Updated 09/11/09

Seeking Washington-grown produce
to grow healthy kids

by Jim Simandl

School districts around the state are interested in farm-to-school connections and may provide the ideal new market for your farm.

Are you considering expanding your acreage or diversifying your crops? Are you looking for a higher price point or more community connection than wholesale? Are you seeking new markets for your produce? If so, schools might be a good market for your farm. They provide a steady, dependable market in a fluctuating economy, offer a higher price point and more direct community connection than wholesale, and may welcome greater involvement in the form of an educational partnership.

Several schools in all areas of the state have Washington Grown Fruit and Vegetable Grants to fund local purchases for their snack programs and many would love to buy direct from local farmers. Other schools would like to increase the amounts of locally grown food in their lunches and salad bars, or to partner with area farms for occasional events like Harvest Dinners or Local Thanksgiving.

Please plan now (and plant now!) to grow food for schools. To learn more, or be connected to school buyers in your area, please contact Tricia Sexton Kovacs at the WSDA Farm-to-School Program: (360) 902-2029 or FarmtoSchool@agr.wa.gov.

Some favorite foods for school food service:

Larger school districts may also prefer that farms sell through regional distributors, so that they can maintain tight billing, delivery and administrative schedules. If you're interested in selling into a local processor or distributor, give us a call and we'll see if we can help locate some partner options in your area.