Farm to School and Farm to Summer

Farm to School embodies three core elements: Procurement: Purchasing local foods; Education: Education related to agriculture, food, health and nutrition; School Gardens: Support and sustain school gardens to provide hand-on educational experiences and connecting students with their food.

Farm to School is a program focused on connecting communities to healthy, fresh and local food by influencing change within who and how food is purchased, nutrition and agricultural education and supporting schools in establishing school gardens and agricultural programs.

The Benefits of Farm to School
- Farm to School provides a Win-Win approach, harvesting a life-long impact on kids, farmers and communities.
Tell Us Your Story
- Your voice, your story and your passion are powerful. Impact and influence Farm to School and Farm to Summer in Colorado by sharing your story.

Farm to School - playing in the dirt

Farm To School Legislative Updates

With the passage of Colorado HB-1132 during the 2019 legislative session, the Local Food Program will offer selected School Food Authorities (SFAs) a reimbursement for the purchase of Colorado grown, raised, or processed products. This program encourages SFAs to procure local products, foster nutrition education, bolster farm to child nutrition activities, and support Colorado producers and farmers. SFAs that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are eligible to apply for this opportunity. Available funding ($500,000 for SY 20-21) will be distributed as a reimbursement to SFAs that are selected during the application process. CDE will prioritize SFAs that:

Demonstrate a commitment to local purchasing or food and agricultural education;
Have a kitchen with the ability to store, prepare, and serve local food products;
Have greater than 25% of its students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Resources

Important Dates:

Oct. 7: Application Opens
Oct. 22: Informational Webinar
Nov. 26: Application Deadline
March 1: SFAs Selected
Aug. 1: SFAs Report to CDE

Upcoming Events

CO Proud School Meal Day

Join us on Wednesday, September 18 for Colorado Proud School Meal Day which celebrates Colorado agriculture and educates school children about healthy eating.Let us know what activities you have planned for the day. This information will be used to update the online map showcasing all the schools and districts participating in Colorado Proud School Meal Day.

Use this new Colorado Produce resource for Colorado Kids and view other ideas, resources, videos to make Colorado Proud School Meal Day easy to implement in your schools and communities. Contact Wendy White for more information or if you would like the new Colorado Proud artwork.

Colorado Proud Logo

Mountain Plains Crunch Off

Celebrate National Farm to School Month, by participating in the Crunch Off on Wednesday, October 16. States throughout the Mountain Plains Region (CO, MT, MO, KS, NE, UT, ND, SD, WY) are competing to see which state can get the most “crunches” into a local apple! Join students, teachers, farmers, parents, community members, and local food enthusiasts in celebrating the wonderful produce Colorado has to offer. Your crunch efforts will encourage healthy eating and support local agriculture right in your own state.

Create a Crunch Team and register your event! You will receive an official Crunch Off Toolkit upon registration with tips to promote your event and where to find local apples in Colorado. Contact McKenna Pullen for more information.

Colorado Farm to School Task Force

In 2019, HB19-1202 merged the Colorado Farm to School Task force with the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council (COFSAC). This will strengthen the work of the Task Force, align priorities with COFSAC and those outlined in the Colorado Blueprint for Food and Agriculture.

Contact Jon Padia for more information.

Farm To School and Farm to Summer Resources

Find Local Products

Colorado Farmer’s Market
Colorado Market Maker: The Colorado Market Maker is a resource to find local producers, markets, food, and to build local connections.
- Colorado Market Maker Tip Sheet
Seasonal Food Guide

Procurement

School Gardens

Education & Curriculum

Colorado Foundation for Agriculture
- The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture provides a variety of educational materials such as activity sheets, posters, readers and lesson plans.
Harvest for Healthy Kids
National Agriculture in the Classroom
NFSN Education Resources
Team Nutrition Garden Resources
USDA Farm to School Education and Curriculum Integration

Fact Sheets

Safety

Toolkits and Manuals

Training

Farm to School Census

For more information, visit the Farm to School Census webpage.
Farm to School Census Worksheet (PDF)
To find your school, start at Find Your School District and then use the search boxes in middle of the webpage to find your district.