Resources

USDA, Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs

School Nutrition Programs - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program contains resources including Food Safety Fact Sheets, Kansas Fruits and Veggies Facts and Best Practices for Handling Fresh Produce in Schools.

USDA, Farm to School Website. The website provides current information on procurement policies, resources, grants, webinars, success stories, best practices, and implementation tools. Evaluation for Transformation is a comprehensive document to define outcomes farm to school can achieve and offer language, guidelines and metrics to help users understand and articulate those outcomes.

KDA, From the Land of Kansas. This trademark program's goal is to help businesses that grow, produce, process or manufacture products in Kansas. In addition, the program works with and supports restaurants using Kansas products and retailers selling Kansas ag products and ingredients.

Kansas Food Action Network - KC Healthy Kids. The Kansas Food Action Network is a statewide network of local food, farm and policy councils that advocate for local, state and national policies for more equitable access to healthy, affordable food. Area Kansas Food and Farm Council information can be found here.

National Farm to School Network. Supports the work of local Farm to School programs all over the country by providing free training and technical assistance, information services, networking, and support for policy, media and marketing activities.

K-State Research and Extension. Resources including a Personnel Directory at the map to ‘click on local contact’. There is a presence in every county. Click on the map to locate your area office. There are monthly activities or ‘chores’ listed for gardening vegetables and fruits. Click on the monthly timely tips in the lawn and garden section. The KS Healthy Yard videos can provide a quick garden and nutrition lesson for students/gardeners.

Local Foods (k-state.edu). Local Foods Resources for Kansans, including fact sheets, webinars and Kansas Statewide Local Foods Systems virtual town halls.

Kansas Green Schools. This website has gardening tips, locations of green schools, a gardening curriculum (Garden Gate link) and a list of school garden workshops and grants.

Farmers Market. Search by city, county or region in Kansas to find a farmer’s market near you. Upcoming events, events calendar and seasonal recipes are also found here!

Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association is a 501(c)(5) organization working to advance specialty crops and and specialty crop growers in Kansas.

Kansas Rural Center, Inc. (KRS). KRC is a non-profit organization that promotes long-term health of the land and its people through research, education, and advocacy.

Shop Kansas Farms. This online Kansas producer map will connect you by category or region, county or city, to farm fresh products.

Southwest Dairy Farmers Mobile Dairy Classroom. Teaching kids about the dairy industry is one of our priorities. The Mobile Dairy Classroom is a traveling milking parlor featuring a live cow and an oral presentation. A trained instructor will talk about the nutritional aspect of milk, demonstrate the modern milking process, describe how milk goes from the farm to the consumer, and then answer questions from the audience. This is an innovative program that brings the dairy experience directly to children. At schools, students and teachers share an experience that includes math, science, health (nutrition), and agriculture, all presented in an outdoor classroom format. The mobile dairy classroom is FREE of charge courtesy of the Southwest Dairy Farmers. Visit their website at www.southwestdairyfarmers.com.