Other Resources

There are many organizations and networks online that you can join to connect with other farm to school advocates and professionals. Many of these sites also have resources for curriculum, project and activities, as well as data and research for presentations.

Click on the titles for expanded information.

Best Practices for Vermont School Meal Programs

This guide is designed for school nutrition staff who are looking to increase participation in their school nutrition programs. It includes tips and best practices identified by Hunger Free Vermont, including suggestions for when to serve meals and how to reach out to families.

Farm to Institution New England (FINE)

One of the best ways to grow the market for local foods and get them onto the plates of consumers is to help institutions (like K-12 schools, colleges, and hospitals) buy and serve healthy, local foods. Farm to Institution New England (FINE) is a six-state network of leaders that VT FEED helped to create and in which it actively participates.

FINE works collaboratively to strengthen our food system by increasing the amount of locally-grown and processed food served in our region’s schools, hospitals, colleges, and other institutions. This objective is achieved by increasing awareness, commitment, and capacity of supply chain facilitators and actors in farm to institution sectors and by advocating for public and private policies that support farm to institution success.

Farm to School “Recipes for Success” (Projects & Activities)

The Northeast Farm to School “Recipes for Success” is a collection of projects, activities, curriculum units, fundraisers, and other great ideas to improve your farm to school program. The 10 featured “recipes” were chosen in the Recipes for Success contest sponsored by the Northeast Regional Steering Committee of the National Farm to School Network. These exciting ideas are shared in a simple format with clear steps, time estimates, and examples of impact.

Farm-Based Education Network (FBEN)

From their website, "The FBEN is a free member network established to strengthen and support the work of educators, farmers, and community leaders providing access and experiences of all kinds on productive working farms." You can sign up on their website.

Making the Case for Healthy, Freshly Prepared School Meals

Brought to you buy the Center for Ecoliteracy, this set of tools can be used to promote fresh, healthy school meals in your community.

National Farm to School Census

The USDA National Farm to School Census surveys school districts and schools on their farm to school practices and activities, including local purchasing, classroom activities, and school meal programs. The most recent Census data (from the 2011-2012 school year) includes information on more than 13,000 public school districts nationally and covers more than 23 million children. The accessible data and information includes helpful infographics, national trends and statistics, and detailed breakdowns by state and district. Updated data will be out November 2015.

National Farm to School Network Resource Database

The National Farm to School Network’s robust and searchable database includes hundreds of resources on a range of topics from local foods to school gardens, food safety to network building. Search by topic, setting, state, keyword, or just browse and enjoy!

Rethinking School Lunch

This guide comes from Rethinking School Lunch, a project of the Center for Ecoliteracy. It includes context and vision for farm to school as well as planning framework and concrete implementation techniques and "how-to’s" for improving school meals.

Free Download

State Farm to School Legislative Survey

Produced by the National Farm to School Network and Vermont Law School, this report provides an overview of state-level farm to school policies across the country.

From the National Farm to School Network:

The State Farm to School Legislative Survey provides state-by-state summaries of every enacted, defeated or pending farm to school-related bill from 2002-2014. It also includes analysis and infographics on state farm to school legislative trends; case studies on successful farm to school advocacy efforts in Alaska, Oregon, Texas and Washington, D.C.; and additional resources to help advocates learn about and replicate the wide variety of existing state farm to school laws, policies and programs.

Vermont Community Garden Network (VCGN)

VCGN educates, supports, and connects garden leaders within Vermont. They seek to grow the network of community and school gardens and "make sure that every Vermonter has access to the space and resources to grow their own food..." They offer workshops and have a Garden Organizer Toolkit on the website.

Vermont Farm to Plate

This is Vermont's food system plan and network. Organizations around the state post events, news and announcements, and jobs. The Vermont Food System Atlas is searchable by keyword, category, and location. This is great way to stay current on all the food-related happenings in the state.

Vermont Harvest of the Month

Vermont Harvest of the Month is a partnership between Green Mountain Farm to School, Food Connects, and Vital Communities. The website offers materials and resources to promote fresh, seasonal produce in Vermont, but can easily be adapted for use elsewhere!