A Note to Presenters:

1. A Note to Presenters: This slide deck must be edited before you use it. This training include a farm to school video. The video is provided in two formats, on two separate slides. The first video slide allows you to show the video through QuickTime. No internet connection is needed in order to access the video on this slide, but your computer must be equipped with QuickTime. The second video slide embeds the video as a YouTube video. You will need an internet connection in order to access the video through YouTube. PPT must be in “SlideShow View” (not preview) in order to play the videos. Please delete the video slide that you WILL NOT be using. Any “quote” slide will have a “note to the presenter” in the top of the notes section for that slide with instructions. Thank you!

2. Farm to School: How it can add value to your business Insert Name of Presenters Peer Leadership Network Photo: Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network

3. National Farm to School Network

4. Farm to School Peer Leadership Network Goal: Strengthen farm to school training and technical assistance for stakeholders through peer learning. • 20 Peer Leaders selected in 4 stakeholder groups: • Farmers • Child Nutrition Directors • Educators / Teachers • Early Child Education Providers • 12 peer trainings developed and shared nationally • Peer leaders available to provide one-on-one assistance • The Peer Leadership Network is a project of the National Farm to School Network • The project is supported by Newman’s Own Foundation

5. Presentation Outline What is Farm to School? Benefits of Farm to School? Understanding the School Food Market The School Meal Environment Advantages of Selling to Schools Farm to School Success Stories Troubleshooting Common Challenges Resources and Closing

6. What is Farm to School? Farm to school is the practice of sourcing local food for schools or preschools and providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, such as school gardens, farm field trips and cooking lessons. Farm to school improves the health of children and communities while supporting local and regional farmers.

7. Farm to School: A Holistic Approach LOCAL PROCUREMENT SCHOOL GARDENS EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOOD & AG CURRICULUM

8. What Farm to School Looks Like

9. Farm to School Video

10. Farm to School Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SlpZ2tXP6k

11. Farmer Benefits of Farm to School Expand market opportunity, income potential Sell ‘surplus’ product Diversify market, help manage risk Developaudiences for agritourism and on-farm opportunities Generate awareness and marketing opportunity for farm and products Increase demand and awareness for local foods Identify community members interested in gleaning

12. Build Awareness of Your Business • Farm namesappearin school menu or school newsletter • Posters of farmers hang in cafeteria or school campus • Farmers visit schools • Students share information with family at the end of the day • Farm to school events appear in local media

13. Community Benefits of Farm to School Circulates money withinthe community to support the local and state economy Enhancesnutrition education and healthy eating habits in students and school staff Connects school nutrition staff directly with food producers to offer increased selection of products for school meals

14. School Food Market Opportunities • Dollar value of food purchases by school/district • Current dollar value of local food purchased • Types of local products currently purchased • If school is interested in increasing local purchasing • What local products are schools interested in purchasing • Any data that conveys to possibilities and volume of sales to schools

15. Understanding School Food Farmers and schools speak a different language, and operate with different needs and guidelines Take time to get to know your local School Nutrition Directors and learn to speak their language Many existing resources exist to help guide you through the process of selling to schools Establishing strong relationships and good communications is key!

16. What Schools May Require Products, Price & Availability Bids & Specs Delivery Long Payment Schedule Proof of Food Safety & Liability Insurance Student or Cafeteria Education

17. Foods Schools Can Use • Fresh fruits and vegetables • Frozen, canned or minimally processed fruits and vegetables • Proteins (chicken, beef, pork, turkey, etc) • Fresh or frozen • Whole or minimally processed • Grains, legumes and pulses • Dairy • Milk, yogurt, cheese • Locally produced food items • Bread, bagels, chili, applesauce etc

18. How Schools Use Local Foods School breakfast and school lunch Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program Sampling and tasting events After school program snacks and meals Special events Summer feeding programs School fundraisers

19. Examples of Farmer Participation in Farm to School • Watermelon Day • Each fall in Mississippiwatermelon growers sell their product to local schools. The farmers visit the schools to serve the fruit to students in the cafeteria, and teach students how watermelons grow. • A Farmer in the School Garden • Local farmers visit schools to teach in school garden, tell stories about the farm or cook with students in the classroom • Farm Field Trips • Farmers can host groups of students for an on-farm experiences

20. SPROUT MN Food Hub Privately owned food hub with 37+ farmer participants from 8 counties All produce: asparagus to zucchini Brainard, MN Sales to 3 school districts totally 35,000 pounds per year. Some education to students in the classroom and cafeteria. “The school market is a great opportunity. We are working with 35+ area farms to aggregate food for schools. We’ve created jobs and wealth in the local economy. This is especially true for the Amish growers in our network. We can offer them fair and equitable opportunities selling to schools. One family farmer increased his sales by roughly $4000 this year by participating in the food hub.” -Arlene Jones

21. Farm on St. Mathias Bob and Arlene Jones All specialty crops Brainerd, MN Sales to school through a food hub. Education in the classroom and cafeteria. Agritourism on farm, including farm maze and farm tours. Arlene will send “The revenue from selling to schools makes a difference, we see the impact. The new revenue has helped us expand, it’s a guaranteed market. In part this is because we are close to the schools, we are seen as a community asset. So when I go into a school to talk with kids about growing food, they have a deeper connection because they have already been to our farm or our corn maze” -Arlene Jones

22. Gardens Gourmet Diane & Chuck Webb and Family Diverse specialty crop CSA (carrots, potatoes, beets, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes to schools) Henning, MN Sales to schools through a food hub. Some school visits and considering farm field trips “Last year our sales increased by about 10% through farm to school. This year we are expecting 15%. Schools give us the chance to extend our season after Labor Day when sales at our on farm country store drop off.” -Diane Webb

23. Miller Livestock Company, Inc Aaron & Melissa Miller Northwest Ohio Sell 50 pigs and 10 lambs per year to Case Western Reserve University through Bon Appétit Food Management Company Met food safety requirements by working with food service management company and establishing good communications “With Bon Appétit, the commitment to buy our product is made in advance of the school year. This lets us know that our product is sold in advance and takes that whole marketing piece out of the equation. The contract provides a guaranteed income for us for the whole school year. We know those payments will come in, because we know that schools are responsible accounts. It's our bread and butter.” --Melissa Miller

24. Lake-to-River Cooperative Northwest Ohio 14 Growers & Processors Fruits, vegetables, and some baked goods to schools • About $1000 in weekly sales to twelve school districts. Apples every other week during winter months • Helped increase demand for local food in the area by educating about “price” versus “value” and the benefits of local foods. “Farm to School is the bread and butter of this new Cooperative. Local food is new here, and we stress the point that the people that you are buying from in this Co-op are your neighbors, they pay local taxes, let’s support them. We’ll soon be working with a local shared use commercial kitchen to minimally process local products because that is what the schools are asking for.”

25. Peach Crest Farm Susan Bergen Stratford, Oklahoma Started small and only worked with a few schools but now is working with 68 districts Crucial component of F2S is that food service staff meet the farmers they are working with to foster relationships “Having a steady customer with a fixed price has transformed our farm. We know how much to grow, and when we will be shipping it. It gives us the steady customer that any farmer needs. I highly recommend that any farmer look at making farm to school a part of their farm plan.” --Susan Bergen

26. Farm Name Here Farmer Name Farm Products Farm Location How they engage with F2S (sales, education, agritourism) Farmer/farm photo “Quote from farmer about how farm to school directly impacts their bottom line” -Farmer Name

27. Common Challenges…and how to face them As a group, we will now have a chance to take through a common set of (perceived) barriers, and how to overcome them. Please think through your personal experience and the case studies… Discuss! • GAP, food safety & liability insurance requirements • Price point • Delivery • Competition • Food service versus farmer world views

28. Steps for Getting Started • Create working relationship with School Food Service Director and Educators • Strong relationships are the best first step • Visit a local school, and learn about their food service program • Invite the school administrators and teachers to visit your farm via farm field trips • Learn about which products you produce are used in school meals • Continue to learn about farm to school through resources listed in handout

29. Start Small If you are looking for the best place to start, think about starting small. • Provide one product to a school for taste testing activity • Sell one item to a school for use in a special menu item • Offer to be the local source of one item that already appears on the menu • Coordinate products with the school’s Harvest of the Month or other ‘campaign’

30. Take Home Resources • National Farm to School Network • www.farmtoschool.org • Michigan Farm to School • Marketing Michigan Products to Schools: A Step-by-Step Guide • Washington Dept of Ag • Farm to Cafeteria Connections • Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions • Grower Perspectives on Farm to School: A Survey of Interested Farmers, Ranchers and Other Producers

31. www.farmtoschool.org

32. National Farm to Cafeteria Conference April 15-18, 2014 in Austin, Texas www.farmtocafeteriaconference.org

33. October is National Farm to School Month More information at www.farmtoschoolmonth.org

34. Evaluation and Future Assistance • Complete the training evaluation form • Future one-on-one training

35. Thank You! Name Title Organization Phone E-mail Website