Massachusetts Farm to School is pleased to share a series of FREE professional development events for classroom/garden educators, school nutrition staff, and advocates throughout the year. These events will be hosted by Mass. Farm to School and partner organizations, and feature speakers from a variety of farm to school backgrounds. Click on the workshop title for […]

To Be Reschedule: Date TBD Presenter: Elizabeth Kaplan, Watertown Public Schools Join us for an interactive webinar exploring how your school garden can become a dynamic outdoor math classroom! Discover hands-on activities and ready-to-use activities that align with curriculum standards while getting students excited about both math and nature. You’ll leave with a toolkit of […]

Webinar Date: March 5, 2026 | 3:00PM – 4:00PM Presenters: Simca Horwitz and Rebecca Kelley, Massachusetts Farm to School  Join the Massachusetts Food for Massachusetts Kids Advocacy Coalition for a practical session on how to advocate for the farm to school programs you care about. Whether you want to influence your local school board or […]

Date: March 25, 2026 | 4:00PM – 5:00PM  Presenters: Eliza Lawrence, School Garden Coordinator, Regional Environmental Council  Erin Severens, Grade 5 teacher, Goddard Elementary School  Discover how pollinators can transform your school garden into a dynamic outdoor classroom. In this webinar, you’ll explore the essential role pollinators play in garden ecosystems and learn practical strategies […]

Date: April 29, 2026 | 3:45PM – 4:30PM Presenter: Dinah Mack, Education Program Manager, Mass. Farm to School Have an overflowing school garden school is out for the summer? How can you plan for summer care and maintenance? Join us for a discussion on how to engage the school-wide community in summer garden care and […]

The most recent round of MA FRESH grant recipients continues to achieve new farm to school heights! Check out recent highlights from visits to Orleans Elementary & Bristol Aggie. Sea to School Learning at Orleans Elementary Sea to School Learning at Orleans Elementary This May, representatives from Mass Farm to School, the Massachusetts Department of […]

      Congratulations to the recent round of MA FRESH & FRESH CORP Grant Recipients! “The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced it is awarding $850,000 in state-funded, competitive Massachusetts Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH) grants to 26 school districts and 11 early education and care programs. This funding supports National School Lunch Program […]

Northampton Public Schools In an effort to bring fresh, nutritious,  locally sourced meals to school cafeterias, one school district has been leveraging innovative approaches to local food procurement, supported by the Northeast Food Schools (NFS) program. This federally funded initiative has provided participating Massachusetts school districts with supplemental funds specifically to purchase locally grown foods. […]

The 2022-23 Massachusetts Farm to School Institute included teams from Northampton, Salem, Westport Public Schools, and Worcester Head Start. Here are some reflections from the different Institute teams about their experiences and the many initiatives they were able to implement this year! Northampton – Freshampton Northampton Public Schools, was excited to continue growing their to […]

This September, we held our annual Massachusetts Farm to School Institute Fall Retreat at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester, bringing together six school teams from across the state who are participating in a year-long professional development opportunity. This year’s participants included teams from Frontier Regional School District, Chicopee Public Schools, Nauset Regional School District, Salem Public […]

Help Build Our Advisory Committee Massachusetts Farm to School (MFTS) is currently seeking new members to join our Advisory Committee. We are looking for people who are excited by our mission to strengthen local farms and fisheries and promote healthy communities by increasing local food purchasing and education at schools. MFTS currently has an Advisory […]

We are thrilled to announce our new collection of Harvest of the Month Elementary lessons, specifically aligned with the 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Frameworks. These 18 lessons each highlight a featured food from our Harvest of the Month program while connecting health and physical education to our food system. We partnered with […]

Mass. Farm to School is seeking a web development consultant to aid in the launch of website in partnership with the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The website will host the Northeast Food for Schools Challenge, a campaign encourage schools to purchase local food for school meals. Please read the full RFP for […]

Exciting Opportunity for Educators Join the 2025-2026 Food System Civic Engagement Project! Massachusetts Farm to School is excited to announce the launch of the 2025-2026 Food System Civic Engagement Project—an inspiring, project based initiative that empowers secondary students (grades 7-12), educators, and community partners to become changemakers in their local food systems. This yearlong journey […]

Help Get Students Involved in Advocacy Work & Civic Engagement this October! Are you an educator? Do you work with students in or out of a school setting? Help them advocate for Farm to School in their communities by encouraging them to fill out a Farm to School Student Advocacy Form! Students of any age range […]

March 22, 2024 // Shook, Ashley. Lt. Gov. attends farm to school conference in Northampton WWLP22 News Vide0.  October 30, 2023 // Kazakiewich, Todd. 5 schools in Boston receiving hydroponic towers to grow healthy food. WCVB Channel 5 Video.  November 29, 2022 // Kalb, Heath. Kale Blazer awarded to farm-to-school initiative in Greenfield schools. WWLP22 […]

11/3/2022 Jeffrey D. Wagner WESTPORT — Participating teachers called it the best professional development they have ever had. School leaders envision a future in which all produce at the school is grown locally. Westport earlier this fall was among a handful of districts statewide to participate in the 6th annual Massachusetts Farm to School Institute. According […]

Mass. Farm to School’s Harvest of the Month program is highlighted in the June/July 2021 issue of School Nutrition Magazine (a publication of the School Nutrition Association). The article, “Making the Most of Harvest of the Month,” by Dayle Hayes (@SchoolMealsThatRock), features Massachusetts Farm to School (and our friends at Island Grown Initiative (of Martha’s […]

Press Release Archive

9/23/2019 By Margaret Christie his year’s back-to-school season has come with lots of good news about the farm-to-school efforts underway in local K-12 and college dining services. Our schools are serving more local food in the cafeteria, growing food and teaching lessons in school gardens and connecting food and farms to learning goals in the […]

December 2024 Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District (Orange, MA) is bringing a local, fall twist to a cafeteria classic. Food Service Director Katrina Bressani & her team prepared Koginut squash (cross b/w kabocha and butternut) from Wards Berry Farm (Sharon, MA) and baked it with marinara, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. Their Squash Parmesan was […]

  When Annie Myers founded Myers Produce, she envisioned a mission-driven company focused on delivering fresh, local produce to their customers. In an interview on October 2, 2024, Annie shared how this mission has expanded to include schools, thanks in large part to the Northeast Food for Schools Program, which allowed her company to begin […]

In an effort to understand the broad impacts of the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) program* throughout the Commonwealth, we at Massachusetts Farm to School are sitting down with local food hubs, farms, and participating school food programs. This story is drawn from an interview with Kelsey Sanders, Food Service Director at Webster Public Schools, […]

 In an effort to understand the broad impacts of the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) Grant program in the state, we at Massachusetts Farm to School are sitting down with representatives from local food hubs, farms, and participating schools. In this interview, we hear from Loni Austin, rancher and owner of Austin Ridge Acres, a […]

This year, Mass. Farm to School is working in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to facilitate the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) Program, and will be sharing stories from program participants, on both the school and vendor sides, showing the impact this funding has had on communities across Massachusetts.  Walden […]

This event was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, new date TBD.  Presenter: Elizabeth Kaplan, K-8 Math and Science Coordinator, Watertown Public Schools Join us for an interactive webinar exploring how your school garden can become a dynamic outdoor math classroom! Discover hands-on activities and ready-to-use activities that align with curriculum standards while getting students excited […]

This event took place on November 12, 2025 Presenters: Dinah Mack & Dena Stearns, Mass. Farm to School  Description: What is a farm to school story that you want to tell? Outreach that includes dynamic farm to school stories increases engagement and awareness and demonstrates the nutritional, educational, and economic benefits of farm to school. Join […]

This event took place on November 6, 2025. Presenter: Loni Austin, Founder, Austin Ridge Farm Description: Are you a farmer or food business owner interested in selling to schools? In this session, participants will learn some basics of school sales, including how to respond to a request for quotes and other common school purchasing practices […]

This event took place on November 5, 2025. Description: Are you ready to transform your school’s food waste into environmental action? This interactive webinar will equip food service staff, administrators and educators with strategies to launch a successful composting program, covering everything from setup logistics to student engagement techniques. You’ll walk away with ideas, practical […]

This event took place on October 22nd, 2025. Description: Join us to learn how Amherst Pelham Public School provides all students in grades K-6 with year-round garden-based learning in both school garden spaces as well as in classrooms.  Jen and Leila will share proven strategies for year-round garden education, building community partnerships, and overcoming implementation […]