Idaho Farm to School

Idaho Farm to School

Welcome to University of Idaho Extension’s Farm to School resource center. University of Idaho Extension is currently serving as the Idaho Core Partner with the National Farm to School Network.

Our goal is to work across the state with local, regional and national partners to connect Idaho youth of all ages in schools and childcare centers with locally produced food, hands-on health and nutrition education, and activities that foster agricultural literacy.

We also support Idaho farmers, ranchers and specialty food producers seeking to develop markets for their products in Idaho schools with educational opportunities and the opportunity to connect with statewide partners.

What is farm to school?

A term to describe a broad spectrum of efforts to connect local foods and agriculture with schools, teachers and students including:

• Procurement: local foods purchased, promoted and served in schools
• Education: education related to agriculture, food, health and nutrition
• School gardens: hands-on learning through gardening

Why farm to school?

• Provides market opportunities for local farmers
• Increases healthy food options for students
• Increases awareness and understanding of the relationship between food and farms
• Provides a unique opportunity to teach required curriculum content in a creative, applied and engaging manner

What are some of the positive outcomes of farm to school?

Farm to school program participation consistently results in:

• Increased fruit and vegetable consumption among students
• Increased school meal participation
• Demonstrated willingness by students to try new foods and healthier options in school meals
• Increase in student knowledge and awareness about food, agriculture and nutrition
• Who implements farm to school in Idaho?

Farm to school in Idaho is a collaborative program. Partners include:

• University of Idaho Extension
• Idaho State Department of Agriculture/Idaho Preferred
• Idaho Ag in the Classroom
• Idaho Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Services
• Farm to school in Idaho PowerPoint presentation (pdf)
• USDA farm to school planning toolkit (pdf)

Farmers

Selling to schools or distributors who serve schools can increase marketing options for Idaho farmers, ranchers and food producers. UI Extension and our farm to school partners support producers statewide who want to pursue this option for their products.

While some very small school districts or childcare centers may work one-on-one with a farmer to purchase food, larger school districts often have contracts with wholesale distributors.

UI Extension works with our partners, most importantly, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, to connect farms with information and opportunities, including:

• One-on-one consultation
• Assistance with finding and selling to a school or distributor
• Advice on crop selection, timing and marketing
• In-school promotion of your farm and your products
• Participation in publicity
• Assistance navigating food safety training and possible certification
• Workshops, training and tours

Foodservice

Incorporating Idaho produce and farm products in school meals and snacks can open a new world of seasonal possibilities and put more tasty fresh foods on children’s plates. It can also support local farmers, ranchers and food producers. But getting started can be overwhelming to already busy professionals with time, kitchen, staff and budget constraints.

UI Extension works to connect schools and childcare providers with the considerable resources developed by farm to school partners to help guide procurement of local foods for school meals.

Our partners include the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho State Department of Education, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, and the Idaho School Nutrition Association, each leading, supporting and guiding components of successful farm to school efforts statewide, including:

• One-on-one consultation for school foodservice in finding and sourcing local foods
• In-lunchroom posters, marketing and resources to tell the story of farm to school
• Connections with local farmers in your area interested in supplying product
• Working with distributors to ensure Idaho products are available
• Workshops, training, tours and more during the summer months
• Recipe and activity support for Idaho's Farm to School Month
• Guidelines for safely using school garden produce in school meals and snacks

For procurement assistance and in-lunchroom marketing materials, contact the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

For USDA information and support contact:

USDA FNS Western Region
90 Seventh St., Suite 10-100
San Francisco, CA 94103

Related resources:

• Farm to school manual (pdf)
• School garden produce approved for school meals from Division of Public Health (pdf)
• School garden food safety (pdf)

Teachers

UI Extension supports teachers around the state who want to implement Farm to School and school garden programs. Depending on location and our Extension staff expertise and capacity, this can include:

• In-person and online teacher training in-services, workshops and tours for professional development credits
• Help finding garden grants
• Establishing a school garden 4-H or Junior Master Gardener club
• Accessing 4-H gardening and Junior Master Gardener curriculum and materials
• Finding a master gardener school garden mentor
• Delivering in-school and afterschool enrichment programs in gardening, health and nutrition

Our partners at Idaho State Department of Agriculture/Idaho Preferred and Idaho Ag in the Classroom can also provide training opportunities, promotional materials, posters, curriculum and more.

Related resources:

• School garden manual 43mb (pdf)
• Hydroponic gardening webinar (Palouse Prairie Charter School)

Parents and volunteers

Parents are often a driver of farm to school and school gardens, and successful programs frequently rely on the efforts of committed volunteers. Volunteers can help overcome the barriers of time, staffing, budgets and expertise required to start and sustain a program.

University of Idaho Extension supports parents, guardians and others around the state who want to explore or implement farm to school and school garden programs in their children’s school or in their communities.

Depending on location and our Extension staff expertise and capacity, this may include:

• Assistance locating participating school districts
• Offering guidelines or a suggested framework for program planning and implementation
• Sharing information, publications and other relevant resources
• Assisting in locating grants and other funding opportunities
• Providing expert gardening advice, classes, workshops and more
• Supplying appropriate youth-based gardening and nutrition curriculum
• Information on starting an in school or after school 4-H program

Master gardeners

School gardens represent an important aspect of the Farm to School Program, providing living laboratories for youth to explore the natural sciences, food production, even cooperation and teamwork.

The University of Idaho Extension's Idaho Master Gardener Program has been a vital component of successful school gardens around the state, whether informally as community members or more formally as part of the Master Gardener School Garden Mentor Program.

The knowledge and skills that master gardener volunteers share can help overcome the barriers of time, staffing, budgets shortages and expertise required to start and sustain a school garden program.

Join a master gardener program in your area or talk to your master gardener coordinator about opportunities to give back to the youth in your community through school garden projects.

Early care

Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) is a set of strategies that address community health outcomes by engaging early care and education sites in the three core elements of Farm to School: local food procurement, education and gardening.

The preschool years are a formative time when children begin to develop their own taste preferences and model adult habits and behaviors. National farm to school research shows that making changes in childcare facilities may help children become more willing to try fruits and vegetables at school and home and increase children’s knowledge on healthy eating, gardening and agriculture.

University of Idaho Extension, in partnership with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, connects childcare providers with curriculum, resources, marketing materials and fresh local foods. Our statewide Farm to ECE implementation includes:

• Connecting early care providers with local farmers and local products
• Increasing children’s exposure to nutritious, fresh and local foods
• Developing an Idaho specific curriculum using an experiential education “Harvest of the Month” approach
• Establishing onsite school gardens and gardening activities
• Making workshops and trainings available to IdahoSTARS certified providers
• Engaging parents and families in Farm to ECE activities

Related resources:

• Farm to ECE harvest curriculum (pdf)
• Classroom handouts and materials (pdf)
• Step-by-step taste testing vegetables and fruits (pdf)
• Taste test children's worksheet (pdf)
• Recording reactions to taste tests for educators worksheet (pdf)
• Procuring local food guide (pdf)
• Printable photo cards (pdf)
• Harvest of the month poster 8.5x11 (pdf)
• Harvest of the month poster 11x15 (pdf)
• Harvest of the month season chart (pdf)
• Building healthy eating habits through taste testing in early childcare centers, BUL 1006
• Farm to ECE newsletters (pdf)

Farm to school month

National Farm to School Month was designated by Congress in 2010 to demonstrate the growing importance of farm to school programs to improve child nutrition, support local economies and educate children about the origins of food.

Across Idaho each October, schools and childcare centers celebrate National Farm to School Month, a time to recognize the connections happening all over the country between children and local food. In Idaho, we are especially excited about the bounty of food produced in our state and the number of schools who continue to participate in farm to school.

Schools in Idaho participate in diverse ways, from harvest celebrations in school gardens or on local farms, creating unique, all-Idaho meal menus, to student recipe contests and more.

Farm to School Month is coordinated at the national level by the National Farm to School Network. They maintain a library of downloadable material for teachers, schools, volunteers and others including posters, flyers, factsheets and coloring pages.