Next up in the procurement webinar series, this ninth webinar offers an in-depth look at how three districts are using geographic preference. We review some geographic preference basics, hear from the farm to school coordinator at Fayetteville Public Schools in Arkansas and discuss two other real-life examples of schools using geographic preference.
During this webinar, the eighth in the series, USDA's Farm to School Team introduces the geographic preference option, explains when it can be used and offers a few examples for how a school might use geographic preference.
In this webinar, the fourth in the series, Christina Conell from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service discusses how schools can purchase local products using the informal method. It can be as easy as schools contacting three (or more!) local producers for price quotes. This session showcases stories and tips from Union Public Schools in Oklahoma and Kalispell Public Schools in Montana.
In this webinar, the third in the series, Christina Conell, from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service discusses the variety of ways that schools can connect with local farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses. The webinar covers online connection tools, requests for information, the role of state farm to school coordinators and state departments of agriculture, and USDA resources such as the Farm Service Agency's field offices and Cooperative Extension resources. Guest speakers from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University and a Michigan farm will share their tips for connecting with producers.
In this webinar, the first of the series, Christina Conell and Maggie Gosselin from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, covered basic procurement fundamentals relevant to the federal child nutrition programs. Topics include informal and formal procurement methods and maintaining competition.