frequently asked questions

Indiana Grown for Schools Network is a collaborative effort to foster the relationships necessary to sustain farm to school activities in every Indiana county. By supporting local farmers and school communities we forecast the emergence of agricultural leaders who understand the interconnectivity of food systems, resulting in healthier families, communities, and economies. Our Network seeks to expand and strengthen programming to 1) increase local foods served in educational settings, 2) create or sustain school gardens, 3) incorporate nutrition education in the classroom, and 4) promote food justice.

Farm to School enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites. Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities.

Farm to School implementation differs by location but always includes one or more of the following:

• Procurement: Local foods are purchased, promoted and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test;

• School gardens: Students engage in hands-on learning through gardening; and

• Education: Students participate in education activities related to agriculture, food, health or nutrition.

Children of all ages 0 to 18 years and learning levels can engage in farm to school activities! Farm to school activities can include hands-on activities, traditional learning lessons, food preparation, food consumption, field trips, games, and more.

Indiana schools are responsible for the care and education of nearly 1.2 million students each year. Children spend nearly half their waking hours and consume more than half of their daily food at school. Because of this, schools are the best place to help students learn to make healthy choices that will last a lifetime. Through access to local foods and education, we can improve the health of children while creating strong local economies and engaged communities.

At the Indiana Grown for Schools Network, we envision an equitable Indiana food system that engages young people, farmers, educational settings, and whole communities in farm to school activities, to create a new generation of food citizens.

Here on our website you can find a variety of resources including comprehensive toolkits focused on the four pillars of farm to school: Ag and Nutrition Education, Procurement, School Gardens, and Farm to ECE. The goal of these toolkits is to support the implementation and/or expansion of farm to school programs in your learning environment. Highlighting numerous Indiana success stories, the toolkits display how the different pillars of farm to school have been implemented around the state and provide some inspiration and best practices.

Additionally, we offer a Harvest of the Month database to support schools in their journey in celebrating a local food each month. This non-prescriptive Harvest of the Month program allows schools to focus on what is available to them and meets their readiness level for local procurement and produce specific farm to school programming.

The Buyer’s Guide was the first resource developed by the network in 2019 and houses a list of Indiana producers interested in selling to schools and the products that they offer. On the website, we offer a digital, interactive map version of the Buyer’s Guide, which is the most up-to-date information available.

Lastly, we offer a variety of clickable and downloadable resources from other partners and national leaders in farm to school on the website. In conjunction with the toolkits, the IGFSN hopes to maintain the most helpful and relevant information on the website for beginning and expanding your farm to school work.

The IGFSN offers a variety of technical assistance including connecting you with resources and grant writing. The network leadership is eager to help you learn more about farm to school, aid in the beginning and expansion of your farm to school efforts, help you secure funding, and more. Please fill out our technical assistance form or email Brianna Goode at bgoode@health.in.gov with your questions.

Understanding the school food landscape is a great place to start in selling products to schools. Within this toolkit you will find information to consider when selling to schools and some steps in accomplishing that goal. Contacting local school authorities can be a first step in conversations for procurement planning, or connecting with Purdue Extension staff, local food councils, or Indiana Grown.

There are many ways to procure local products from local producers for your school. The Procurement Toolkit gives a great overview of what this process might look like, while the interactive Buyer’s Guide map can help you locate some potential producers to reach out to and the products they have. If you are looking for more assistance, please fill out our technical assistance form or email Brianna Goode at bgoode@health.in.gov.

Food Councils, Purdue Extension, and other individuals and organizations in your community engaged in similar activities are great places to start for farm to school connections. Brianna Goode (bgoode@health.in.gov) is always happy to answer questions and connect you with people she is aware of in your community or surrounding area!

Please use our online form to submit your farm to school success story! We are always excited get new stories, programs, and organizations to feature on the website and on social media channels.

The monthly Indiana Grown for Schools Newsletter is full of information on upcoming webinars, events, conferences, grants, and new resources from our Indiana team and our national partner organizations! You can signup for our Listserv below or email Brianna at bgoode@health.in.gov.

There are great ways to get involved in the different areas of farm to school within your community. These activities can be in one of the four the topic areas and can be advocated and implemented by a variety of individuals. Food service directors can look to local producers, food hubs, and farmers markets to build relationships with, or look to see what local products are available through your distributor. Inversely, producers can look to local school corporations if they are interested in selling to schools. Educators can find great resources on our website and within our toolkits for lessons inside and outside of the classroom to begin incorporating farm to school. Parents and community members can look to volunteer in the school building, help with field trip logistics, connect producers and organizations, or work with programs like Jr. Master Gardeners within their community. Please explore our website for more information and resources.