Procurement is a core element of farm to school implementation. Foodservice staff are at the frontlines of procurement. The resources on this page will equip you to procure local foods like a boss.
Minnesota resources
Toolkit for Direct Purchasing of Local Foods — Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture — This toolkit is intended for use by school districts, as well as other types of food service, for procurement of local food directly from farmers.
Minneapolis Public Schools Farm to School Toolkit — Read about MPS’ farm to school program and the many useful tools, resources and documents that have been developed since its inception.
Minnesota Grown Wholesale Directory — Minnesota Department of Agriculture — Find farmers who market to restaurants, schools, grocers and other wholesale accounts. Search by item, zip code, insurance, distribution options and more. Don’t miss the useful chart showing what’s in season in Minnesota!
National resources
USDA Farm to School Program — This program of the Food and Nutrition Service’s Office of Community Food Systems helps incorporate local foods into child nutrition programs through grant making, training and technical assistance, and research.
Farm to School fact sheets — These short, well-designed publications break down the process of starting farm to school.
Farm to Child Nutrition Programs Planning Guide — This four-page guide directs you through questions to consider when starting or growing a farm to school, farm to CACFP, or farm to summer program.
The USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit — Download this 53-page toolkit of questions to consider and resources to reference.