Farm to School and Early Care

What is Farm to School and Early Care?

Farm to School and Early Care promotes the purchase of fresh, locally produced products in schools and early care sites, builds connection of schools and early care sites to local producers, and encourages integration of nutrition education into classroom curriculum and hands-on learning activities to empower children and families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy, building sustainable and equitable food systems and contributing to vibrant communities.

Farm to school is used to describe activities that promote and serve locally produced foods in schools and other organizations that participate in child nutrition programs.  It is an opportunity to link local producers to their community.   Farm to school implementation differs by location but always includes one or more of the following:
  • Procurement: local foods are purchased, promoted and served as a component of a meal, snack or taste-test;
  • Education: children participate in educational activities related to agriculture, food, health or nutrition; and,
  • School gardens: children engage in hands-on learning through gardening.
There are many ways to get involved in farm to school initiatives, big or small. Examples include:
  • Serve a local food at breakfast, lunch, or during snack time.
  • Incorporate school gardens or food preparation within classroom lessons.
  • Engage students in trips to a farmers market or bring farmers to school to serve a meal.
  • Establish composting and waste management programs.
Farm to school is a win for children, farmers, schools and the community! Farm to school empowers and connects children and their families to local foods through education and hands-on learning to make informed food choices, while strengthening the local economy, building sustainable and equitable food systems and contributing to vibrant communities.

Farm to School and Early Care in Minnesota

Minnesota has seen rapid growth of Farm to School. The number of Minnesota school districts engaged in Farm to School practices rose from 18 districts in 2006 to 262 districts in 2019, which impacts over 520,000 Minnesota students. According to the most recent USDA Farm to School Census data from 2019, schools that responded reported on average spending 16 percent of their budgets on local products, which is a 3 percent increase from 2015.

Farm to Early Care has experienced rapid growth over the past few years and there are an abundant number of resources available to early care providers to support Farm to Early Care activities. The Minnesota Farm to Early Care website provides guidance on procurement, hands-on educational activities and gardening with younger children.

In the fall of 2024, the new Minnesota Farm to Kids strategic plan was released. This five-year plan will guide Minnesota’s Farm to School and Early Care work to progress local procurement and agricultural education in our state for all of Minnesota’s kids. A summary of the plan provides key components and implementation strategies.

Promotions and Events

Minnesota Farm to School Institute
The Institute is a unique year-long professional development opportunity for schools to build sustainable Farm to School programs that support the local food system.

Celebrate Farm to Summer
Celebrate Minnesota's summer harvest by bringing local produce into summer foodservice programs.
 
Organize and participate in a group ”crunch” of a locally sourced apple to promote healthy eating.

October is Farm to School Month 
Celebrate the harvest season by connecting schools, local producers and the community to participate in a variety of farm to school activities and events.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School Census Facts - 9/28/23
    Learn more about the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2023 Farm to School Census.

Procurement

Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs (USDA)

  • Legal Local Food Overview for Schools  - 9/7/22
    School Nutrition Programs are allowed to procure and serve locally grown foods. When buying products directly from a farm for your food service operation, it is important to know the food safety requirements that farmers must follow.
  • Food Safety Questions to Ask Your Farmer  - 7/1/21
    School Nutrition Programs are allowed to procure and serve locally grown foods. When buying produce directly from a farm for your food service operation, school nutrition professionals should ask farmers about their food safety practices. This resource is a guide to assist you in having an informed discussion with a farmer about their on-farm food safety practices.
  • Food Safety Requirements - 12/14/20
    Overview of state and federal food safety requirements and the tools and resources to achieve them, including a food safety plan template and tools, template standard operating procedures and food safety logs and a description of requirements for all sites participating in Child Nutrition Programs.
  • Local Procurement Tracking Tool  - 1/9/20
    Use this tracking sheet to keep track of all your local purchases. This excel spreadsheet has areas to record both food purchases and food served.

School Gardens

School Garden Support Organization Network  is a peer-to-peer learning network that provides opportunities for networking, professional development and resources.

Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom provides free curriculum, educational resources, grants, outreach and professional development opportunities to increase agriculture literacy in education.

Slow Food USA provides a school garden curriculum that brings together growing, cooking and enjoying food grown in school gardens. 

Harvest of the Month

Featured Foods 

  • Minnesota Mixed Greens ‒ Resources to incorporate mixed greens in the cafeteria, classroom and community, which are the 3 C’s of Farm to School. 
  • Minnesota Wild Rice ‒ Manoomin or psin (wild rice in Ojibwe and Dakota) is an important traditional food for many Indigenous people. Learn more about this native food and how to prepare a wild rice grain bowl.  

Harvest of the Month is resource that provides ready-to-use materials for the classroom, cafeteria and community that promotes the use of local, seasonal foods.

  • Minnesota Harvest Recipe Book  - 2/14/23
    Six student approved recipes featuring local foods for School Nutrition Programs, including a description of the recipe development process.

Resources and Technical Assistance

Farm to School and Early Care Office Hours
The Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team hosts a virtual office hour on the second Wednesday of each month from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Open to anyone with questions related to Farm to School and Early Care and local food purchasing. Register to join these monthly Zoom meetings.
 
  • Finding Local Foods Fact Sheet - 4/6/22
    Discover the different ways in which local foods can be sourced for your child nutrition programs.
  • Minnesota Farm to School Resources - 3/25/21
  • Food Safety Requirements - 12/14/20
    Overview of state and federal food safety requirements and the tools and resources to achieve them, including a food safety plan template and tools, template standard operating procedures and food safety logs and a description of requirements for all sites participating in Child Nutrition Programs.
  • National Farm to School Resources - 7/17/19