Ohio Farm to School
About Ohio Farm to School
Ohio Farm to School (F2S) aims to provide students of all ages with access to fresh, locally grown or raised food, and to educate them about many aspects of agriculture and their community. F2S activities and initiatives can include nutrition education in classrooms, farmer visits and sampling, signage promoting local foods, serving local foods in the cafeteria, school gardens, and so much more!
Research shows that Farm to School Works
Benefits of F2S include:
- Farm to School Works to Stimulate Local and Regional Economies
- Increases students’ health, nutrition, and academic performance
- Helps healthy habits take root early
Want to join the F2S Conversation?
Ohio Farm to School Advisory and State Network meetings are a great way to connect with organizations, state agencies, and schools participating in Farm to School efforts throughout Ohio. All 2023 meetings are on Thursdays from 9:30 am–noon. Meetings will be held virtually until further notice. State-level updates will take place at 9:30-11, with region-specific discussions 11-noon. For more information on Ohio Farm to School, visit Ohio State University Extension’s website and Facebook page.
ODA’s Farm to School Grant
In 2020, the Ohio Department of Agriculture received a USDA Farm to School grant to expand the current statewide Ohio Farm to School Network and to provide a framework for cohesive communication and coordination among farm to school programs across the state.
In partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio State University Extension, the project will aid food service directors in procuring local food, engage more farmers in growing and selling produce to schools, and strengthen communication to share resources with other entities across the state.
The grant identified 5 key objectives:
Objective 1 – Strengthen the existing Farm to School State Network by increasing participation from all stakeholder groups.
Objective 2 – Create a statewide strategic marketing campaign for Farm to Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) utilizing the input of the network.
Objective 3 – Raise awareness and promote locally grown food and nutrition to schools and all Ohioans.
Objective 4 – Provide farmers with necessary information to market their products to local schools.
Objective 5 – Provide food service directors with the necessary information to procure local produce for their schools.
New Video: Local Foods Procurement
ODA’s grant is scheduled to end June 2022, but will likely be extended through 2023 due to the pandemic.
Child Nutrition Programs can use the
On the Menu Logo
If your child nutrition program has a menu item that uses one Ohio Proud item we welcome you to be part of Ohio Proud on the Menu. Let us know about your use of Ohio Proud foods and the Ohio Proud on the Menu logo will be available to your organization for promotional purposes. Your school or organization will also be listed on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Proud Farm to School webpage as an Ohio Proud on the Menu child nutrition program.
Current On the Menu Schools
| Amherst Exempted Village Schools |
| Barberton City Schools |
| Bedford City School District |
| Bishop Hartley High School |
| Bloomfield-Mespo Local School District |
| Bridgewater Learning Center |
| Brookfield Local Schools |
| Campbell City Schools |
| Columbiana County Career and Technical Center (CCCTC) |
| Cincinnati Public Schools |
| Clyde-Green Springs EVSD |
| Crestview Local School District |
| Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools |
| Eastwood Local Schools |
| Fairview Park City Schools |
| Four County Career Center |
| Girard City School District |
| Highland Local School District |
| LaBrae Local School District |
| Leetonia Schools |
| Lincolnview Local Schools |
| Little Miami Local Schools |
| Louisville City School District |
| Mahoning County Career and Technical Center and Valley Stem |
| Maplewood Local School District |
| Mentor Exempted Village School |
| Miami Trace Local Schools |
| Noble Local School District |
| Parma City School District |
| Perry Local Schools |
| Pettisville Local Schools |
| Plain Local Schools |
| River Valley Local Schools |
| Solon City Schools |
| South Range Schools |
| Streetsboro Local Schools |
| TCBDD Fairhaven School |
| Wellington Exempted Village School District |
| West Clermont Local School District |
Monthly Newsletter
Sign up for Ohio’s F2S Monthly Newsletter for stories from schools and students on Farm to School initiatives across the state, events, and learning opportunities. Simply email OhioProud@agri.ohio.gov and let us know you want added to the mailing list! Explore previous issues of the newsletter below.
Resources
Looking for the most updated resources in Farm to School? Whether you’re a student, Food Service Director or Ohio Producer… we’ve got you covered!
Students
Stay tuned as student resources become available!
Producers
Stay tuned as more information becomes available for Ohio producers
Additional Farm to School Resources
National Farm to School Network
Bringing the Farm to School: A Training Program for Agricultural Producers
2022 Ohio Farm to School Regional Team Leads
One of the main objectives of ODA’s 2020 Farm to School Grant was to strengthen Ohio’s existing network framework, by increasing participation from all stakeholder groups. The grant team split the state into eight regions and designated a lead representative for each area. The eight regions include: Northwest (NW), North Central (NC), Northeast (NE), West Central (WC), Central (C), East Central (EC), Southwest (SW), and Southeast (SE). These regional team leads provide an opportunity to communicate and better share resources within their geographic area.
Contact Us
Want to see your own Farm to School success story highlighted by the Farm to School Network and beyond? Share your story with us here!
The Farm to School page is run in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Proud Program, Ohio Department of Education, and The Ohio State University Extension Farm to School Program.
