The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Resources
Farm to School Local Wellness Policy Sample Goals
Comparison Chart - Supply Chain Assistance Funds vs. Local Foods for Schools vs. 10 Cents a Meal
Farm to School Training Videos
Are you curious about local food purchasing for your child nutrition programs? If you are ready to start using local foods to help keep prices low and improve overall meal quality, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has developed a series of seven videos that might help!
The videos are for all school food service staff, agricultural educators, school food producers, and anyone interested in learning about bringing local foods to schools and early childcare centers. They feature topics including procurement, sourcing local, school gardens, agricultural education, food safety, and meal quality.
The videos were developed in a partnership effort including Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. Financial support came from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School grant that was obtained by the MDE Office of Health and Nutrition Services.
The videos include interviews with food service staff, produce vendors, and farm to school champions from across Michigan. They are meant to offer a peer-to-peer orientation into the Farm to School programs and give direction for further resources. You may view the seven videos below:
- MDE Farm to School - Why Farm to School - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - School Gardens - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - Purchasing and Sourcing - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - Meal Quality - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - Local Procurement - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - Food Safety - YouTube
- MDE Farm to School - Ag Education - YouTube
Farm to School is more than just fresh, nutritious food being served to students, it also means connecting those foods to nutrition, agriculture, and their communities. According to the 2019 USDA Farm to School Census, approximately 77% of Michigan schools are participating in some level of local food purchasing. However, an equal amount of those schools would like to expand their programs to include more agricultural education or school garden projects. MDE hopes these videos will help.
For more resources on Farm to School, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/farm-school-planning-toolkit or https://www.michigan.gov/mde/LocalPurchasing
For more information or questions about Farm to School, please contact Jaime Malnar at malnarj1@Michigan.gov or Wendy Crowley at crowleyw@michigan.gov