1. What is Farm to School? Why are we here?
M. Elizabeth Goss │Farm to School Specialist │School Nutrition Program │

2. Objectives Define “Farm to School”
Describe and understand benefits of Farm to School (FTS) programs
Identify Farm to School opportunities in your district
Establish action steps for growing and enhancing Farm to School efforts through innovation, collaboration, and partnerships

3. What is Farm to School (FTS)?
Efforts to bring locally or regionally produced foods into school cafeterias
Experiential learning
E.g., school gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes
Integration of food-related education into the regular, standards-based curriculum
Farm to School is a network of individuals, organizations, groups, and other community stakeholders working together to increase the consumption of local products in schools and early care education sites.

4. What is Farm to School? (cont’d)
Graphic: National Farm to School Network

5. The Benefits of Farm to School: Kids Win!
Nutrition
Farm to School programs provide access to nutritious, local, high-quality foods
The fewer miles that food products travel, the more nutrient-dense they are
Eating behaviors in early childhood and K-12 students improve
Choosing healthier options at school meals, consuming
more fruits and vegetables at home
(+0.99 to +1.3 servings/day), consuming less
unhealthy foods and sodas, reducing screen time
and increasing physical activity
Photo Credit: Morgan County Schools

6. Did You Know?
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study indicated that vegetable consumption among students in the wake of a Farm to School program increased by 37%. Students also consume 11% more fruit than they did before the program began.
Source: Various studies cited in NFSN Benefits Fact Sheet:

7. The Benefits of Farm to School: Kids Win!
Academic Performance & Agricultural Awareness
Farm to School activities enhance classroom
education through hands-on learning relating to food,
health, science, agriculture, and nutrition
Studies show Farm to School programs lead to
enhanced overall academic achievement
(classroom grades and test scores)
Farm to School programs provide students with an
understanding of the importance of agriculture and
the environment
Photo Credit: Hawkins County Schools

8. The Benefits of Farm to School: Farmers Win!
Income Potential & Market Diversity
FTS serves as a significant financial opportunity for
farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors, and food
manufacturers by opening doors to an institutional
market worth billions of dollars
FTS programs also help to grow community support
and awareness of local producers
Photo Credit: Falcon Ridge Farm

9. Did You Know?
On average, Farmers experience a 5% increase in income from farm to school sales and the establishment of a long-term revenue stream for individual farmers.

10. Benefits of Farm to School: Communities Win!
Opportunities and Economic Development
Local purchasing creates jobs and keeps dollars circulating within the community, bolstering the local economy
For every job created by school districts purchasing local foods, additional economic activity creates another 1.67 jobs.
Decrease in school meal program costs
Photo Credit: Shelby County Schools

11. Benefits of Farm to School: Communities Win!
Community Engagement & Environmental Impact
Provides opportunities for family and community engagement
Increase in community awareness and interest in purchasing local foods and foods served in school cafeterias
Positive changes in teachers’ and parents’ diets and lifestyles; positive attitudes about integrating farm to school activities in the classroom
Increase in community awareness about and interest in purchasing local foods and foods served in school cafeterias
Leads to reduced transpiration-related environmental impacts (i.e. emissions of air pollutants)
Decrease in overall food waste (production and plate waste)
Support of environmentally sound, sustainable approaches to food production, processing, packaging, transportation, and marketing

12. Did You Know?
After the implementation of a Farm to School program, districts experience an increase in student meal participation from 3% to 16% (average 9%), generating increased revenue for schools through meal programs.

13. Farm to School in Tennessee

14. Local Procurement: Morgan County Schools
Morgan County Schools utilizes local partners, including Edgefield Prime and Mountain Meadows Farm to incorporate fresh, local foods into the regular menu cycles!
Photo Credit: Morgan County Schools
Mountain Meadows provides fresh produce including apples, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and more. Edgefield Prime is a local beef producer and processor
Photo Credit: Morgan County Schools
Photo Credit: Morgan County Schools

15. School Gardens: Murfreesboro City Schools (MCS)
MCS houses several greenhouses and school gardens, partners with MTSU to operate a hydroponics system, and utilizes nutrition and agriculture curriculum.
Photo Credit: Murfreesboro City Schools
Farmer Educator, Viktoria Einecker, teaches students about greenhouse operations.
Photo Credit: Murfreesboro City Schools

16. School Gardens: Unicoi County Schools
In a 2200 sq. ft. greenhouse, Unicoi County High School (UCHS) pumps out vegetables for school meals!
Unicoi County Schools utilizes their partnership with the UCHS agriculture program. Agriculture students grow produce that will be used in their own cafeterias!
Photo Credit: Unicoi County Schools
Photo Credit: Unicoi County Schools

17. Educational Programming: Farm Field Trips
Each year, Murfreesboro City School third graders take a field trip to Middle Tennessee State University’s dairy farm for a, “Farm Field Day”.
Photo Credit: Murfreesboro City Schools
Photo Credit: Murfreesboro City Schools

18. Educational Programming: Cafeteria Taste Tests
Samples of local product served to students
Students vote on preference
Weakley County Schools conduct a taste test with sweet potatoes from the Steele Plant Company in Gleason, Tennessee.
Photo Credit: Weakley County Schools

19. Educational Programming: Farmer Visits
Murfreesboro beekeeper brings her “bee box” to field day.
Classroom
Field days
School assemblies
Photo Credit: Murfreesboro City Schools

20. Educational Programming: Junior Chef
Grades 8-12
Must use local ingredients
Students learn the importance of agriculture and nutrition
Scholarships
Photo Credit: TN School Nutrition Program
Photo Credit: TN School Nutrition Program
Photo Credit: TN School Nutrition Program

21. Farm to School Open Discussion

22. Getting Started What are you already doing?
What Farm to School opportunities already exist in your district?
Where is there room for growth?
What is one small step you can take to facilitate Farm to School growth in your district?

23. Farm to School Action Steps: Connect
School Partners:
School Nutrition Supervisors
Coordinated School Health Coordinators
Principals
Teachers
Parents/Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs)
Community Partners:
Extension offices (Master Gardeners, 4-H Agents, etc.)
Soil Conservation Districts
Colleges and universities
Farmers’ Markets …and many more!

24. Discuss Opportunities with Partners
School Gardens
Educational Programming
Cafeteria taste tests
Field trips to farms or farmers’ markets
Promotional materials
Curriculum
Field days
Summer meal programs
Farm to School partnerships

25. Resources
Tennessee Department of Education, School Nutrition Program web page
USDA Office of Community Food Systems Farm to School web page
National Farm to School Network resource hub
Searchable database
Pick TN Products database
Tennessee-only grower directory

26. Questions?

27. Elizabeth Goss Farm to School Specialist School Nutrition Program (615) Thank you!

28. Mission Statement
Develop extraordinary school nutrition professionals and provide strategies to increase consumption of healthy school meals.

30. Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C ;
(2) fax: (202) ; or
(3)
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.