Farm To School Program

The Farm to School Program works to connect Oregon farmers, ranchers, seafood harvesters, and food processors with school cafeterias, early child care centers, and summer meal sites. This enables more Oregon agricultural products to be served in the lunch line. It also helps connect youth to food production through school gardens, field trips to farms and ranches, and grower visits to the classroom.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the National Farm to School Network recognize the core elements of Farm to School.

1. Education
2. Procurement
3. School gardens

Farm to School programs:

• serve locally grown, raised, harvested or processed foods in school cafeterias,
• improve student nutrition,
• provide agriculture, health, and nutrition education opportunities; and
• support Oregon’s agricultural economy.
  

The Farm to School Toolbox is designed to help producers and processors that are new to the farm to school program and need assistance understanding the school markets, food safety requirements and how to get started developing business relationships with schools.

Getting started

• The School Market Readiness Assessment will help you self-evaluate your business and identify steps to become ready to sell to schools under the Farm to School Program.
• Successful business relationships with schools begin with school nutrition directors. This school nutrition director tip sheet provides useful information to help make your conversations with school nutrition directors productive and help you secure sales with schools.
• It is important to know the food safety requirements for the products you grow, raise, harvest or process for school markets. In most cases, the requirements your business needs to meet will depend on the form (e.g., frozen, fresh, processed) and type (e.g., meat, seafood or cut vegetables).
• For very small farms, schools may have their own food safety requirements and may ask to visit your farm to review your on farm food safety plan to safeguard the production, harvesting, handling, packaging and storage of the products you intend to sell to schools. The On-Farm Food Safety Plan and Checklist for Child Nutrition Programs will assist you with conversations and visits from school administrators.

Growing your school sales

• There are several economic advantages to working with distributors that have school accounts. This distributor tip sheet will help you weigh the pros and cons.

• Communicating with School Nutrition Directors
  The school nutrition director is often responsible for making procurement decisions and are the key people to contact when selling to schools.
• Food Safety Requirements for Oregon Producers Selling into Child Nutrition Programs
  Ensure you have the proper food safety licensure to sell to schools, early childcare centers, and organizations serving summer meals in Oregon.
• School Market Readiness Assessment - PDF - Word
  This worksheet is intended to help you determine what steps you need to take as a producer or food business to become ready to sell to schools, early childcare centers, or summer food sites.
• Small Farm Food Safety Plan & Checklist - PDF - Word
• Working with Distributors
  Considerations for working with distributors as a farm to school producer.