Mushrooms, wild rice, maple syrup, oh my! This webinar will cover the ins and outs of how to safely source wild grown foods and specific cultivated items, such as microgreens. It will also provide resources and recipes to use these foods in your school meal program.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
Are you interested in buying local animal proteins, but confused about what is required and how to do it? This webinar will help you understand how to safely and legally buy local animal proteins, and how to credit these proteins for federal meal programs.
Learning in the Lunchroom
Did you know that the lunchroom can be a classroom too? Learn how to utilize this unique opportunity to provide creative education in the lunchroom for your students.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
Reduced oxygen packaging (commonly known as vacuum sealing) is a great way to enjoy local, seasonal foods all year long! This webinar will explain the types of reduced oxygen packaging (ROP), and how school foodservice operations can plan to use ROP methods to extend the shelf life of local foods and increase the quantity and types of local foods they purchase.
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
The first-ever Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include trainings, facilitated networking opportunities and a session for attendees to contribute ideas and input for the MN Farm to Kids strategic plan. Registration and more details can be found here!
Recipe Development & Taste Test Tips
Now that you have purchased delicious local foods, how do you prepare and serve them to your students? Tune in to learn about resources for local food recipe development and to tips and tricks for taste testing with your students.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
In this open office hour, members of the MN Farm to School Leadership Team and MN Farm to Early Care Network Advisory Group will answer schools’ questions about the grant and support them in planning to apply by the Nov. 2, 4:00 PM deadline.
Center-based early cares are newly eligible to apply to the MN Department of Agriculture Farm to Early Care Grants! In this open office hour, members of the MN Farm to Early Care Network Advosry Group and MN Farm to School Leadership Team will answer centers’ questions about the grant and support them in planning to apply by the Nov. 2, 4:00 PM deadline.
Register once for monthly meeting
What: Join members from the Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team and other farm to school and early care stakeholders each month to discuss and find answers to your questions related to local foods and making farm to school and early care a success in your community.
Who: Anyone with questions related to farm to school and farm to early care. All are welcome – farmers, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, parents, teachers, distributors, gardeners, local public health professionals, extension educators, and any other farm to school and early care advocates.
When: The second Wednesday of the month from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM. If these times don’t work for you, you can submit your questions here.
Register: Join us online via Zoom. Register once and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining each monthly meeting.
Join us on Zoom as we visit Fireside Orchard and Gardens in Northfield, MN to learn all about growing Minnesota apples! Students will be able to ask Fireside Orchard owner, Darren, all about apples and we will also see how apples are pressed for making cider! This is a fall virtual field trip you will not want to miss!
This virtual field trip will last 30 minutes and is targeted to K-5 students.
This virtual field trip will also be streamed live on YouTube and a recording will be available for later viewing.
It’s a great time to start or grow your Farm to School or Early Care program! School districts and early care centers are eligible to receive money to support purchases of local food and kitchen equipment through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Farm to School & Early Care Grants. The MDA has almost $1 million to award to schools and early care centers this year! Whether you are an expert or new to Farm to School & Early Care, there's a grant for you.
In this webinar, you’ll learn more about the available Farm to School & Early Care grants and how you can apply. Find out what’s new and exciting about this year’s grants, hear directly about what it's like to apply from previous grant recipients, and have the chance to ask questions to get your application ready.
First Bite Grants are intended for school districts and early care centers that are new to local purchasing and want to start small. Full Tray Grants are intended for those who have some Farm to School or Early Care experience or who are ready to start a larger program.
Applicants for a First Bite or Full Tray grant may also apply for a Farm to School and Early Care Equipment Grant as part of their application.
Public or private schools or school districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and serve food to K-12 students and ECE centers that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are eligible to apply, and MDA encourages school districts and ECE centers serving sovereign nations to apply.
The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be sent to attendees and registrants.
It doesn’t stop at apples, or even at chicken – local foods can be integrated into all aspects of lunch trays in Minnesota. Come learn more about how you may be able to integrate local foods throughout your school meals, and tips about how to be successful.
Panelists/Presenters: check back soon!
AGRI Farm to School series: These webinars are designed to provide information and resources for AGRI Farm to School Grantees, as well as other schools throughout Minnesota who are implementing Farm to School at their sites. Join us for one or all of them!
Purchasing local meat has been a large part of AGRI Farm to School grants – nearly half of purchases in the 2021 school year were for local proteins! Learn all about considerations for purchasing local meat on this webinar.
Panelists/Presenters: Sara George, farmer and Renewing the Countryside staffer, and Jane Jewett, farmer and director of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA).
AGRI Farm to School series: These webinars are designed to provide information and resources for AGRI Farm to School Grantees, as well as other schools throughout Minnesota who are implementing Farm to School at their sites. Join us for one or all of them!
