Throughout the United States, farm to school initiatives are taking root and thriving at the local, state and regional levels. Many state agencies are at the forefront of this work, leading state farm to school planning and goal setting initiatives. State agencies, such as state departments of education, departments of agriculture and departments of health, can play unique roles in establishing and supporting vibrant community food system efforts. The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program provides grants, resources and technical assistance to state agencies in order to support expanding farm to school efforts across the country.
- Resources
- USDA FNS State Contact Page: Find state agency farm to school contacts.
- USDA FNS Regional Contact Page: Each USDA FNS region has a dedicated farm to school regional lead who is assigned to work with USDA Farm to School grantees, state agencies and partner organizations to deepen farm to school efforts nationwide. Find the contact information for each of USDA's seven regional offices.
- Farm to School Grants
- Farm to School Grants: USDA annually awards hundreds of competitive grants to support state, local and regional organizations establish, or enhance, their own farm to school initiatives.
- USDA Farm to School Grant Recipients: Here, you can find a list of all prior Farm to School grant recipients. This information includes the recipient's organization, the amount of funding awarded, and a brief description of the grantee's project.
- Farm to School Census
- Farm to School Census: USDA is responsible for monitoring the extent of farm to school activity nationwide. The Farm to School Census utilizes survey data from all school food authorities (SFAs) participating in USDA's national school feeding programs. The Farm to School Census shares information regarding various farm to school activities, procurement practices and education efforts by schools utilizing locally raised food and engaging with local food producers.
- Technical Assistance
- Effective Strategies State Agencies Can Use to Support Community Food Systems: This fact sheet has information and examples of active state agencies doing innovative farm to school work. More useful fact sheets on other farm to school topics can be found on our Farm to School Program fact sheet page.
- The Dirt - the OCFS Farm to School Electronic Newsletter: USDA FNS Farm to School Program publishes a monthly electronic newsletter, The Dirt. Subscribe to get the latest announcements on USDA farm to school resources, insight into farm to school operators and more.
- Training
- Bringing the Farm to School: A Training for Agricultural Producers: Bringing the Farm to School is now in phase 4: Local Producer Trainings. Regional workshops have been completed, and now state teams around the U.S. and territories are hosting local producer trainings using the tools, resources, and knowledge from the regional workshops. Please visit the Bringing the Farm to School website to share information about a planned training, request technical assistance, or for any additional questions. Bringing the Farm to School was developed by the USDA in cooperation with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN).
- Seeding Success Webinar Series: This webinar series, hosted by FNS, provides technical assistance supporting farm to school grantees, including state agencies, as they develop, expand and maintain, robust farm to school programs, projects or initiatives.
Hungry for more information?
Visit the Farm to School Fact Sheet Page.
For more information and to sign up for the Dirt, the e-letter from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, visit www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/e-letter-archive.