During the last webinar in the twelve-part series, recorded on June 26, 2014, the USDA Farm to School Program offers a speedy recap of the variety of ways districts can purchase local foods, and talks through an example of how one district is tying it all together with a comprehensive local purchasing program. Deborah Kane, the National Director of USDA's Farm to School Program, wraps up the webinar by showing us how local procurement fits into the larger farm to school picture and shares several resources that are available to help you meet your local purchasing goals.
In this webinar, we will focus on the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The webinar begins with an overview of how the program works and a few examples of states and districts that are augmenting their farm to school efforts with produce ordered through DoD Fresh. Then, the Texas Department of Agriculture shares how they have successfully worked with three DoD Fresh vendors to create a Texas Farm to School Calendar and offer Texas-grown products throughout the year.
In this, the 10th webinar of the series, USDA's Farm to School Team turns its attention to USDA Foods. We discuss the history of the program and four ways USDA Foods can support districts in their local purchasing efforts. The Vermont Agency of Education shares how they have integrated USDA Foods into their local purchasing efforts.
On this webinar recorded on May 22, the USDA Farm to School Team turns its attention to USDA Foods. We discuss the history of the program and four ways USDA Foods can support districts in their local purchasing efforts. The Vermont Agency of Education shares how they have integrated USDA Foods into their local purchasing efforts.
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.
The USDA Farm to School Program hosted a 12-part webinar series to showcase the variety of ways school districts can purchase local foods. The series starts with an introduction to basic procurement principles, and then walks participants through strategies and tactics for buying local foods. This is the 7th webinar in the series.
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 2014, the USDA Farm to School Program hosted a 12-part webinar series to showcase the variety of ways school districts can purchase local foods. The series starts with an introduction to basic procurement principles, and then walks participants through strategies and tactics for buying local foods.