Michigan Farm to School

Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. It also applies to a variety of activities in Michigan, including:

school garden programs,
fundraisers using local agricultural products,
farmer visits to school classrooms and cafeterias
and field trips to nearby farms.

Farm to Institution is a more encompassing term. It refers to connecting institutions such as schools, early childcare programs, hospitals and colleges (among others) with local farmers, food producers and vendors to provide local food for food service programs.

The farm to school team at the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems is the evaluation partner for 10 Cents a Meal. Explore 10 Cents evaluation results.

Michigan Farm to School is part of the National Farm to School Network.

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Hoophouses for Health

Michigan Farm to School teamed up with the Michigan Farmers Market Association and the MSU Horticulture Department on a program called Hoophouses for Health. From 2011 to 2018, this program helped Michigan children and families have better access to good food while supporting Michigan farmers and increasing season extension food production. Hoophouses for Health was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Explore the impact of the project in this five part video series! Taking Root: Hoophouses for Health + MI Farm to School!

Learn more:

Michigan Farm to Institution Network

Seeking new approaches to institutional food purchasing. Growing Michigan institutions’ capacity to serve local food. Expanding markets for food grown, raised and processed in Michigan.