General Farm to School Resources

• Community Alliance With Family Farmers Farm to School Working locally in various CA regions. Their resources page lists these great guides:
• Farm to School Guide for Parents and Community Members
• Farm to School Guide for Food Service Professionals
• Tips for Farmers to connect with cafeterias
• Making the Farm Connection Manual tips for farmer's hosting field trips

 

• CA Farm To School State page of the national farm to school movement. Great resources, check out their videos on the the home page that show what farm to school programming looks like in schools and on the farm.

   
• California Department of Education's Farm to School Page
   
• National Farm to School Program an incredible resource with publications, policy information, webinars, and more.
   
• USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School site http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/Default.htm . This online resource was formed to assist schools in starting or expanding their Farm to School activities; assist in the communication between farmers and schools; share information about Farm to School activities across the Nation; and keep you informed of the legislative and regulatory changes that influence Farm to School activities.  USDA's Farm to School Resource Page
• Check out the USDA's:  Implementing Farm to School Activities School Food Service Professionals Working with Farmers
• USDA's Farm to School Brochure

What Does Farm-to-School Really Look Like?

Eleven Farm to School School District Profiles For each district find a summary of their program and a video.

Funding Farm to School Programming

• Sources for Farm to School Funding on the Community Food Securities Farm to School web page
• USDA Farm to School Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s/ Follow “Grants and Resources”
• National Farm to School Funding page http://www.farmtoschool.org/fundingopps.php

Resources for Sourcing Local Food

Publications

• Bid Local - Local Farm Products Allowed in School Bids from the National Farm to School site. See more resources on Buying Local Food at www.farmtoschool.org
• Tips for Institutional Buyers from the Community Alliance for Family Farmers
• Food Service And Farmer Conversation Guide.pdf A discussion guide for Food Service Staff and Farmers to start the conversation of sourcing local.
• Sourcing From Farmers Discussion Template.pdf Sample telephone survey for starting the discussion with local growers.
• Applying Geographic Preferences in Procurement CDE Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin. This Management Bulletin provides information on a change in federal law that encourages School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating the School Nutrition Programs to purchase unprocessed, locally grown and locally raised agricultural products.
• Iowa State Extension's Checklist for Retail Purchasing of Local Produce

Organizations and Web-based Tools

 

• Food Hub A Comprehensive Catalog of Buyers and Sellers. FoodHub gathers professional food buyers, wholesale producers, distributors and industry suppliers in one dynamic community.
• Department of Defense Program outlines how this program can provide fresh produce to National School Lunch Program participants.
• CAFF's Buy Fresh Buy Local Guides for various CA regions
• LocalHarvest.org a searchable database for local farms and products
• ALBA Organic's Produce Distribution a project of the Agricultural Land Based Training Association that souces to the Central Coast and Bay Area.
• Locate a California Certified Farmers Market
• Food Distribution Program E-mail List - The CDE's Commodity Chronicles. If you would like to receive information related to the Food Distribution Program including newsletters, food alerts, and training opportunities, subscribe to the Food Distribution Program e-mail list by sending a "blank" message to join-fd-web@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

Resources for Growers and Distributors

• Food Hub A Comprehensive Catalog of Buyers and Sellers. FoodHub gathers professional food buyers, wholesale producers, distributors and industry suppliers in one dynamic community.
• Iowa State Extension's What Producers should know about selling to local foodservice markets. A handout for growers.
• Check out the USDA's  Implementing Farm to School Activities to learn about Food Safety and working with schools
• Community Alliance With Family Farmers Farm to School Working locally in various CA regions. Their resources page lists these great guides:
• Tips for Farmers to connect with cafeterias
• Making the Farm Connection Manual tips for farmer's hosting field trips

Resources to Teach About Farming

• CFAITC's Farm Field Trip sites in CA. Browse the rest of their site for much more on ag literacy.
• A Farmer In The Classroom.pdf Tips for arranging a farmer visit in your classroom. Contact the Community Alliance with Family Farmers or the CA Farm to School folks for more ideas and farmers to connect with.
• USDA Ag in the Classroom Teacher Corner
• View our Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education Page
• Nourish: Food + Community Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. They have a videos, middle-school curriculum and more.

More Resources