Farm to school connects children to local agriculture through:
Procurement: Using locally grown foods in meals, snacks and Child Nutrition Programs like the National School Lunch Program. Our network uses the commonwealth of Pennsylvania as our definition of local.
School Gardens: Helping educators and students grow their own food.
Hands-On Learning: Providing experiential education through farm field trips, cooking in the classroom and more.
Farm to school activities are broad in scope and diverse. See below for examples of farm to school in action, featuring STEP Head Start in Williamsport and Deer Lakes School District in Western Pennsylvania. We’d love to highlight your farm to school story, too! Please use the below form to tell us what farm to school looks like in your community.
PA Preferred® is Pennsylvania’s statewide branding program for locally produced food and other agricultural products. PA Preferred provides farmers and agribusinesses with a brand identity for the products they grow, harvest, or produce, creating opportunities for Pennsylvanians to easily identify and purchase locally grown and processed items. When buying PA Preferred, consumers are assured they are directly supporting Pennsylvania farmers and building a stronger local economy. Learn more at papreferred.com
