Farm to school connects children to local agriculture through local procurement by using locally grown foods in meals, snacks, and Child Nutrition Programs, helping educators and students grow their own food in school gardens, and hands-on learning about food and agriculture by providing experiential education through farm field trips, cooking in the classroom and more. When farmers and growers connect directly with schools there are many opportunities to advance and enrich farm to school activities.

Here’s a sampling of some resources, opportunities, and tips to help connect farmers and growers with students and schools:

Involving farmers and growers in school activities:

• Procure food from local farmers and growers to serve in school meals: Utilize PA Harvest of the Month materials to highlight the featured foods and invite farmers to the cafeteria when their products are served! Check out this PA Farm to School Success Story to learn how one farmer connected with her local school district to serve meat and produce in school lunches.
• Classroom farmer visits: Invite a farmer to talk to your students about agriculture and possible careers! PA Ag Literacy Week is a great example of how members of the agricultural community come to local classrooms to share their stories.
• Farm field trips: Farm tours are a wonderful way for students to learn more about local agriculture. If going to a farm isn’t an option, check out our virtual farm tour series to bring the farm to your school, site, or home!

Getting support from food aggregators, distributors, and other facilitators:

• Consider working with a local food hub like The Common Market, a regional food distributor that connects schools with local farms and quality food.
• Check out the PA Beef to PA Schools program funded by a PA Promo Grant from the PA Department of Agriculture and led by the PA Beef Council, which works to connect schools and their food service professionals to cattle producers in order to ‘Beef-up’ their school lunches. The program provides the opportunity to place quality protein on the lunch tray for students to enjoy while connecting them to their local ag community.
  Check out USDA’s Procuring Local Foods webpage for information and guidance in getting started

Connecting with local community organizations:

• Pennsylvania SNAP-Ed partners may be able to facilitate a connection with local farmers. Many work with farmers for educational purposes such as farm stands and farmer-in-the-classroom lessons and can connect you with a farmer in your area.
• Reach out to your local food alliance. Many of them likely have a list of farmers and growers interested in partnering with schools or they can point you in the right direction for other local resources.
  Seek out places to interact with local farmers, such as a farmers market or farm stands. Watch this video of how a partnership between Deer Lakes School District and Mish Meats Meat Market blossomed when the school food service director stopped by the market one day!

We know there is room to grow! In 2024, the PA Farm to School Network (PFSN) is working to expand our resource page and identify and learn from those who are already making connections between farmers/growers and students in schools and Early Care and Education settings. We want to hear from you! If you have a resource to share or if you have made a connection, let us know by submitting a resource or telling us about your connection!

Is your school already partnering with a farmer in your community? Are you a farmer or grower looking to share your experience and food with kids? Do you want to brainstorm and discuss what resources and tools we need here in PA to increase these types of opportunities? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, join our virtual open house on March 21, 2024, at 3 p.m. EST to discuss this topic, share your ideas, and learn from others.