bringing local food to local institutions

ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Centerfor Appropriate Technology through a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service USDepartment of Agriculture These organizations do not recommend or endorse products companiesor individuals NCAT has offices in Fayetteville Arkansas (PO Box 3657 Fayetteville AR 72702)Butte Montana and Davis California

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Servicewwwattrancatorg

RESOURCE SERIES

BRINGING LOCAL FOOD

TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONSA RESOURCE GUIDE FOR FARM-TO-SCHOOL

AND FARM-TO-INSTITUTION PROGRAMS

Small-scale farmers are often unable to selltheir produce and processed meats directly tolocal markets such as grocery stores schoolshospitals prisons and other institutional din-ing facilities Food production and process-ing are very centralized in America with mostof our food grown and distributed by large-scale or corporate farmsmdashsome located inother nations

Consumers overall are disconnected from oneof the most important components for their ownhealth and happinessmdashthe food they eat Rarelydo they have contact with or personal knowledgeabout the farms and farmers who grow their foodAs a result most consumers have very limitedcontrol over the quality and safety of their food

When small-scale farmers are able to sell theirproducts to local stores and institutions they gainnew and reliable markets consumers gain accessto what is often higher-quality more healthfulfood and more food dollars are invested in thelocal economy

This publication provides farmers schooladministrators and institutional food-serviceplanners with contact information and descrip-tions of existing programs that have made theseconnections between local farmers and

INTRODUCTION

The Farm-to-School salad bar at Malcolm X Middle School inBerkeley CA proves that the fresh taste of locally-purchasedfoods appeals to kids of all ages

ByBarbara C Bellows Rex Dufourand Janet BachmannNCAT Agriculture SpecialistsOctober 2003Copyrightcopy2003 NCAT

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Benefits and Constraints of

Farm-to-School

or Institution Programs 2

Program Coordination 2

Table 1 Funding and Assistance

Programs 5

Program Implementation Steps 7

Table 2 2002 Farm Bill Provisions

that Impact on Development of

Farm-to-School Programs 8

Table 3 United States Department of

Agriculture Programs 9

Successful Programs 9

Acknowledgements 11

References 11

Table 4 Farm-to-School and

Farm-to-Institution Publications 13

Table 5 Local Food Security

Publications 16

Table 6 Farm-to-School and

Farm-to-Institution Programs 18

BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONSPAGE 2

local school lunchrooms college dining halls orcafeterias in other institutions To help commu-nities initiate similar programs this publicationincludes resource lists of

Publications on how to initiate andmanage farm-to-school and farm-to-institu-tion programs

Sources of funding and technical assistancefrom government and non-government pro-grams

Provisions within the 2002 Farm Bill support-ing implementation of farm-to-school andother community food programs

BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS

OF FARM-TO-SCHOOL OR

INSTITUTION PROGRAMS

BENEFITS

As mentioned above selling to schoolscolleges hospitals prisons or other institu-tions provides smaller-scale farmers with a de-pendable market Forconsumers local pro-duce means fresh foodfrom a known sourceBreakfasts and lunchesprovided by schoolsare often the majorsource of nutrition forchildren from low-in-come homes At other in-stitutions the food ser-vice may be the pre-dominant if not onlysource of food for con-sumers Consumerswho have access to local food in schools or otherinstitutions become more aware of local food sys-tems and may be encouraged by the superiortaste and quality to increase their purchases oflocally produced food through farmers marketsfarm stands or other venues This has positiveripple effects on the local economy For collegesand universities farm-to-campus programs canhelp break down barriers between ldquotown andgownrdquo while stimulating the local economy

These programs also provide opportunities forstudent involvement in related educational andcommunity-based activities such as compostingrecycling and community gardening

POTENTIAL CONSTRAINTS

While schools and institutions a generationago relied heavily on local products for mealplanning and preparation the majority of todayrsquosinstitutions use food obtained through nationalfood distributors Much of this food is processedand prepared by food service companies thuseliminating the need for schools and institutionsto have cooking staff or kitchen facilities Simul-taneously the huge growth in the fast foods in-dustry has affected food preferences of both chil-dren and adults As a result students and otherinstitutional customers often reject rather thanembrace the introduction of fresh salads fruitplates or other dishes prepared from local pro-duce (1)

PROGRAM COORDINATION

To be successful farm-to-school programsmust have a good buying selling and distri-

bution system Food ser-vice buyers want to maketheir food purchases us-ing a one-stop shoppingapproach that allowsthem to order receiveand pay for produce in anefficient and cost-effec-tive manner Farmerswant a dependable buyerwho pays them a reason-able price while not re-quiring them to absorbexcess processing or dis-tribution expenses

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

Kelli Sanger with the Washington State Depart-ment of Agriculture Small Farm and Direct Mar-keting Program summarized distribution ap-proaches that existing farm-to-school and farm-to-institution programs have used successfully (3) A farmersrsquo cooperative acts as a distributor

and broker Individual farmers belong to acooperative that collects their produce then

A good way to get students interested in eating vegetablesand fruit is having them grow produce in school gardens

PAGE 3BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS

Farmers amp institutions critical constraints they face

Both farmers and the schools or institutions they seek to serve face several critical constraints in the develop-ment of farm-to-school or farm-to-institution programs From the perspectiveof the institution these constraints include (2)

Current contract agreements they have with food service compa-nies

Lack of knowledge of food service staff in how to store and preparefresh farm products and meet mandated portion requirements

Food preferences of students and other consumers

Lack of availability of many fresh farm products during certain timesof the year

Lack of efficiency of ordering and payment procedures with farmers compared to contract foodservice companies

Institutions having limited funds to purchase food while local foods often cost more than prod-ucts available through contract food service companies

Institutional access to free or low-cost foods through USDA surplus commodities programs

From the perspective of farmers these constraints include whether they can

Supply food in quantities that meet the needs of the institution

Assure food quality and food safety

Obtain adequate liability insurance

Get access to processing packaging and storage facilities

Efficiently distribute and transport products to educational or institutional buyers

processes and distributes it to schools andor institutions

Examples New North Florida Cooperativeof Small Farmers and University of Wis-consin campus diner service program

A non-profit organization acts as distributorand broker A community-based nonprofit or-ganization serves as a liaison between grow-ers and institutional buyers The organizationreceives food orders from institutions and co-ordinates with the cooperating farmers to filland deliver the order

Example All-Iowa Meals project with IowaState University

A local wholesaler acts as distributor and bro-ker A local food wholesaler picks up pro-cesses and delivers produce to schools andor institutions

Example America Fresh DistributionSystem

Farmersrsquo markets serve as the central loca-

tion where schools pick up farm productsSchools or institutions purchase produce ata local farmersrsquo market To ensure that insti-tutional buyers get the type and quantity ofproduce they desire orders are placed in ad-vance with specific vendors A coordinatoris required to order pick up and deliver pro-duce from the market to the schools

Example Santa Monica-Malibu School Dis-trict and the Occidental College Center for Foodand Justice

State government acts as the distributor ofstate commodities and produce The StateDepartment of Agriculture works with theUS Department of Defense produce procure-ment program to identify and contract withfarmers These agencies coordinate the pur-chase and distribution of produce for the pro-gram

Example North Carolina Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services

Fresh Produce Program The US Depart-


ment of Defense (DOD) acts as a procurementagency for produce used in school lunch pro-grams It purchases food from farmers andthen serves as vendor to the schools TheDOD does not deliver produce to schools

Examples North Carolina Florida Tennes-see Kentucky and Washington State areworking with the US Department of Defensein coordination with theUSDArsquos SmallFarmsSchool Meals Initiative California andIllinois also havepilot programs un-derway

Food service compa-nies as intermediariesin farm-to-campusprograms Privatefood service compa-nies that contractwith colleges anduniversities to pro-cure process and de-liver food to cafete-rias procure some oftheir meat and pro-duce from local farm-ers rather thanthrough institutionalbrokers

E x a m p l e s Aramark at SlipperyRock University inP e n n s y l v a n i a Burlington Food Ser-vices at MiddleburyCollege in VermontBon Appetit at Ever-green State College inWashington

FARMER AGREEMENTS WITH

SCHOOLS OR INSTITUTIONS

Farmers who propose to sell food productsto schools or institutions need to carefully ana-lyze what they can offer when they can provideit and the quantity that they can deliver If theyare approaching a school or institution that hasnot previously made purchases from farmersproducers also need to conduct some basic mar-ket research to determine what products theschool wants or needs

In addition producers need to convince the

institution of the benefits of buying from localfarmers (2) Smaller-scale farmers may need toform cooperative agreements with other farm-ers in the area or work through existing distri-bution networks such as the USDepartment of Defense procurementagency to provide schools and institutions withthe necessary volume of farm products on a con-tinuing basis (4) Often farmers can form initialagreements with schools and institutions by

agreeing to provideproducts that serve aparticular niche such asfoods favored by vari-ous cultural groups orproducts that are hardto obtain through theusual institutional foodservice companies (4)

Several face-to-facemeetings between thefarmer and the institu-tional buyer may be nec-essary before an agree-ment can be signed In-stitutional buyers willprobably need to visitthe farm or cooperativesite to inspect the fieldsand washing and cool-ing facilities Thefarmer may encourage avisit from institutionalchefs who generally aretrained to appreciatefood quality and fresh-ness

Once the farm-insti-tution link is established some institutions holdan annual training for their food service staff ata participating farm During these trainings staffcan see taste and prepare the produce freshlyharvested from the field They can also meet par-ticipating farmers to learn about growing andharvesting produce and suggest additional vari-eties for the farmer to grow

Farmers wanting to establish and maintainmarketing agreements with schools or institu-tions should be particularly sensitive to the needto deliver their products in a timely manner thatis consistent with food preparation schedulesTheir products also need to be stored in a man-ner that retains product freshness until the con-

Suggestions for creating contractsOnce farmers have an initial agreement tosupply food to schools or institutions theyshould draw up finalized contracts that includethe following components (5)

The total estimated volumeof each item to be delivered

The time an item will be ripewhen it will be delivered and acceptableseasonal substitutes

The amount and price of standing orderitems

Delivery schedule time of day frequencyand location

Packing requirements standard box gradeloose pack bulk etc

Postharvest handling practices is the prod-uct pre-cooled

Processes for meeting health and safetystandards

Cost per unit payment terms paymentprocess


Program

Department of Defense FreshProduce Program

USDA-AMS CommodityProcurement Program

AMS Federal-StateMarketing ImprovementProgram

Cooperative State ResearchEducation and ExtensionService

Rural Development

Rural Business CooperativeServices

Rural CooperativeDevelopment Grant (RCDG)Program


Value-Added AgriculturalProduct Market DevelopmentGrants (VADG)

Comments

The DOD developed a partnership with the USDAin 1994 that would enable the national school lunchprogram to use DODrsquos procurement and distribu-tion system for fresh fruits and vegetables Schooldistricts pay an overhead fee of 58 to use thisprocurement service Farmers must be registeredthrough the Defense Supply Centerrsquos Central Con-tractor Registration database

While many commodity purchases use strict com-petitive bidding processes other purchases are ex-plicitly designed to increase the participation ofsmall minority-owned or economically disadvan-taged business as suppliers to the National SchoolLunch Program and other federally sponsored feed-ing programs Purchases are made in semitrailerload quantities

The FSMIP gives high priority to small farms di-rect marketing and sustainable agriculture prac-tices Grants awarded to state-sponsored mar-keting projects

The USDA-CSREES Web site has a wealth of in-formation and links to a variety of programs relatedto food systems including funding sources andcontacts for state and local partners

This site has information and links to Rural Busi-ness Enterprise Grants and Rural Business Op-portunity Grants It focuses on funding for agricul-tural marketing and production innovations

Rural Cooperative Development grants are madefor establishing and operating centers for coopera-tive development for the primary purpose of improv-ing the economic condition of rural areas throughthe development of new cooperatives and improv-ing operations of existing cooperatives

One objective of this program is to encourage in-dependent producers of agricultural commoditiesto further refine these products and increase theirvalue to end users The second objective is toestablish an information resource center to collectcoordinate and disseminate information on value-added processing to independent producers andprocessors

Web

DOD certificationrequirements andapplication lthttp131822413contractnewhtmgt

DOD Fresh ProduceProgram lthttpwwwdscpdlamilsubsgt

USDAAMS FoodPurchase Resourceslthttpwwwamsusdagovcpresourceshtmgt

Description of theapplication process forSMIP grants lthttpwwwamsusdagovtmdfsmiphtmgt

lthttpwwwreeusdagovgt


lthttpwwwrurdevusdagovgt

Continued on page 6

Table 1 Funding and Assistance Programs

Procurement Programs

United States Department of Agriculture Programs

lthttpwwwrurdevusdagovrbscoopstvadghtmgt


Lists the programs under the FNS including Food StampsWICFarmers Markets Food Distribution Team Nutritionand Child Nutrition Lists grants for state agencies includ-ing Team Nutrition and Federal State Marketing Improve-ment Program (FSMIP)

Funded by the USDA and organized by region the SAREprogram has competitive grants that may be used to fundcreation of new marketing strategies for farmers and otherinnovative projects SARE also funds multi-institutionalcollaborative approaches to sustaining local food systems

Coordinates along with USDA the implementation of aprovision in the 2002 Farm Bill calling for the creation of apilot program with school food services designed to in-crease the amount of fruits and vegetables children eat byproviding them free during the school day Indiana Michi-gan Iowa and Ohio serve as pilot sites Each of 25 schoolsin each state may receive up to about $50000 to offerfresh and dried fruits and vegetables at no charge to allchildren in the school

The American School Food Service Association can pro-vide information on industry trends and directions

Federal grants to support the development of CommunityFood Projects designed to meet the needs of low-incomepeople by increasing their access to fresher more nutri-tious food supplies increase the self-reliance of commu-nities in providing for their own food needs and promotecomprehensive responses to local food farm and nutri-tion issues

This is a project of the WK Kellogg Foundation to sup-port the creation and expansion of community-based foodsystems enterprises (CBEs) that are locally owned andcontrolled environmentally sound and promote goodhealth

Lists foundations by state with an easy-to-use US mapgraphic Also uses maps to show locations of each com-munity foundation

Corporate and community foundations listed by state orgrant category with links on How to Write a Grant Pro-posal Grant categories include environmental nonprofitorganizations and agricultural resources

For a $20 monthly fee one can have access to and searchthe foundation center database for possible funding op-portunities Many grant directories are also available

lthttpwwwfnsusdagovfnsgt

lthttpwwwsareorggt

lthttpwwwasfsaorgnewsroomsfsnewsfruitandvegpilotaspgt

lthttpwwwreeusdagovcrgamcfpcommunityhtmgt

lthttpwwwfoodandsocietyorggt

ltttp

Food and NutritionService

Sustainable AgricultureResearch andEducation (SARE)Program

American School FoodService Assoication

Community FoodProjects CompetitiveGrant Program

Food and SocietyInitiative

Community FoundationLocator

igrantcom

Foundation Center

Table 1 Funding and Assistance Programs contrsquod

Foundation Databases

National Non-governmental programs

United States Department of Agriculture Programs contrsquod


lthttpwwwonlinegrantscomwri_proposalaspgt

lthttpwwwfdncenterorggt


ful farm-to-school or farm-to-institution pro-gram will differ from one situation to the nextThe common theme in all these steps is buildinga trusting relationaship between buyers andsellers which increases the sustainability of theprogram To build this trust it also helps to startsmall (ie one school or one cafeteria or evenone type of foodproduce such as a salad bar)then build on successes

Often the first step in developing a farm-to-school or farm-to-institution program involvesthe formation of a food advisory committee Fora farm-to-school program this committee wouldprobably include farmers food purchasers for theschool kitchen personnel school board mem-bers and representatives from any coordinatingorganization Based on the experience of exist-ing farm-to-school programs this committeeguides new program development by (2 4 6)

tracted delivery time Farmers may also needto change their production schedules and themanner in which they process and packagetheir products to meet the needs of the food ser-vice provider (4)

PROGRAM

IMPLEMENTATION STEPSThe initial phase of program implementa-

tion is typically time consuming involves sev-eral face-to-face meetings and may require thepurchase of processing storage or distributionequipment This program development step usu-ally requires the work of a program coordinatoror facilitator Examples of initiators of farm-to-school or farm-to-institution agreements include

A government organization

Example Natural Resource ConservationService (NRCS) working with the NewNorth Florida Cooperative Program

An interested college student

Examples Slippery Rock University inPennsylvania and the University of Wis-consin

A faculty member in the School of Hospitality

Examples Pennsylvania College of Tech-nology and Cornell University

A non-profit organization

Example Practical Farmers of Iowa sellingfarm products to Iowa State University andGrinnell College

An interested food service director

Examples High School District 211 in NWCook County Illinois and Williams Collegein Massachussetts

Farm-to-institution coordinators educatefood service buyers and consumers about thebenefits of using locally produced food Theyalso serve as meeting coordinators and managethe negotiation inspection and distribution pro-cesses required to develop and maintain farm-to-school or farm-to-institutions contracts Theymay also be responsible for seeking outside fi-nancial assistance to cover management andequipment costs

Specific steps used to implement a success-

Stanford Food Service Director Nadeem Saddiquiinspects organic strawberries at ALBA the AgriculturalLand Based Training Association

Every effort should be made to make purchasing localfoods easy for institutional staff


Examining logistical and management con-cerns such as

mdash type of food consumed by school chil-dren

mdash cooking and storage facilities availableat schools

mdash food preparation skills of food servicepersonnel

mdash access to processing facilities (and cost)

mdash amount of produce that schools can useand when

mdash type and amount of produce that farm-ers can provide and when

mdash processes for food quality and food safetyoversight

mdash selling prices for produce

mdash pick-up and distribution systems that areavailable and their cost

mdash billing and payment systems

mdash regulations affecting food handling andmarketing practices

Addressing issues identified in the feasibil-ity study In most cases this can involve de-veloping a pick-up processing and deliverysystem as well as a business office to coordi-nate orders billing and payment The eco-nomic sustainability of the program is impor-tant to keep in mind In their initial yearsmany of these programs require externalfunding but that will last only a short timeMany programs enlist volunteers drawingon parental or student interest but unless thevolunteersrsquo time is well coordinated their in-terest will wane Program developmentshould include processes to ldquoinstitutionalizerdquocontractual agreements between farmers andfood service operations

Identifying or establishing a coordinator po-

Section 4125

Assistance forCommunity Food

Projects

Section 4303Purchases of

locally producedfoods

Section 4305 Fruitand Vegetable Pilot

Program

bull Program must meet specific state local or neighborhood foodand agricultural needs including needs for the creation of in-novative marketing activities that mutually benefit agriculturalproducers and low-income consumers

bull Program must encourage long-term planning activities and mulit-system interagency approaches with multi-stakeholder collabo-ration that build the long-term capacity of communities to ad-dress their food and agricultural problems

bull Program must include innovative programs for addressing com-mon community problems To this end grants will be availableto gather information and recommend innovative programs foraddressing a) loss of farms and ranches b) rural poverty c)welfare dependency d) hunger e) need for job training f) theneed for self-sufficiency by individuals and communities

The Secretary shall encourage institutions participating in theschool lunch program under this Act and the school breakfastprogram established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966(42 US 1773) to purchase in addition to other food purchaseslocally produced foods for school meal programs to the maxi-mum extent practicable and appropriate

The Secretary shall carry out a pilot program to make available tostudents in 25 elementary or secondary schools in each of 4 statesand in elementary or secondary schools on 1 Indian Reservation freefresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables through the school day in 1or more areas designated by the school

FoodStamp Act

ChildNutritionProgram

Table 2 2002 Farm Bill Provisions with Impact on Development ofFarm-to-School Programs


sition or coordination structure to facilitatecommunication and business management

Identifying and coordinating with availablefunding or coordination structures such asUS Department of Defense procurementprograms and local processing and distribu-tion facilities

Assisting schools or institutions to identifyand obtain federal state or local exemptionsto standard competitive bidding require-ments when purchasing from local or minor-ity-owned businesses

Assisting producers to increase the diversityof their products and extend their growingseason

Ensuring that the program maintains pro-fessionalism accountability and strict ad-herence to food safety and quality standards

Helping integrate appreciation for food pro-duction into the curriculum by developingfarm visits or other food-system-related ac-tivities for school children

SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMSFarmers and food service directors wanting

to establish local farm-to-school or farm-to-insti-tution programs can learn from the experience

of established programs Schools and institu-tions are becoming increasingly receptive tothese programs as are the food services withwhich they contract Funding and governmentsupport for these programs is also becoming in-creasingly available The 2002 Farm Bill pro-vides funds for selected schools in four pilotstates (Indiana Michigan Iowa and Ohio) tooffer fresh and dried fruits and vegetables to chil-dren at no charge (7) Based on a 1994 agree-ment between the United States Department ofAgriculture and the US Department of De-fense national school lunch programs can usethe DOD procurement and distribution systemreferred to as DOD Fresh to obtain fresh fruitsand vegetables

Local and state organizations are also work-ing to change policies to favor procurement oflocally produced foods In New York State NYFarms is urging the state legislature to ease thebidding requirements for contracts with schoollunch programs to allow school foodservice directors to use more lo-cally produced foods The Community Food Se-curity Coalition works with local organizationsto develop farm-to-school programs while theCenter for Food and Justice in the Urban and En-vironmental Policy Institute at Occidental Col-lege works to promote policies that make schoolshealthier places to learn

OrganizationAgricultural MarketingService


Cooperative StateResearch Education andExtension Service

Web Based InformationDirect marketing publications

bull WIC and Senior Farmersrsquo MarketFood Stamps

bull Local purchase of produce forschool lunch programs

Community Supported Agriculture

Web Addresslthttpwwwamsusdagovdirectmarketingpublicationshtmgt


lthttpwwwnalusdagovafsiccsacsaorgshtmgt

Comments Several excellent farmer-direct marketing publications including How Local Farmersand School Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliances and an overview of the New North FloridaCooperative an early innovative farm-to-school effort Also see the following Web page for a PowerPoint presentation of the New North Florida Cooperative lthttpwwwezecgovPubsnoflacooppptgt

Comments This site has links to many others with information about CSAs including a link to anational state-by-state CSA database

Comments Farm Bill provisions farm to school planning documents

Table 3 United States Department of Agriculture Programs


The farm-to-school and farm-to-in-stitution programs described in the fol-lowing resource list cover a broad rangeof marketing interactions food prod-ucts and types of community involve-ment For example

Farmers in north Florida formed acoopera-tive to process and distribute col-lard greens and other crops to local schoolsThis cooperative has expanded its operationsto work with 15 school districts in threestates while also increasing its product lineand packaging capabilities (8)

Cafeterias at colleges and universities asso-ciated with the University of Wisconsin sys-tem purchase up to one-third of their ingre-dients from local and organic farmers (10)

Schools in upstate New York (11) and in Min-nesota (12) provide markets for local farm-ers while seeking to influence childrenrsquos foodpreferences by involving youth with food inmany ways including growing harvestingpreparing taste-testing learning about it andtouring farms and farmersrsquo markets

High schools in Pennsylvania have estab-lished School Market Programs where by cre-ating and operating farmersrsquo markets stu-dents learn about nutrition food marketingand the role of food in their community (13)

Professors and students at the University ofNorthern Iowa helped establish marketinglinks between local farmers and a county hos-pital The hospital now buys almost 25 ofits food locally (14)

These programs also demonstrate how farm-

to-school or farm-to-college programs can helppromote more sustainable lifestyles on cam-puses in schools and within the communityFor example Bates College Bowdoin College Bastyr Uni-

versity Middlebury College Slippery RockUniversity and Tufts University all havecomposting programs in conjunction withtheir farm-to-college programs

Some schoolsrsquo food services have adoptedldquogreenrdquo mission statements to guide all theiractivities not just food purchases For ex-ample Northland College is adopting moresustainable practices in its dining servicesincluding switching to more environmen-tally safe cleaning supplies installing andusing energy and water-saving devices in-creasing recycling and reuse efforts andworking with renewable energy sources

The Oberlin College Food Service purchasesfoods from local producers who support therights of farm workers

People interested in establishing farm-to-school or farm-to-institution marketing arrange-ments can also share their experiences at severalregional and national conferences

In 2002 the Community Food Security Coali-tion (httpwwwfoodsecurityorgindexhtml)sponsored the first national conference on Farm

Institutional markets like this StanfordCA salad bar (left) are great for smallfarmers Fresh fruits and vegetables atMalcolm X Middle School in Berkeley CA(below) leave patrons smiling


to Cafeteria Healthy Farms Healthy StudentsThe enthusiastic response to this conference nodoubt ensures that other conferences and work-shops will focus on this subject in the future

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to express their thanksto NCAT Technical Specialists Nancy Mathesonand Julia Sampson for their insightful review ofthis document Marion Kalb the Farm to SchoolCoordinator for the Community Food SecurityCoalition provided invaluable assistancethrough her review of and many additions tothe programs list

REFERENCES1) Stern Robert 2002 Community Food Se-

curity Coalition listserve November 1

2) Gregoire Mary Catherine A Strohbehn andJim Huss 2000 Local Food Connectionsfrom Farms to Schools Iowa State Univer-sity University Extension Ames IA Atlthttpwwwexnet iastateedugt 4 p

3) Sanger Kelli 2001 Creative ways to selland distribute locally produced foods toschool and university cafeterias Examples ofselling and distributing food from across thenation Washington State Department ofAgriculture Olympia WA 19 p

4) Tropp Debra and SurajudeenOlowolayemo 2000 How Local Farmersand School Food Service Buyers are Build-ing Alliances USDA Agricultural Market-ing Service Washington DC At lthttpwwwamsusdagovtmdmtaFarm20To20School20Marketingpdfgt30 p

5) Visher David 1996 Selling Directly toLocal Schools Small Farms Center Uni-versity of California Davis CA Atlthttpwwwsfcucdavis edupubsSFNewsarchive96032htmgt 2 p

6) Valen Gary 2001 Local Food Project AHow-to Manual Humane Society of theUnited States Washington DC 41 p

7) USDA to Select Schools for Fruit andVegetable Pilot Amerocam School FoodService Association asfsaorg Web page

At lthttpwwwasfsaorgnewsroomsfsnewsfruitandvegpilotaspgt

8) Holmes Glyen Vonda Richardson andDan Schofer 2002 Taking it to the nextlevel Success of small Floida vegetable co-op leads to a network of similar coopera-tives Rural Cooperatives SeptemberOctober p 18-23 37 At lthttpwwwrurdev usdagovrbspubsep02sep02pdfgt

9) Mascarenhas Michelle and RobertGottlieb 2000 The Farmersrsquo Market SaladBar Assessing the First Three Years of theSanta Monica-Malibu Unified SchoolDistrict Program Community FoodSecurity Coalition Los Angeles CA 24 p

10) The College Food Project InstitutionalFood Purchasing Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systems University of Wis-consin Web page At lthttpwwwwisceduciasresearchinstituthtmlgt

11) Neff Glenda 2002 Community FoodSecurity Coalition list serve November 1

12) Koester Ulrich 1999 Giving Children aRole in Sustainable Agriculture MidwestFood Connection Minneapolis MN 28 p

13) The Food Trust Building Strong Comuni-ties Through Healthy Foods Web pageAt lthttpwwwthefoodtrust orgschoolshtmlgt

14) Strohbehn Catherine A and MaryGregoire 2002 Local Food ConnectionsFood Service Considerations Iowa StateUniversity University Extension AmesIA At lthttpwwwextensioniastateeduPublicationsPM1853Cpdfgt4 p


By Barbara C Bellows Rex Dufour andJanet BachmannNCAT Agriculture Specialists

Photographs by Rex Dufour

October 2003copyNCAT 2003

The electronic version of Bringing LocalFood to Local Institutions is located atHTMLhttpattrancatorgattra-pubfarmtoschoolhtmlPDFhttpattrancatorgattra-pubPDFfarmtoschoolpdf

IP242Slot 244


Table 4 Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications

Citation

USDA Innovative Marketing Opportunities forSmall Farmers Local Schools as Customers2000 USDA 61 phttpwwwamsusdagovdirectmarketingpublicationshtm

USDA Small FarmsSchool Meals InitiativeTown Hall Meetings 2000 USDA Food andNutrition Service 22 phttpwwwfnsusdagovcndlunch

Tropp Debra and Surajudeen Olowolayemo2000 How Local Farmers and School FoodService Buyers are Building Alliances USDAAgricultural Marketing Service 30 p httpwwwamsusdagovtmdmtaFarm20To20School20Marketingpdf

Azuma Andrea and Andy Fisher 2001Healthy Farms Healthy Kids Evaluating theBarriers and Opportunities for Farm to SchoolPrograms Community Food Security Coali-tion 64 pAvailable from the Community Food SecurityCoalitionPO Box 209Venice CA 90294310-822-5410httpwwwfoodsecurityorg

Mascarenhas Michelle and Robert Gottlieb2000 The Farmersrsquo Market Salad Bar As-sessing the First Three Years if the SantaMonica-Malibu Unified School District Pro-gram Community Food Security Coalition24 pAvailable from the Community Food SecurityCoalitionPO Box 209Venice CA 90294310-822-5410

Annotation

Describes the formation and marketingstrategies of the New North Florida Coop-erative and its development of a farm-to-school program

A step-by-step guide of activities for groupsto plan conduct and publicize professionaltown meetings that encourage smallfarmers and local school food officials tobegin a farm-to-school project

Provides an overview of lessons learnedfrom the USDA Small FarmSchool MealsWorkshop Chapters include Food ser-vice preferences Potential barriers forsmall farmers to enter into food servicecontracts Strategies for small farmersapproaching school meal services Gov-ernment programs Marketing checklist forsmall farmers and Marketing checklist forschool food service directors

This book describes in detail seven farm-to-school projects from around the countryexamining the barriers and opportunitiessurrounding farm-to-school programsincluding childhood obesity the strugglesof family farmers and the changing schoolfood environment with the rise of fast foodand soft drinks in the school lunchroomThe report also includes an analysis offederal policies related to nutrition and localfood systems and makes a series ofpolicy recommendations

The Occidental College Center for Foodand Justice initiated the Farmersrsquo MarketSalad Bar at the Santa Monica-MalibuUnified School District This booklet hassome preliminary data on cost of thisprogram and describes the potential forsuch a program as well as problemsencountered

Continued on page 14


Valen Gary 2001 Local Food Project AHow-to Manual Humane Society of theUnited States 41 pAvailable from the Humane Society of theUnited States2100 L St NWWashington DC 20037202-452-1100Fax 301-258-3081httpwwwhsusorg

Gregoire Mary Catherine A Strohbehn andJim Huss 2000 Local Food Connectionsfrom Farms to Schools Iowa State UniversityExtension 4 phttpwwwextensioniastateeduPublicationsPM1853Apdf

UW CIAS 2000 New markets for producersselling to colleges Research Brief 39 Uni-versity of Wisconsin Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systemshttpwwwwisceduciaspubsbriefs039html

UW CIAS 2001 Dishing up local food onWisconsin campuses Research Brief 55University of Wisconsin Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systemshttpwwwwisceduciaspubsbriefs055html

Koester Ulrich 1999 Giving Children a Rolein Sustainable Agriculture Midwest FoodConnection Minneapolis MN 28 p612-871-0317 ext 345

An excellent resource for people interestedin starting a local food project Drawingupon his experience in developing a farm-to-college project at Hendrix College in Arkan-sas Valen outlines why local food systemsare important and what steps to take toimplement a local food systems projectThis booklet contains a good resource list

Provides an overview of potential opportuni-ties and issues to be addressed in imple-menting farm-to-school programs Thisbooklet also provides guidelines for individualfarmers and community organizationsseeking access to schools as markets

This report based on interviews with per-sonnel from six US colleges with significantlocal sustainable food buying componentsidentifies opportunities and barriers facingproducers who would like to market tocolleges While these institutions are tryingto increase efficiency and meet budgetaryand safety requirements marketing opportu-nities do exist for producers of localsustainably produced food even within thelargest and most structured food servicedepartments Institutional food buyers weremore interested in buying locally producedfoods that benefited their communities thanthey were in buying certified organic foods

Report on interviews conducted with foodservice directors at 34 colleges and universi-ties in Wisconsin to learn more about theirpotential as local food buyers

A guide to classroom and farm visit activitiesfor grade school students These activitiesmay be coordinated with a farm-to-schoolprogram to enhance student appreciation ofagriculture

Table 4 Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications contrsquod

Citation Annotation




AnnotationCitation

University of Missouri 2000 The FoodCircles Networking Project Report on 1999ndash2000 Activities Missouri Community FoodSystems and Sustainable Agriculture Pro-gram 4 phttpwwwfoodcirclesmissourieduspring00pdf

Vallianatos Mark 2002 Healthy School FoodPolicies A Checklist Center for Food andJustice Urban amp Environmental PolicyInstitute Occidental College 10 phttpwwwhealthyschoolscampaignorgfarm-paper-1htm andhttpwwwuepioxyeduschoolfoodschecklist

Malloy Claudia Joy Johanson and MargoWootan 2003 CSPI School Foods Tool KitCenter for Science in the Public Interest1875 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 300Washington DC 20009202-777-8352E-mail nutritionpolicycspinetorghttpwwwcspinetorgschoolfood

McDermott Maura 2003 The OklahomaFarm-To-School Report Oklahoma FoodPolicy CouncilKerr Center for SustainableAgriculturePoteau OKhttpwwwkerrcentercomkerrwebofpcfarmtoschoolhtm

The Food Circles Networking Project worksin the Columbia and Kansas City MO areaspromoting local food systems includingfarmersrsquo markets farm-to-school and farm-to-institution programs and communitygardens

An evolving document that provides policyrecommendations for healthy school lunchprograms including integration with schooleducational health and environmentalmissions and purchasing to promotecommunity economic development and thelivlihoods of local farmers

Addresses goals and strategies for improv-ing school foods and beverages and con-tains background materials and fact sheetson childrenrsquos diets and health school mealprograms and vending and other schoolfood venues It also has a section on tech-niques that you can use to effect changewith guidance and model materials forcommunicating with decision makers thepress and other members of your commu-nity

A survey of 638 public institutions (includingcolleges and universities technology cen-ters prisons state hospitals and stateresorts) indicated that food managers havea significant interest in using more locally-produced food in their food service pro-grams They also thought that many of theperceived obstacles could be solved througheducation The Oklahoma Food PolicyCouncil outlines steps that may be used toincrease the use of local foods by institu-tions while working to improve the access ofpeople especially school children to healthydiets




Citation Annotation

Campbell Shawn 2003 The OklahomaFood Connection 2003 Oklahoma FoodPolicy CouncilKerr Center for SustainableAgriculture 58 pPoteau OKhttpwwwkerrcentercomkerrwebofpcfoodconnectionhtm

Addressing a demand for local food in Okla-homa this directory lists farmers where theyare located and what they produce Consum-ers and public institutions wanting to buylocally may wish to contact farmers in theirarea This publication also lists schools thathave expressed interest in buying local pro-duce

Table 5 Local Food Security Publications

Citation Annotation

USDA 2000 Community Food Security Re-source Kit How to Find Money Technical As-sistance and Other Help to Fight Hunger andStrengthen Local Food Systems USDA 92p httpwwwreeusdagovfood_securityscgcresoukithtm

Tauber Maya and Andy Fisher 2002 A Guideto Community Food Projects CommunityFood Security Coalition 19 phttpwwwfoodsecurityorgpubshtml

Fisher Andy Kai Siedenburg Mark Winne andJill Zachary 1999 Getting Food on the TableAn Action Guide to Local Food Policy Com-munity Food Security Coalition 70 p Avail-able from the Community Food Security Coa-litionhttpwwwfoodsecurityorgpubshtml

Bailkey Martin and Jerry Kaufman 2000Farming Inside Cities Community Food Se-curity Coalition 125 p Available from the Com-munity Food Security Coalitionhttpwwwfoodsecurityorgpubshtml

This kit is an excellent resource for those work-ing on food system projects providing infor-mation about programs and projects (includ-ing many funding sources) across the nationthat are working on community-centered foodsecurity activities

This guide features case studies of seven di-verse and innovative projects funded byUSDArsquos Community Food Projects grant pro-gram It also includes basic information aboutthe CFP program and sources for more infor-mation

The guide includes an inventory of Californiaprograms policies and functions that provideopportunities for supporting community foodsecurity The guide also includes case stud-ies advice from experienced food policy ad-vocates a resource guide and federal fund-ing sources

This report investigates the nature andcharacteristics of city farming for marketsales It also discusses obstacles tomarket-based city farming activities andways of overcoming these obstacles Morethan 120 people served as informants andsome 70 entrepreneurial urban agricultureprojects in the United States were found for


this study


This booklet examines farmersrsquo marketsWIC (Woman Infant Child) Farmers MarketNutrition Programs case studies electronicbenefit transfer farmstands policy issuesguidelines for successful markets andpolicy recommendations

This is perhaps the most thorough documen-tation of an urban communityrsquos food systemSections on hunger nutrition food industry su-permarket industry community case studyfarmersrsquo markets urban agriculture joint ven-tures and food policy councils

This guidebook details such issues as theconcept of CFS community food planningneeds assessments building collaborationsand coalitions project implementationentrepreneurship funding programsustainability case studies and multipleattachments

Excerpts from the ldquoBringing in the Sheavesrdquosymposium a meeting focusing on commu-nity food systems economic and ethical im-pacts of food choices and community sup-ported agriculture

Fisher Andy 1999 Hot Peppers and ParkingLot Peaches Evaluating Farmersrsquo Markets inLow Income Communities Community FoodSecurity Coalition 61 p Available from theCommunity Food Security Coalitionhttpwwwfoodsecurityorgexecutivehtml

Ashman Linda (ed) 1993 Seeds of ChangeStrategies for Food Security for the Inner CityCommunity Food Security Coalition 400 pAvailable from the Community Food SecurityCoalitionhttpwwwfoodsecurityorgpubshtml

Joseph Hugh (ed) 1997 Community FoodSecurity A Guide to Concept Design andImplementation Community Food SecurityCoalition 57 p Available from the CommunityFood Security CoalitionhttpwwwfoodsecurityorgCFSguidebook1997PDF

McDermott Maura 2001 Healthy FarmsFood and Communities Field Notes KerrCenter for Sustainable Agriculture 9 phttpwwwkerrcentercomkerrwebnwsltr2001winter1-9pdf

Table 5 Local Food Security Publications contrsquod

Citation Annotation


Table 6 Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution ProgramsProgram name and contact information Comments

National Programs

Community Food Security CoalitionMarion KalbFarm to School Program DirectorPO Box 363Davis CA 95617530-756-8518 ext 32Fax 530-756-7857E-mail marion foodsecurityorg httpwwwfoodsecurityorg

Community Food Security CoalitionKristen MarkleyFarm to College Program ManagerPO Box 109Markley LaneBeaver Springs PA 17812310-822-5410Fax 310-822-1440E-mail kristen foodsecurityorg httpwwwfoodsecurityorgfarm_to_collegehtml

The Community Food Security Coalition isa non-profit organization dedicated to build-ing strong sustainable local and regionalfood systems that ensure access to afford-able nutritious and culturally appropriatefood for all people at all times CFSC seeksto develop self-reliance among all commu-nities in obtaining their food and to createa system of growing manufacturing pro-cessing distributing and selling food thatis regionally based and grounded in jus-tice democracy and sustainability

CFSC has more than 250 memberorganizations Publications conferencesand other activities focus on communityfood projects including farmersrsquo marketsfarm-to-school projects and communitygardens CFSC Farm-to-School and Farm-to-College programs provide informationworkshops and development assistancein the initiation and implementation of theseprograms across the country

CaliforniaFarmersrsquo Market Salad BarTracie Thomas Coordinator1651 Sixteenth StreetSanta Monica CA 90404310-450-8338 ext 324Fax 310-399-2993E-mail paytonsmmusdorghttpdepartmentsoxyeduuepicfjresourcesfarmtoschool01coverPDF

This began as a project of the OccidentalCollege Center for Food and Justice Theprogram is also linked to school gardenprograms and educational activities suchas farmersrsquo markets and farm tours topromote a holistic view of food


National Farm to School ProgramMark Wall Co-DirectorCenter for Food and JusticeOccidental College323-341-5098Fax 323-258-2917E-mail mwalloxyeduhttpwwwfarmtoschoolorgNationalindexhtm

andMarion Kalb Co-DirectorCommunity Food Security Coalition(See above for contact information)

This partnership of several educationalinstitutions the Community Alliance withFamily Farmers and the Community FoodSecurity Coalition mdash with the Center forFood amp Justice as the lead organization mdashis creating a database of every school andcollege that has a farm-to-school elementin their educational work Currently work-ing on nine projects funded by the USDAthe program has helped create schoolprojects that buy from local farmers a FoodService Directorrsquos Guide to Farm to Schooleducational seminars evaluation of exist-ing projects and ongoing technical assis-tance to potential and current projects


Table 6 Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs contrsquod

The Center for Eco-Literacy coordinated theBerkeley Food Systems Project and wasinstrumental in drafting the Food Policy forthe Berkeley Unified School District

The program began at three elementaryschool sites and has now expanded toseven schoolswith an eighth expected tojoin in the fall of 2003 The integratedprograms include salad bars (CrunchLunch) compostingrecycling gardenscooking carts and farm visits Food prepa-ration for the salad bars is centrally donefrom the Davis High School Kitchen anddelivered to the various sites Start-up costsand direct labor costs were funded bygrants Now grants cover equipmentprocurement and outreachcurriculumconnections All food supply and otherdirect costs are covered by Student NutritionServices The program purchases roughly$8000year of produce from local farmersand the main constraint to increasing thatfigure is the physical size of the prep areaand time constraints of staff

This program started in 2001 and is nowoperating in three schools Marilyn Godfreeis responsible for the educational andoutreach components of the program whileTammy Nelson manages the salad barsorders food and works with vendors Thesalad bar operates twice per week at oneschool and once per week at the other twowhere it is the only meal choice for thatlunch day The salad bar lunch reachesroughly 1000 children and combined withgardening activities is integrated into thecurriculum Schools have complete kitch-ens and use parent volunteers for non-foodpreparation activities Local vendors haveagreed to buy from local farmers ldquowheneverpossiblerdquo Some fruit and other food items

Center for Eco-LiteracyJanet Brown2522 San Pablo AvenueBerkeley CA510-845-4945E-mail janetecoliteracyorghttpwwwecoliteracyorg

Davis Joint Unified School District(DJUSD)Rafaelita M CurvaDirector of Student Nutrition Services1919 Fifth StreetDavis CA 95616530-757-5385 ext 119Fax 530-758-3889httpwwwdjusdk12causDistrictindexhtm

Ventura Unified Farm to School ProgramMarilyn GodfreeHealthy Projects Coordinator805-641-5050Tammy NelsonSalad Bar Coordinator805-641-5054E-mail mgodfreevtusdk12caus

California contrsquod




Occidental CollegeCenter for Community-Based Learning (CCBL)323-259-2904ccbloxyedu

Center for Food and JusticeMaggie Haase Director323-341-5096httpwwwfarmtoschoolorg

University of California Santa BarbaraBonnie Crouse CoordinatorResidential Dining Services Systems andProcurementUniversity of California Santa Barbara1501 Residential ServicesSanta Barbara CA 93106805-893-3315Fax 805-893-4766E-mail bcrousehousingucsbeduhttpwwwhousingucsbedu

are bought directly from farmers Start-upfunds for this project came from a combina-tion of tobacco settlement money PTAfunds and grant monies obtained by a non-profit Ms Godfree notes that kids using thesalad bar throw away much less foodcompared to the hot lunch

The Center for Community-Based Learningat Occidental College runs the ldquoMarketBasket Programrdquo in which students sub-scribe to the program and receive weeklyboxes of produce from the farmersrsquo market The Collegersquos Center for Food and Jus-tice is the lead organization for both theNational Farm to School Program and theCalifornia Farm to School Program

UCSB contracts with a local food servicevendor (The Berry Man) who buys part oftheir produce from local farmers WhileUCSB is willing to contract directly withlocal farmers it has not done so yet Forcontracting information contact the localrepresentative for The Berry Man LesClark at 805-963-6184


Connecticut

Connecticut Department ofCorrectionsRobert FrankDirector of Nutritional Services201 West Main StreetNiantic CT 06357860-691-6989Fax 860-691-6874http wwwdocstatect usorgAdmFoodhtm

The DOC may be the single largest buyer offood in Connecticut DOC began buying Con-necticut-grown in July 2002 and completed thefirst season in November Twenty farmersparticipated and the program will continue in2003 and is considered a success DOCwould place their weekly order with the USFood Service USF) which holds the mastercontract with the state for all institutional foodpurchasing (except U Conn) USF would thenplace their produce order with MampM ProduceWhenever available and when the price wasldquocloserdquo MampM would buy as much of the freshproduce as possible from the CT farmersldquoCloserdquo meant the buyers were generally will-ing to grant CT farmers up to a 5 premium




Florida

New North Florida Cooperative ProgramGlyen Holmes NRCSUSDA215 Perry Paite Bldg S FAMUTallahassee FL 32307859-599-3546E-mail nnfcdigitalexpcomhttpwwwamsusdagovdirectmarketingpublicationshtm

This program is facilitated by the Natural Re-source Conservation Service (NRCS) whichhelped organize a group of North Florida farm-ers to supply local schools with fresh produceThis project is now operating in 15 school dis-tricts with 300000 children in three states (FLSC and AL) Several publications about thisprogram are available on the NRCS FarmerDirect Marketing Web page under Farm-to-School Programs

Illinois

Illinois Farm-to-School InitiativeRhonda WilliamsGeneration GreenPO Box 7027Evanston IL 60201312-419-1810E-mail rhondageneragiongreenorghttpwwwhealthyschoolscampaignorgschool-foodhtm

Township High School District 211Ruth JonenDistrict 211 Director of Food ServicesTowns of Palatine and Schaumburg in NWCook County IL847-755-1600httpwwwhealthyschoolscampaignorgstory-jonenhtm

Generation Green is initiating a process toconnect farmers and small farm co-ops withinterested school districts through educa-tional programs and interactions with foodservice directors and state policy makersThey are participaring in the US Depart-ment of AgricultureDepartment of DefenseCommodity Program

Jonen has been buying produce for theschool lunch program from the SchamburgFarmersrsquo Market for more than 15 yearsPurchases run from August through Octoberand serve approximately 2500 students

IowaSunflower Fields Farm and CSAMichael Nash776 Old Stage RoadPostville IA 52162563-864-3847Fax 563-864-3837

Practical Farmers of IowaRick Hartmann Food Systems Program StaffRobert Karp Gary Huber300 Main St 1Ames IA 50010515-232-5661(phone amp Fax)E-mail rickisunetnethttpwwwpfiiastateedu

Michael is a member of a growers co-op thatdistributes food to schools and other institu-tions

Primary buyers from PFI are Iowa State Uni-versity and Grinnell College The InstitutionalBuying and Producer Cooperation project ofthe Practical Farmers of Iowa began in 2001as a two year in-depth feasibility study of vari-ous approaches for linking Iowa farmers prac-ticing sustainable agriculture to hotel restau-rant and institutional (HRI) markets




Iowa contrsquodUniversity of Northern Iowa Local FoodProjectProf Kamyar Enshayan and Scott CooleyAdjunct FacultyDepartment of PhysicsUniversity of Northern IowaCedar Falls IA 50614-0150319-273-7575 or 319-273-6895Fax 319-273-7136E-mail kamyarenshayanunieduhttpwwwunieduceeefoodproject

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agricul-ture provided funding for this project whichworks with institutional food buyers (hospitalsnursing homes restaurants and groceries) toexplore ways to purchase a greater portion oftheir food from localregional farmers and foodprocessors In this way they seek to increaseinvestment of food dollars in the local commu-nity

Kansas

Community Mercantile Education Founda-tionNancy OrsquoConnor Executive Director901 Iowa StreetLawrence KS 66044785-843-8544E-mail cmefsunflowercom

The Community Mercantile Education Foun-dation (CMEF) and area farmers initiated thisprogram in northeast Kansas to help createunderstanding and support of regionally andsustainably grown agricultural products TheCMEF is the not-for-profit arm of the Commu-nity Mercantile Co-op a natural foods store inLawrence

Maine

Bates CollegeNelson Pray Buyer for Dining Services56 Campus Avenue Chase HallLewiston ME 04240207-786-6300Fax 207-786-6302E-mail npraybatesedu httpwwwbatesedudiningxml

Bowdoin CollegeMichele Gaillard Purchasing Manager3700 College StationBrunswick ME 04011-8428207-725-3000Fax 207-725-3974E-mail mgaillarbowdoineduhttpwwwbowdoinedudininginformationenvironmentalshtml

A member of the Maine Organic Farmersand Growers Association (MOFGA) Bateshas bought organic produce from localfarmers since 1996 Bates buys turkeyspotatoes and tomatoes from MOFGA Thecollege food service also compostspreconsumer wastes and collectspostconsumer wastes as feed for a localhog farmer

Bowdoin College dining service purchaseslocal foods for several special eventsthroughout the year notably a ldquoreturn toschoolrdquo lobsterbake In the spring of 2001 adining service oversight team was formed todevelop new sustainability programs withinthe department and oversee programsalready in place Bowdoin has a pre-con-sumer waste composting program and hasalso established a refillable mug program




Massachusetts

Tufts UniversityPatti Lee KlosDirector of Dining amp Business Services89-91 Curtis StreetMedford MA 02155617-627-3751Fax 617-627-3902E-mail pattileetuftseduhttpwwwtuftsedudining

Williams CollegeRobert Volpi Director Dining Services413-597-2051E-mail RobertPVolpiwilliamsedu httpwwwwilliamseduadmindining

St Johnrsquos UniversityDave SchoenbergExecutive Director of Dining and EventsPO Box 2000Collegeville MN 56321320-363-3490Fax 320-363-2658E-mail dschoenbergcsbsjuedu

The Tufts Dining Services Department feels itis important to source foods locally which in-cludes produce and locally produced fooditems During the fall they promote locallygrown apples and throughout the year theyseek first to provide produce that is grown inMassachusetts and the New England statesWhen searching for new suppliers TDSD firstseeks to support the immediate communitiesof Medford and Somerville and then the greaterBoston area TDSD recycles corrugated card-board tin cans glass and plastics More thantwo tons of food waste is diverted from thewaste stream each week during the schoolyear

With the efforts of student organizationsCEAC (Campus Environmental Advisory Com-mittee) Greensense and SSJ (Students forSocial Justice) along with Administrators andDining Services the Eco-Cafeacute located in theScience Building atrium opened on April 12002 The Cafeacute features organic fair- tradecoffee organic teas and bottled water all natu-ral tea breads cookies and biscotti from localbakeries

St Johnrsquos University is a Benedictine Univer-sity and has an overall philosophy of goodstewardship not only in food purchasing StJohnrsquos does not have targets for local foodpurchases but purchases local honey maplesyrup apples and some flour in addition torunning a community garden from which theypurchase some of the extra food available StJohnrsquos also purchases some cheese productsfrom a local (within state) cooperative

MinnesotaSaint Olaf CollegeGene BakkoProfessor of BiologyBiology DeptSt Olaf College1520 St Olaf AvenueNorthfield MN 55057-1098507-646-3399Fax 507-646-3968E-mail bakkostolafedu

St Olaf College had a three year programabout 10 years ago (1989-1991 funded by theMcKnight Foundation) Carlton College alsoparticipated (five students at each college)The students examined the orgins of campus-served food which in turn spawned an effortby the dining services to procure local food




Minnesota contrsquod

Cooking with KidsLynn WaltersProgram Coordinator3508 Camino JaliscoSanta Fe NM 87505505-473-4703Fax 505-473-4703E-mail lwaltersunmedu

Local growers supply apples to campus but allother produce purchase efforts eventually fellthrough because local growers are small andcould not or were not willing to plant for theCollege market In 2002 St Johnrsquos did a weeklong ldquobuy localrdquo educational campaign expos-ing students to local foods and transporting themto local farms

Cooking with Kids is a multicultural food educa-tion program that works to improve childrenrsquosnutrition by involving public school students inhands-on learning about culturally diverse foodsthat are healthy and appealing Cooking withKidsrsquo activities use an integrated curriculum for-mat that provides opportunities for interdiscipli-nary learning including math science socialstudies language arts music and art Cook-ing with Kids models healthy food choices inelementary school classrooms and school din-ing rooms

New York

From Farm to School Improving SmallFarm Viability and School MealsJennifer Wilkins Program DirectorDivision of Nutritional Sciences305 MVR HallCornell UniversityIthaca NY 14853-4401607-255-2730Fax 607-255-0178E-mail jlw15cornelledulthttpwwwcalscornelleduagfoodcommunityafs_temp3cfmtopicID=81gt

Cornell University Dining ServicesColeen Wright-RivaActing DirectorDining Office233 Day HallIthaca NY 14853-6006607-255-5952E-mail diningcornelledu

New York is a partner in a new multi-stateproject funded by the USDA Initiative forFuture Agriculture and Food Systems(IFAFS) The New York portion of this projectFrom Farm to School Improving Small FarmViability and School Meals will follow thedevelopment of farm-to-school connections infour pilot school districts in different regions ofthe state

The Cornell University Dining Service pur-chases one-third of its food from New Yorkfarmers processors and vendors and hasimplemented farm-to-school educationalprograms about the importance of using localfoods They also work with students facultyand staff to offer ethnic and multi-cultural


New Mexico



New York contrsquod

NY Farms125 Williams RoadCandor NY 13743httpwwwhuman-servicesorgagenciesn0012nyfarmshtml

cuisine including kosher foods The diningservice has an internship program with theCulinary Institute of America and has wonseveral national ldquoBest of Showrdquo awards

NY Farms coordinates an effort to increaseawareness of opportunities for schools toconnect with local food producers As a taskforce of the New York State School FoodService Association they are talking with theNY state legislature to ease the bidding require-ments for contracts with school lunch pro-grams making the process easier for schoolfood service directors

North Carolina

North Carolina Direct Vendor DeliveryProgramGerald German Produce OfficePO Box 471Wicomico VA 23184-0471804-642-1902Fax 804-642-1903E-mail Ggermandscpdlamil

The state of North Carolina distributes the pro-duce but the Department of Defense does thebuying This program allows school districtsto buy more fresh produce without the schoolfood service fund footing the bill All invoicesare sent to the statersquos Commodity Food Pro-grams which retrieves money from the DODfood fund to pay the local produce bills

Ohio

Oberlin CollegeBrad Masi Executive DirectorEcological Design Innovation CenterLewis Center for Envir Studies122 Elm StreetOberlin OH 44074440-775-8409Fax 440-775-8946E-mail bradmasioberlineduhttpwwwoberlineducds

Ohio UniversityRandy SheltonDirector of Housing and Food Service1 Riverside DrOhio UniversityAthens OH 45701740-593-4094E-mail sheltonohioedu orsheltonfilesrvfacilitiesohioeduhttpwwwohiouedufoodcontactshtmbuy

Oberlin College Dining Service makes exten-sive use of locally grown organic foods thatare minimally processed The Food Servicepurchases foods from local producers anduse only food suppliers who support the rightsof farm workers Oberlin College has pur-chased directly from local farmers since 2000

The OU Food Service goal is to supply 10of direct local produce within 4-5 years In2002 it purchased pork organic dairy fruit andveggies from eight farmers Randy Shelton isworking with farmer to develop a signature(Ohio University) brand of sausage that can beused as a marketing tool by farmers




Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania College of TechnologyMike DitchfieldFaculty Instructor in the School ofHospitality1 College Ave DIFADWilliamsport PA 17701570-326-3761 ext 7813Fax 570-320-5260E-mail mditchfipcteduhttpwwwpcteduschoolshos

School Market ProgramKatrima RoseSchool Market Program PartnersCoordinator215-568-0830 ext 27Donna Pitz Ag Market Developer215-568-0830 ext 25E-mail contactthefoodtrustorglthttpwwwthefoodtrustorgschoolshtmlgt

Slippery Rock UniversityDebra PincekDirector of Auxillary Student ServicesUniversity Food Services OfficeWeisenfluh HallSlippery Rock Universtiy724-738-2038E-mail debrapinceksruedu

Mike Ditchfield started this program in 1995 andfacilitated the process of connecting local sus-tainable farmers with the School of Hospitalityand with the Penn College food service Localpurchases include milk and cheese from grass-fed cows pastured poultry and some elk fromabout a dozen local farmers The school is amember of the Pennsylvania Association ofSustainable Agriculture (PASA) This efforthelps the School of Hospitality teach about qual-ity as an important component of food serviceSoH students also visit organic farms to seeand harvest the produce

Students create own and operate farmersrsquomarkets in their schools where they sell fruitand vegetable products to fellow students andteachers during the school year Through agrant from SARE the Food Trust is workingwith farmers and buyers to increase sales anddemand for sustainable and locally grown farmproducts in urban communities throughout theregion

This project is working to require food servicecontracts to purchase a minimum of 10 ofthe food used from local producers ldquoLocalrdquo inthis sense is tentatively identified as one hourrsquosdriving time A full time graduate assistanceship(20 hrswk) is funded to implement the projectusing money from Slippery Rock U andAramark (the present food service contractor)PASA (PA Association for Sustainable Ag) pro-vided funding for a trial run of this concept withlocal farmers in the summer of 2002

Texas

Healthy Food for Healthy KidsSusan CombsAllen SpelceTexas Agricultural Commissioner512-463-7664

Nutrition campaign for children to promote con-sumption of Texas fruits and vegetables In-cludes summer workshops for school districtfood service purchasers on the availability oflocal fresh fruits and vegetables




Vermont

Middlebury CollegeConnie Leach BissonSustainable Campus CoordinatorFarrell HouseMiddlebury VT 05753802-443-5043Fax 802-443-2458E-mail cbissonmiddleburyeduhttpcommunitymiddleburyedu7Eenvirocdihtml

Middlebury purchases about 75 of their foodthrough Burlington Food Service (BFS) aprivate distributor based in Burlington VTMiddlebury is BFSrsquos largest customer BFSbuys from local farms when in seasonMiddlebury purchases about $15 million worthof food from BFS annually Middlebury encour-ages local organic growers to work throughdistributors in order to establish a reliablesupply Middlebury has been composting since1993 diverting 75 (300 tonsyear) of collegefood waste from the landfill It turns food re-siduals into compost for soil amendments incampus landscaping and vegetable productionThe food composting operation is also used asa vehicle for education and research within thecollege

Washington

Evergreen State CollegeJennifer Hall General ManagerBon Appetit co Nordstrom500 Pine Street Suite 500Seattle WA 98109206-628-1669E-mail cafegmevergreeneduorPiper KapinFarm to College Project ManagerHousing A 322-J2700 Evergreen Parkway NWOlympia WA 98505360-867-6501Fax 360-866-6681E-mail kapinpevergreeneduhttpbamconwcomevergreenindexhtm

Bastyr UniversityPete Soucy Food Services Manager14500 Juanita Dr NEKenmore WA 98028-4966425-602-3018Fax 425-823-6222E-mail psoucybastyreduhttpwwwbastyrorgtourcafeteria

Evergreen State College uses seasonalingredients organic fruits vegetables andmeats to supply their food service BonAppeacutetit Onsite Custom Restaurants runsEvergreenrsquos food service Bon Appeacutetit em-phasizes local produce and partners with thecampus Organic Farm in supplying a ldquomadewith organicrdquo menu which by Federal stan-dards equates to a 75 minimum organiccontent

Bastyr University grows some food in theirown garden and also buys unsold producefrom a local weekend farmersrsquo market Inaddition to fresh produce BU also buys localvalue-added products such as pickled pep-pers and energy bars for their cafeteria Thisschool plans to host a CSA pickup for a localfarmer starting in the spring of 2003 that willtake advantage of BUrsquos walk-in cooler TheBU kitchen composts all their pre-consumerwaste




Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin The CollegeFood ProjectMargaret MonahanAssistant Food Service DirectorCenter for Integrated Agricultural Systems1450 Linden DriveMadison WI 53706608-262-5200 or 608-262-9619Fax 608-265-3020E-mail phazafacstaffwiscedu ormargaretmonahanmailhousingwisceduhttpwwwwisceduciasindexhtml

Northland CollegeTom Wojciechowski Adjunct InstructorEnvironmental StudiesNorthland College1411 Ellis AvenueAshland WI 54806715-682-1261Fax 715-682-1690E-mail TWojonorthlandeduhttpwwwnorthlandedu

Six campuses in Wisconsin buy food for theirdining services directly from local Wisconsinfarms and farmer cooperatives Four of themare buying from local farms and cooperativesthat use organic and sustainable farming prac-tices The UW-Madisonrsquos Center for IntegratedAgricultural Systems is helping to connectfarmers with campus dining services

In addition to purchasing locally grown organicproduce for the dining hall current campussustainability efforts include switching to moreenvironmentally safe cleaning supplies install-ing and using energy-and water-saving de-vices increased recycling and reuse effortsand working with renewable energy sources

Copyrightcopy2003 NCATCopyrightcopy2003 NCAT

Copyrightcopy2003 NCAT



local school lunchrooms college dining halls orcafeterias in other institutions To help commu-nities initiate similar programs this publicationincludes resource lists of

Publications on how to initiate andmanage farm-to-school and farm-to-institu-tion programs

Sources of funding and technical assistancefrom government and non-government pro-grams

Provisions within the 2002 Farm Bill support-ing implementation of farm-to-school andother community food programs

BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS

OF FARM-TO-SCHOOL OR

INSTITUTION PROGRAMS

BENEFITS

As mentioned above selling to schoolscolleges hospitals prisons or other institu-tions provides smaller-scale farmers with a de-pendable market Forconsumers local pro-duce means fresh foodfrom a known sourceBreakfasts and lunchesprovided by schoolsare often the majorsource of nutrition forchildren from low-in-come homes At other in-stitutions the food ser-vice may be the pre-dominant if not onlysource of food for con-sumers Consumerswho have access to local food in schools or otherinstitutions become more aware of local food sys-tems and may be encouraged by the superiortaste and quality to increase their purchases oflocally produced food through farmers marketsfarm stands or other venues This has positiveripple effects on the local economy For collegesand universities farm-to-campus programs canhelp break down barriers between ldquotown andgownrdquo while stimulating the local economy

These programs also provide opportunities forstudent involvement in related educational andcommunity-based activities such as compostingrecycling and community gardening

POTENTIAL CONSTRAINTS

While schools and institutions a generationago relied heavily on local products for mealplanning and preparation the majority of todayrsquosinstitutions use food obtained through nationalfood distributors Much of this food is processedand prepared by food service companies thuseliminating the need for schools and institutionsto have cooking staff or kitchen facilities Simul-taneously the huge growth in the fast foods in-dustry has affected food preferences of both chil-dren and adults As a result students and otherinstitutional customers often reject rather thanembrace the introduction of fresh salads fruitplates or other dishes prepared from local pro-duce (1)

PROGRAM COORDINATION

To be successful farm-to-school programsmust have a good buying selling and distri-

bution system Food ser-vice buyers want to maketheir food purchases us-ing a one-stop shoppingapproach that allowsthem to order receiveand pay for produce in anefficient and cost-effec-tive manner Farmerswant a dependable buyerwho pays them a reason-able price while not re-quiring them to absorbexcess processing or dis-tribution expenses

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

Kelli Sanger with the Washington State Depart-ment of Agriculture Small Farm and Direct Mar-keting Program summarized distribution ap-proaches that existing farm-to-school and farm-to-institution programs have used successfully (3) A farmersrsquo cooperative acts as a distributor

and broker Individual farmers belong to acooperative that collects their produce then

A good way to get students interested in eating vegetablesand fruit is having them grow produce in school gardens





















































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BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS




















































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bringing local food to local institutions

Education

policy councilkerr

north florida

food service

community

food security

bringing local

locally produced

renewable