About

"Farm to school" applies to a variety of initiatives in Michigan, including efforts to offer local foods in school cafeterias, school garden programs, fundraisers that take advantage of local products, farmer visits to school classrooms and cafeterias, and field trips to nearby farms. Michigan Farm to School is a portal for information and a venue for sharing ideas, tools, and resources to support these and other efforts to link schools with local agriculture in Michigan.

Michigan Farm to School is coordinated by Colleen Matts, Farm to School Outreach Specialist with the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University.

Farm to School Partners:

National Farm to School Program
Supported by eight regional lead agencies that comprise the National Farm to School Network, the program offers training and technical assistance, information services, networking, and support in policy and media and marketing activities.

Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI)
Focused on Northwest Lower Michigan, MLUI's Taste the Local Difference and Farm to School programs offer resources for buying and selling local products, fundraising, cooking, learning and assistance.

Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP)
Serving a five county area in Southeast Michigan, FSEP exists to catalyze change in the food system of Southeastern Michigan. Through their Farm to School program, FSEP provides technical assistance to get fresh, healthy, local food into participating K-12 schools.

Healthy School Meals: Muskegon Farm to School Project
This Muskegon Farm to School Project is led by the Healthy Food for Our Children in School Taskforce, an open coalition of parents, students, and community members, that "seeks to improve student performance and foster lifelong health through providing healthy, locally grown foods to all Muskegon County school children" while in school.