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.

2025-2027 Oregon Farm to School Equipment and Infrastructure Grant Program

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is pleased to announce a new grant opportunity to help Oregon producers and processors access the school marketplace.

While the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is responsible for allocating most of the Farm to School funds in Oregon, ODA oversees $210,000 for the 2025-27 biennium in equipment and infrastructure grants for producers who intend to expand sales or start selling to schools and other eligible entities described below.

The goal of this competitive grant program is to provide financial resources for Oregon farmers, ranchers, seafood harvesters, fishermen, and processors with specific equipment and infrastructure needs, and who intend to sell food produced (grown, harvested, gathered, raised, caught or processed) in Oregon to any of the following ODE Child Nutrition Program (CNP) food sponsors and Tribal entities:

• A school district participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• A provider of center-based programs for children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• An entity that provides meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• Tribal schools, Tribal Early Learning/Childhood Education sites, and other Tribal you meal programs

Eligible equipment and infrastructure costs include, but are not limited to:

• Grading, packing, labeling, packagin, or sorting equipment for raw agricultural products
• Equipment that helps to maintain the identify and traceability of products
• Processing equipment or physical improvements for production and/or value-added processing facility to reduce produce and food safety risks
• Cooler walls and refrigeration units
• Contractor costs and materials for installation of approved equipment, including, for example, plumbing, drainage, venting, and electrical work
• Renewable energy production equipment
• Produce and food safety certification and licensing fees
• Equipment and infrastructure for production and season extension
  

• Farm to School Producer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant Guidelines
  
• Proposal form (preferred application format)
  
• Proposal form (Word document - use only if unable to use pdf format)
  
• Intent to buy letter template
  

Material de solicitud en español

• Directrices de subvención
  
• Formulario de propuesta de subvención
  
• Plantilla de carta de intención de compra
  

Farm to School Producer and Processor Toolbox

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.