guidelines for individual

farmers and community organizationsseeking access to schools as markets.

This report, based on interviews with per-sonnel from six U.S. colleges with significantlocal, sustainable food buying components,identifies opportunities and barriers facingproducers who would like to market tocolleges. While these institutions are tryingto increase efficiency and meet budgetaryand safety requirements, marketing opportu-nities do exist for producers of local,

sustainably produced food, even within thelargest and most structured food servicedepartments. Institutional food buyers weremore interested in buying locally producedfoods that benefited their communities thanthey were in buying certified organic foods.

Report on interviews conducted with foodservice directors at 34 colleges and universi-ties in Wisconsin to learn more about their

potential as local food buyers.

A guide to classroom and farm visit activitiesfor grade school students. These activitiesmay be coordinated with a farm-to-schoolprogram to enhance student appreciation ofagriculture.

Table 4. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications, contd

Citation Annotation

Continued on page 15
http://www.hsus.org/http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853A.pdfhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853A.pdfhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/039.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/055.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/055.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/039.htmlhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853A.pdfhttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853A.pdfhttp://www.hsus.org/




AnnotationCitation

University of Missouri. 2000. The FoodCircles Networking Project: Report on 19992000 Activities. Missouri Community FoodSystems and Sustainable Agriculture Pro-gram. 4 p.http://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/spring00.pdf

Vallianatos, Mark. 2002. Healthy School FoodPolicies: A Checklist. Center for Food andJustice, Urban & Environmental PolicyInstitute, Occidental College. 10 p.http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/farm-paper-1.htm andhttp://www.uepi.oxy.edu/schoolfoodschecklist

Malloy, Claudia, Joy Johanson, and MargoWootan. 2003. CSPI School Foods Tool Kit.Center for Science in the Public Interest.1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20009202-777-8352E-mail: [email protected]://www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/

McDermott, Maura. 2003. The OklahomaFarm-To-School Report. Oklahoma FoodPolicy Council/Kerr Center for SustainableAgriculture.Poteau, OKhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/farmtoschool.htm

The Food Circles Networking Project worksin the Columbia and Kansas City, MO, areaspromoting local food systems, includingfarmers markets, farm-to-school and farm-to-institution programs, and communitygardens.

An evolving document that provides policyrecommendations for healthy school lunchprograms, including integration with schooleducational, health, and environmentalmissions, and purchasing to promotecommunity economic development and thelivlihoods of local farmers.

Addresses goals and strategies for improv-ing school foods and beverages and con-tains background materials and fact sheetson childrens diets and health, school mealprograms, and vending and other schoolfood venues. It also has a section on tech-niques that you can use to effect change,with guidance and model materials forcommunicating with decision makers, thepress, and other members of your commu-nity.

A survey of 638 public institutions (includingcolleges and universities, technology cen-ters, prisons, state hospitals, and stateresorts) indicated that food managers havea significant interest in using more locally-produced food in their food service pro-grams. They also thought that many of theperceived obstacles could be solved througheducation. The Oklahoma Food PolicyCouncil outlines steps that may be used to

increase the use of local foods by institu-tions while working to improve the access ofpeople, especially school children, to healthydiets.

http://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/spring00.pdfhttp://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/spring00.pdfhttp://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/farm-paper-1.htmhttp://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/farm-paper-1.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/farmtoschool.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/farmtoschool.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/farmtoschool.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/farmtoschool.htmhttp://www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/mailto:[email protected]://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/farm-paper-1.htmhttp://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/farm-paper-1.htmhttp://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/spring00.pdfhttp://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/spring00.pdf




Citation Annotation

Campbell, Shawn. 2003. The OklahomaFood Connection 2003. Oklahoma FoodPolicy Council/Kerr Center for Sustainable

Agriculture. 58 p.Poteau, OKhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/foodconnection.htm

Addressing a demand for local food in Okla-homa, this directory lists farmers, where theyare located, and what they produce. Consum-

ers and public institutions wanting to buylocally may wish to contact farmers in theirarea. This publication also lists schools thathave expressed interest in buying local pro-duce.

Table 5. Local Food Security Publications

Citation Annotation

USDA. 2000. Community Food Security Re-source Kit: How to Find Money, Technical As-sistance, and Other Help to Fight Hunger andStrengthen Local Food Systems. USDA. 92p. http://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/scgc/resoukit.htm

Tauber, Maya, and Andy Fisher. 2002. A Guideto Community Food Projects. CommunityFood Security Coalition. 19 p.http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html

Fisher, Andy, Kai Siedenburg, Mark Winne, andJill Zachary. 1999. Getting Food on the Table:An Action Guide to Local Food Policy. Com-munity Food Security Coalition. 70 p. Avail-able from the Community Food Security Coa-lition.http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html

Bailkey, Martin, and Jerry Kaufman. 2000.

Farming Inside Cities. Community Food Se-curity Coalition. 125 p. Available from the Com-munity Food Security Coalition.http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html

This kit is an excellent resource for those work-ing on food system projects, providing infor-mation about programs and projects (includ-ing many funding sources) across the nationthat are working on community-centered foodsecurity activities.

This guide features case studies of seven di-verse and innovative projects funded byUSDAs Community Food Projects grant pro-gram. It also includes basic information about

the CFP program and sources for more infor-mation.

The guide includes an inventory of Californiaprograms, policies and functions that provideopportunities for supporting community foodsecurity. The guide also includes case stud-ies, advice from experienced food policy ad-vocates, a resource guide, and federal fund-ing sources.

This report investigates the nature and

characteristics of city farming for marketsales. It also discusses obstacles tomarket-based city farming activities andways of overcoming these obstacles. Morethan 120 people served as informants, andsome 70 entrepreneurial urban agricultureprojects in the United States were found for


this study.
http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/foodconnection.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/foodconnection.htmhttp://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/scgc/resoukit.htmhttp://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/scgc/resoukit.htmhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/scgc/resoukit.htmhttp://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/scgc/resoukit.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/foodconnection.htmhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/foodconnection.htm



This booklet examines farmers markets,WIC (Woman, Infant, Child) Farmers MarketNutrition Programs, case studies, electronic

benefit transfer, farmstands, policy issues,guidelines for successful markets, andpolicy recommendations.

This is perhaps the most thorough documen-tation of an urban communitys food system.Sections on hunger, nutrition, food industry, su-permarket industry, community case study,farmers markets, urban agriculture, joint ven-tures, and food policy councils.

This guidebook details such issues as theconcept of CFS, community food planning,needs assessments, building collaborationsand coalitions, project implementation,entrepreneurship, funding, programsustainability, case studies, and multipleattachments.

Excerpts from the Bringing in the Sheavessymposium, a meeting focusing on commu-nity food systems, economic and ethical im-pacts of food choices, and community sup-

ported agriculture.

Fisher, Andy. 1999. Hot Peppers and ParkingLot Peaches: Evaluating Farmers Markets inLow Income Communities. Community Food

Security Coalition. 61 p. Available from theCommunity Food Security Coalition.http://www.foodsecurity.org/executive.html

Ashman, Linda (ed.) 1993. Seeds of Change:Strategies for Food Security for the Inner City.Community Food Security Coalition. 400 p.Available from the Community Food SecurityCoalition.http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html

Joseph, Hugh (ed.) 1997. Community Food

Security: A Guide to Concept, Design, andImplementation. Community Food SecurityCoalition. 57 p. Available from the CommunityFood Security Coalition.http://www.foodsecurity.org/CFSguidebook1997.PDF

McDermott, Maura. 2001. Healthy Farms,Food and Communities. Field Notes. KerrCenter for Sustainable Agriculture. 9 p.http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/

2001/winter/1-9.pdf

Table 5. Local Food Security Publications, contd

Citation Annotation
http://www.foodsecurity.org/executive.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/CFSguidebook1997.PDFhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/CFSguidebook1997.PDFhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/2001/winter/1-9.pdfhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/2001/winter/1-9.pdfhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/2001/winter/1-9.pdfhttp://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/2001/winter/1-9.pdfhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/CFSguidebook1997.PDFhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/CFSguidebook1997.PDFhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/executive.html



Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs

Program name and contact information Comments

National Programs

Community Food Security CoalitionMarion KalbFarm to School Program Director

PO Box 363Davis, CA 95617530-756-8518, ext. 32Fax: 530-756-7857E-mail: marion@ foodsecurity.orghttp://www.foodsecurity.org/

Community Food Security CoalitionKristen MarkleyFarm to College Program ManagerPO Box 109Markley LaneBeaver Springs, PA 17812310-822-5410Fax: 310-822-1440E-mail: kristen@ foodsecurity.orghttp://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_college.html

The Community Food Security Coalition isa non-profit organization dedicated to build-ing strong, sustainable, local and regional

food systems that ensure access to afford-able, nutritious, and culturally appropriatefood for all people at all times. CFSC seeksto develop self-reliance among all commu-nities in obtaining their food, and to createa system of growing, manufacturing, pro-cessing, distributing, and selling food thatis regionally based and grounded in jus-tice, democracy, and sustainability.

CFSC has more than 250 memberorganizations. Publications, conferences,and other activities focus on communityfood projects including farmers markets,farm-to-school projects, and communitygardens. CFSC Farm-to-School and Farm-to-College programs provide information,workshops, and development assistancein the initiation and implementation of theseprograms across the country.

California

Farmers Market Salad BarTracie Thomas, Coordinator1651 Sixteenth StreetSanta Monica, CA 90404310-450-8338, ext. 324Fax: 310-399-2993E-mail: [email protected]://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDF

This began as a project of the OccidentalCollege Center for Food and Justice. Theprogram is also linked to school gardenprograms and educational activities, suchas farmers markets and farm tours, topromote a holistic view of food.


National Farm to School ProgramMark Wall, Co-DirectorCenter for Food and Justice

Occidental College323-341-5098Fax: 323-258-2917E-mail: [email protected]://www.farmtoschool.org/National/index.htm

andMarion Kalb, Co-DirectorCommunity Food Security Coalition(See above for contact information.)

This partnership of several educationalinstitutions, the Community Alliance withFamily Farmers, and the Community Food

Security Coalition with the Center forFood & Justice as the lead organization is creating a database of every school andcollege that has a farm-to-school elementin their educational work. Currently work-ing on nine projects funded by the USDA,the program has helped create schoolprojects that buy from local farmers, a FoodService Directors Guide to Farm to School,educational seminars, evaluation of exist-ing projects, and ongoing technical assis-tance to potential and current projects.
mailto:marion@%20foodsecurity.orghttp://www.foodsecurity.org/mailto:kristen@%20foodsecurity.orghttp://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_college.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_college.htmlmailto:[email protected]://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFmailto:[email protected]://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFmailto:[email protected]://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFhttp://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDFmailto:[email protected]://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_college.htmlhttp://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_college.htmlmailto:kristen@%20foodsecurity.orghttp://www.foodsecurity.org/mailto:marion@%20foodsecurity.org



Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, contd

The Center for Eco-Literacy coordinated theBerkeley Food Systems Project and wasinstrumental in drafting the Food Policy for

the Berkeley Unified School District.

The program began at three elementaryschool sites and has now expanded toseven schools,with an eighth expected to

join in the fall of 2003. The integratedprograms include salad bars (CrunchLunch!), composting/recycling, gardens,cooking carts, and farm visits. Food prepa-ration for the salad bars is centrally donefrom the Davis High School Kitchen anddelivered to the various sites. Start-up costsand direct labor costs were funded bygrants. Now, grants cover equipmentprocurement and outreach/curriculumconnections. All food, supply, and otherdirect costs are covered by Student NutritionServices. The program purchases roughly$8000/year of produce from local farmers,and the main constraint to increasing that

figure is the physical size of the prep areaand time constraints of staff.

This program started in 2001 and is nowoperating in three schools. Marilyn Godfreeis responsible for the educational andoutreach components of the program, whileTammy Nelson manages the salad bars,orders food, and works with vendors. Thesalad bar operates twice per week at oneschool and once per week at the other two,where it is the only meal choice for that

lunch day. The salad bar lunch reachesroughly 1,000 children and, combined withgardening activities, is integrated into thecurriculum. Schools have complete kitch-ens and use parent volunteers for non-foodpreparation activities. Local vendors haveagreed to buy from local farmers wheneverpossible. Some fruit and other food items

Center for Eco-LiteracyJanet Brown2522 San Pablo Avenue

Berkeley, CA510-845-4945E-mail:[email protected]://www.ecoliteracy.org/

Davis Joint Unified School District(DJUSD)Rafaelita M. CurvaDirector of Student Nutrition Services1919 Fifth StreetDavis, CA 95616530-757-5385, ext. 119

Fax: 530-758-3889http://www.djusd.k12.ca.us/District/index.htm

Ventura Unified Farm to School ProgramMarilyn GodfreeHealthy Projects Coordinator805-641-5050Tammy NelsonSalad Bar Coordinator805-641-5054E-mail: [email protected]

California contd

mailto:[email protected]://www.ecoliteracy.org/http://www.djusd.k12.ca.us/District/index.htmmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.djusd.k12.ca.us/District/index.htmhttp://www.ecoliteracy.org/mailto:[email protected]


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Iowa contd

University of Northern Iowa Local FoodProjectProf. Kamyar Enshayan and Scott Cooley,Adjunct Faculty

Department of PhysicsUniversity of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA 50614-0150319-273-7575 or 319-273-6895Fax: 319-273-7136E-mail: [email protected]://www.uni.edu/ceee/foodproject

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agricul-ture provided funding for this project, whichworks with institutional food buyers (hospitals,nursing homes, restaurants, and groceries) to

explore ways to purchase a greater portion oftheir food from local/regional farmers and foodprocessors. In this way, they seek to increaseinvestment of food dollars in the local commu-nity.

KansasCommunity Mercantile Education Founda-tion

Nancy OConnor, Executive Director901 Iowa StreetLawrence, KS 66044785-843-8544E-mail: [email protected]

The Community Mercantile Education Foun-dation (CMEF) and area farmers initiated this

program in northeast Kansas to help createunderstanding and support of regionally andsustainably grown agricultural products. TheCMEF is the not-for-profit arm of the Commu-nity Mercantile Co-op, a natural foods store inLawrence.

MaineBates CollegeNelson Pray, Buyer for Dining Services56 Campus Avenue, Chase HallLewiston, ME 04240

207-786-6300Fax: 207-786-6302E-mail: [email protected]://www.bates.edu/dining.xml

Bowdoin CollegeMichele Gaillard, Purchasing Manager3700 College StationBrunswick, ME 04011-8428207-725-3000Fax: 207-725-3974

E-mail: [email protected]://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/environmental.shtml

A member of the Maine Organic Farmersand Growers Association (MOFGA), Bateshas bought organic produce from localfarmers since 1996. Bates buys turkeys,

potatoes, and tomatoes from MOFGA. Thecollege food service also compostspreconsumer wastes and collectspostconsumer wastes as feed for a localhog farmer.

Bowdoin College dining service purchaseslocal foods for several special eventsthroughout the year, notably a return toschool lobsterbake. In the spring of 2001 adining service oversight team was formed todevelop new sustainability programs within

the department and oversee programsalready in place. Bowdoin has a pre-con-sumer waste composting program and hasalso established a refillable mug program.

mailto:[email protected]://www.uni.edu/ceee/foodprojectmailto:[email protected]%7C%7Cmailto:[email protected]://www.bates.edu/dining.xmlmailto:[email protected]://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/environmental.shtmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/environmental.shtmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/environmental.shtmlhttp://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/environmental.shtmlmailto:[email protected]://www.bates.edu/dining.xmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%7C%7Chttp://www.uni.edu/ceee/foodprojectmailto:[email protected]


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Minnesota contd

Cooking with KidsLynn WaltersProgram Coordinator3508 Camino JaliscoSanta Fe, NM 87505

505-473-4703Fax: 505-473-4703E-mail: [email protected]

Local growers supply apples to campus, but allother produce purchase efforts eventually fellthrough because local growers are small andcould not, or were not willing to, plant for theCollege market. In 2002, St. Johns did a weeklong buy local educational campaign, expos-ing students to local foods and transporting themto local farms.

Cooking with Kids is a multicultural food educa-tion program that works to improve childrensnutrition by involving public school students inhands-on learning about culturally diverse foodsthat are healthy and appealing. Cooking with

Kids activities use an integrated curriculum for-mat that provides opportunities for interdiscipli-nary learning, including math, science, socialstudies, language arts, music, and art. Cook-ing with Kids models healthy food choices inelementary school classrooms and school din-ing rooms.

New York

From Farm to School: Improving SmallFarm Viability and School Meals

Jennifer Wilkins, Program DirectorDivision of Nutritional Sciences305 MVR HallCornell UniversityIthaca, NY 14853-4401607-255-2730Fax: 607-255-0178E-mail: [email protected]

Cornell University Dining ServicesColeen Wright-RivaActing DirectorDining Office233 Day HallIthaca, NY 14853-6006607-255-5952E-mail: [email protected]

New York is a partner in a new multi-stateproject funded by the USDA Initiative for

Future Agriculture and Food Systems(IFAFS). The New York portion of this project,From Farm to School: Improving Small FarmViability and School Meals, will follow thedevelopment of farm-to-school connections infour pilot school districts in different regions ofthe state.

The Cornell University Dining Service pur-chases one-third of its food from New Yorkfarmers, processors, and vendors, and hasimplemented farm-to-school educationalprograms about the importance of using localfoods. They also work with students, faculty,and staff to offer ethnic and multi-cultural


New Mexico
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81http://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81http://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81http://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81http://www.cals.cornell.edu/agfoodcommunity/afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]




New York contd

NY Farms!125 Williams RoadCandor, NY 13743http://www.human-services.org/agencies/n0012nyfarms.html

cuisine, including kosher foods. The diningservice has an internship program with theCulinary Institute of America and has wonseveral national Best of Show awards.

NY Farms! coordinates an effort to increaseawareness of opportunities for schools toconnect with local food producers. As a taskforce of the New York State School FoodService Association, they are talking with theNY state legislature to ease the bidding require-ments for contracts with school lunch pro-grams, making the process easier for schoolfood service directors.

North Carolina

North Carolina Direct Vendor DeliveryProgramGerald German, Produce OfficeP.O. Box 471Wicomico, VA 23184-0471804-642-1902Fax: 804-642-1903E-mail: [email protected]

The state of North Carolina distributes the pro-duce, but the Department of Defense does thebuying. This program allows school districtsto buy more fresh produce without the schoolfood service fund footing the bill. All invoicesare sent to the states Commodity Food Pro-grams, which retrieves money from the DODfood fund to pay the local produce bills.

OhioOberlin College

Brad Masi, Executive DirectorEcological Design Innovation CenterLewis Center for Envir. Studies122 Elm StreetOberlin, OH 44074440-775-8409Fax: 440-775-8946E-mail: [email protected]://www.oberlin.edu/cds/

Ohio University

Randy SheltonDirector of Housing and Food Service1 Riverside Dr.Ohio UniversityAthens, OH 45701740-593-4094E-mail: [email protected]@filesrv.facilities.ohio.eduhttp://www.ohiou.edu/food/contacts.htm#buy

Oberlin College Dining Service makes exten-

sive use of locally grown organic foods thatare minimally processed. The Food Servicepurchases foods from local producers anduse only food suppliers who support the rightsof farm workers. Oberlin College has pur-chased directly from local farmers since 2000.

The O.U. Food Service goal is to supply 10%of direct local produce within 4-5 years. In2002 it purchased pork, organic dairy, fruit, andveggies from eight farmers. Randy Shelton isworking with farmer to develop a signature(Ohio University) brand of sausage that can beused as a marketing tool by farmers.

http://www.human-services.org/agencies/n0012nyfarms.htmlhttp://www.human-services.org/agencies/n0012nyfarms.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.oberlin.edu/cds/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ohiou.edu/food/contacts.htm#buyhttp://www.ohiou.edu/food/contacts.htm#buymailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.oberlin.edu/cds/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.human-services.org/agencies/n0012nyfarms.htmlhttp://www.human-services.org/agencies/n0012nyfarms.html


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WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin, The CollegeFood ProjectMargaret MonahanAssistant Food Service Director

Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems1450 Linden DriveMadison, WI 53706608-262-5200 or 608-262-9619Fax: 608-265-3020E-mail: [email protected],[email protected],http://www.wisc.edu/cias/index.html

Northland CollegeTom Wojciechowski, Adjunct InstructorEnvironmental StudiesNorthland College1411 Ellis AvenueAshland, WI 54806715-682-1261Fax: 715-682-1690E-mail: [email protected]://www.northland.edu

Six campuses in Wisconsin buy food for theirdining services directly from local Wisconsinfarms and farmer cooperatives. Four of themare buying from local farms and cooperatives

that use organic and sustainable farming prac-tices. The UW-Madisons Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systems is helping to connectfarmers with campus dining services.

In addition to purchasing locally grown organicproduce for the dining hall, current campussustainability efforts include switching to moreenvironmentally safe cleaning supplies, install-ing and using energy-and water-saving de-vices, increased recycling and reuse efforts,and working with renewable energy sources.

Copyright2003 NCATCopyright2003 NCAT

Copyright2003 NCAT

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Servicewww.attra.ncat.org
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wisc.edu/cias/index.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.northland.edu/http://www.northland.edu/mailto:[email protected]://www.wisc.edu/cias/index.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

from farm to school

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