Program Resources

Resources to enhance farm to school in the classroom

• Educational Resources  aligned to Minnesota standards to help K–12 educators teach about local, seasonal foods

• School Garden Resources/Lessons to help schools start and sustain garden programs 

• Classroom Lessons on food, agriculture, and nutrition for K–8 students

• Gardening Activities for students of all ages to explore plant science and sustainability through inquiry-based exploration

• Farm to School Curriculum  offering free lesson plans and materials on gardening, cooking, and food education 

• Sustainability Programs and Challenges to support K-12 sustainability education

• Ag in the Classroom Lesson Plans help K-8 teachers integrate agriculture into various subjects

Resources to expand farm to school in the cafeteria

• Recipes for Schools featuring seasonal dishes and local produce that meet USDA meal components

• Scratch Cooking Recipes provides scalable, kid-tested dishes designed for school meals

• Lunchroom Education for promoting farm-to-school lessons and activities in the cafeteria 

• Minnesota Crunch Guide offers interactive activities to help students “crunch” into local produce and learn about healthy eating

• Foodservice Resources like procurement guides, food safety tips, and local sourcing tools 

Resources to empower advocacy

• Advocacy Tool Kit to promote farm-to-school initiatives using practical strategies and resources

• Tips for Meeting with Legislators to advocate for farm-to-school initiatives

• How to Host Site Visits for hosting legislators to highlight farm-to-school programs and encourage policy support

• Cafeteria Visit 101 provides tips for school cafeteria visits to promote farm-to-school programs and collaboration

• Outreach Planning worksheet for programs to create effective communication plans

Resources to engage schools in local foods and initiatives

• Minnesota Grown’s Wholesale Directory  allows schools to connect with local farmers by searching by product or location

• MN Farm to School Month Promotional Toolkit provides social media guidance to help schools during Farm to School Month

• Minnesota Thursdays outlines how to plan, source, and promote a locally-sourced menu

• MN Extension Farm-to-School provides tools and training to help schools connect with local food and farmers

• National Farm to School Network  has a variety of resources in all farm to school topic areas