The 2018-19 Massachusetts Farm to School Institute has come to a close and the eight participating school teams achieved some amazing things! Read below for some key lessons learned and highlights of how this diverse group of schools is putting farm to school into action. We look forward to welcoming seven new school teams for […]

Mass. Farm to School is pleased to announce the release of two new resources “Public Investment in Farm to School: Lessons from State Policies” and a complementary set of case studies titled “The Benefits of Farm to School: Economic, Health, and Educational Impacts in Three Massachusetts Districts.” Download the Report Download the Case Studies The […]

We hope you will take a few minutes of your time today to contact your Senator, by phone or by email, to ask them to support farm to school funding. As some of you may know, Mass. Farm to School has historically received approximately 30% of its operating budget from the Mass. Department of Agricultural […]

A bill to establish a Massachusetts Farm to School Grant Program was introduced in both the House and Senate! See full text of the bill here. About the Bill The establishment of this competitive grant program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would provide eligible schools the critical funds needed to start up or […]

Bostonians: Contact Your City Councilors!  Encourage adopting good food purchasing standards The City of Boston has a great opportunity to use its tremendous purchasing power to support a sustainable, equitable, local food system. But City Councilors need to hear from you that this is an important issue for their constituents. This Thursday the Boston City […]

Farm to School advocates from across the Commonwealth gathered at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, October 3rd to share their stories of bringing healthy, locally grown foods and food education to students with each other and their legislators. They heard from Senator Anne Gobi, Chair, Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture (and […]

This past spring both Rachel Harb and Lisa Damon attended the 9th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Cincinnati, OH. Read below to learn more about there experiences at the conference.  Observations from Rachel Harb: This spring I had the good fortune of joining a nationwide cohort of farm to school advocates, organizers, movers and […]

School districts throughout Massachusetts have long understood that there can be benefits to working together to purchase goods and provide student services. Collaboration can bring efficiencies and help communicate aggregated demand for products that can help drive availability of these products in the market. In recent years, many schools have begun to explore whether this […]

11/28/2017 The Island Grown Initiative has launched a new monthly cooking show, Katie’s Harvest of the Month Kitchen, produced through Martha’s Vineyard Community Television. Each month on the show Island Grown Schools coordinator Katie Ruppel explores a locally available seasonal crop, and welcomes special guests to share knowledge and a favorite recipe. Crops so far […]

Earlier this month, we kicked off the 2017-18 Mass. Farm to School Institute with an incredible Fall Retreat at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA on November 3rd-4th. School teams from Essex Technical High School, Webster Public Schools, and Ipswich Public Schools were selected from a pool of applicants for the opportunity to participate in the […]

Farm to School advocates from across the Commonwealth gathered at the Massachusetts State House on Thursday, October 26th to share their stories of bringing healthy, locally grown foods and food education to students with each other and their legislators. They heard from one of the 2016 Kale Blazer award winners, Senator Anne Gobi as well […]

10/25/2017 By Sean Philip Cotter QUINCY – Last year, they grew garlic. This year, it’s spinach. The students at Lincoln-Hancock Community School in Quincy have gardening beds right outside, and they take field trips to Holly Hill Farm in Scituate through a grant the city receives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Wednesday, an […]