Resources, Factsheets, & Publications
WSDA Farm to School develops factsheets, publications, tools, templates, and other resources for school nutrition staff, farmers, and other farm to school practitioners.
For Farmers
- Selling to Schools 101
- Top 10 Minimally Processed Foods in Washington
- Top 10 Most Purchased Produce in Washington
- Standard Pack Sizes for Fruit
- Common Processed Produce Pack Sizes & Specifications
- Processed Vegetable Pack Size Chart
- USDA School Meal Patterns, Fruit and Vegetable Subgroup Details
- Vendor Toolkit for the USDA Pilot Project
- Local Processed Product Pricing Examples
- Selling to Schools & Other Institutions from the WSDA Handbook for Small & Direct Marketing Farms
- Market Channel Assessment Worksheet to help farms compare various market options, including schools
- Local Processed Product Business Planning Chart
For Schools
- Washington Harvest Posters
- Procurement Templates and Tools
- A School's Guide to Purchasing Washington Grown Food
- SAFE Salad Bars in Schools - A Guide to School Food Service
- Farm to School Start-up Kit, PDF Guide and tools:
- Washington State Farm to School Calendar: Menu ideas, promotion & educational opportunities
- Nutrition Services Director Questionnaire
- Foodservice Staff Focus Group Interview
- Foodservice Staff Survey
- Washington Grown Produce Seasonality Charts:
- Farm to school equipment recommendations – Light processing
- Farm to school equipment recommendations – Scratch cooking
- Sample Vendor Questions
- Farm profile and Purchase Log Template
- Washington-grown Produce Storage Basics Chart
- Washington-grown Produce Storage Tips
Other Resources
- WSDA Farm to School Toolkit: An online collection of materials, resources, curricula, and more from WSDA Farm to School and regional, statewide, and national partners.
- Washington Grown Food & Recipe Kit: A collection of school food service scaled recipes and nutrition facts for over 40 different products and ingredients grown in Washington State.
- WSDA Farm to School Surveys: WSDA Regional Markets has conducted surveys of school districts, farmers, and food processors approximately every other year since 2012 on farm to school activities, barriers & challenges, marketing & purchasing practices, and more.
- Value Chain Strategies for Source-Identified Minimally Processed Produce for the School Market (2018): WSDA researched and analyzed minimally processed fruits & vegetable supply chains in Washington State in order to identify strategies for developing the "value chain" infrastructure and relationships that might help local farms meet the demand for those products from K-12 schools and other institutional buyers.
- Farm-to-Cafeteria Connections: Marketing Opportunities for Small Farms in Washington State (2004): A handbook designed to be a resource for farmers, food service professionals and community members in developing Farm-to-Cafeteria programs in Washington State. It provided locally relevant information and an overall look at Farm-to-Cafeteria programs from all across the country.