Purchasing Local Food
Grants and Cost-Shares for Buying Local Food
The MDA’s AGRI Farm to School and Early Care programs support Minnesota school districts, early childhood education (ECE) centers, and family child care providers that want to buy and serve Minnesota agricultural products. Grants and cost-share programs that reimburse grantees for their purchases of Minnesota-grown and -raised foods, as well as kitchen equipment, are available annually.
Resources
Resources for schools and early care providers to find and buy food from Minnesota farmers and producers:
- Minnesota Grown Wholesale Directory
- Free, online directory of local farms interested in connecting with school purchasers and other wholesale buyers.
- Connecting with Emerging Farmers
- Information and strategies for how to find and connect with emerging farmers in your area.
- Farm to School Procurement Webinars
- The Farm to School MN website has several recorded webinars for schools and early care providers to learn more about buying local foods.
- Food Safety
- USDA and Minnesota “Equal To” Inspected Meat and Poultry Plants
Food and Agriculture Education
Below are programs and resources to help educators teach about local food and agriculture – whether in the classroom, garden, cafeteria, or other learning environment.
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom provides free curriculum, educational materials, funding, outreach efforts, and professional growth development that integrates agricultural literacy across K-12 education.
Minnesota Harvest of the Month
Minnesota Harvest of the Month (HOTM) offers free promotional and educational resources for K-12 schools to celebrate local foods. Schools can order free printed materials (such as posters and stickers), access videos and recipes, and find standards-aligned lesson plans and activities for fifteen different local foods. Subscribe for the HOTM newsletter to learn about each month’s featured food, new resources, upcoming events, and more!
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Garden Guide
The Minnesota School Garden Guide provides guidance on setting up and managing a school garden in Minnesota as well as 31 plant-science lessons. These lessons align with core curriculum concepts and Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards across various subjects.
MDA Urban Agriculture Grant
The AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Program supports urban youth agricultural education and community development in urban or peri-urban areas by providing grants for materials and services needed to foster these initiatives.
Professional Development & Technical Assistance
Farm to School & Early Care Office Hours
The Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team hosts Farm to School Technical Assistance (TA) Office Hours on the second Wednesday of each month, 2:30-3:30 p.m., on Zoom.
Register to join these virtual calls and get answers to your questions related to Farm to School and local food purchasing.
Minnesota Farm to School Institute
The Minnesota Farm to School Institute is a new, year-long professional learning opportunity for schools to build sustainable Farm to School programs led by the MDA, Minnesota Department of Education, and University of Minnesota Farm at the Arb. Selected teams participate in a two-day, immersive experience and receive one-on-one coaching throughout the school year. Together, teams develop action plans, skills, and tools to confidently bring local foods into their cafeterias and classrooms.
Stay Connected
The Root Review: Sign up to receive quarterly newsletters from the MDA and Minnesota Farm to School Leadership Team. The Root Review newsletter includes timely updates, happenings, and resources for Farm to School and Early Care.
