Understanding the impact of the WKKF Farm to ECE Procurement Pilot Program

Increasing access to local foods and incorporating gardening activities, nutrition education

Procurement Pilot Boosts Participation in Michigan Farm to Early Care and Education Activities  Through funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems supported a procurement pilot to help Early Care and Education (ECE) providers obtain locally-grown food from a variety of sources, as well as encourage providers to self-assess their experience in the program. Pre- and post-assessments distributed to the 33 participating sites gauged the impact and satisfaction in the four-year pilot program.  The results shared in this report show that the three core elements of Farm to ECE, increasing healthy local food access; providing gardening opportunities; and offering nutrition and agricultural education, are supportive-not exclusive-the implementation.   This resource can be used to inform future Farm to ECE practices for providers, coaching and professional development for organizations, and evaluation efforts in Michigan and other states.   Explore and share this resource with your networks!  From Seed to Harvest: Summary of Michigan Procurement Pilot  For more information, contact: Meagan K. Shedd, mshedd@msu.edu  Please help us spread the word Forward this message and share on social media. Tag @MSUCRFS on Facebook and Twitter. Increasing healthy local food access, providing gardening opportunities, and offering nutrition and agricultural education are the core elements of Farm to Early Care and Education. Check out the findings of this Michigan Procurement Pilot! http://foodsystems.msu.edu/from-seed-to-harvest-summary-of-michigan-procurement-pilot  For four years, we have helped Michigan Early Care and Education (ECE) providers strategically develop Farm to ECE programs at their sites. We saw that the three pillars of Farm to ECE work together for best success. Read more about this pilot program: http://foodsystems.msu.edu/from-seed-to-harvest-summary-of-michigan-procurement-pilot   EXPLORE foodsystems.msu.edu EMAIL CRFS@msu.edu CALL 517-353-3535 FOLLOW @MSUCRFS ‌ ‌ ‌ FOODSYSTEMS.MSU.EDU You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to one or more MSU Center for Regional Food Systems listservs or mailing lists. You can update your subscriptions by clicking the "Update Profile" link below.

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Farmers, learn more about how to sell to schools

Registration is now open!

Farm to School Producer Training on December 8 in Grand Rapids Register Now! Bringing the Farm to School: A Training for Agricultural Producers to Sell to School Markets Farmers, this education opportunity for farmers is designed to provide the training and tools to build your capacity to launch or grow efforts to market to schools. The trainers will cover the following topics: The Power of Farm to School - an introduction to its benefits  Getting to Know School Markets - a review of Child Nutrition Programs and Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal local food incentive program for K-12 schools, child care centers, and other non-school sponsors  Selling to School Markets – different market channels and understanding and responding to solicitations  Choosing the Right Products to Sell to Schools - school needs for food products, pricing for school markets, and understanding costs of production  Growing for Schools – meeting demand from school markets, opportunities for different types of food products (fresh, minimally-processed products, etc.), and a producer spotlight  Navigating Food Safety Standards When Selling to Schools – resources to help  Planning for Action – how to take what you’ve learned and put it into action  This day-long training is part of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo (GLEXPO) on Thursday, December 8th. Whether you’re in Michigan or in surrounding Great Lakes states, join us to learn more about engaging in this growing market opportunity! WHEN: Thursday, December 8th from 8 am – 5 pm WHERE: Great Lakes Fruit Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, DeVos Place, Grand Rapids REGISTRATION FEE: $65 for single-day (Thursday) registration for this training, or $115 to attend all three days of GLEXPO from December 6 – 8. On-site registration is available. Register Now! Thanks to our partners at GLEXPO for hosting this training opportunity! This training is coordinated by the Michigan Farm to Institution Network, led by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems with support from MSU Extension. Training partners include staff members from the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development. The calendar of farm to institution-related events is filling up! Join us for the events that are right for you. Virtual Farmer Workshop: Bringing the Farm to Early Care and Education  Producers, learn how to sell to early care and education (ECE) settings, such as preschools and child care settings. Register When: December 13, 2022 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm Where: Virtual event Registration Fee: This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Hosted by the Michigan Farm to ECE Network ValleyHUB Summit in Kalamazoo  This event will bring together current and prospective ValleyHUB food hub partners –farmers, institutional customers and more– to meet and learn relevant information around food safety, procurement, funding and more. Register When: January 12, 2023 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Where: Kalamazoo Valley Community College Texas Township Campus, Kalamazoo, MI Registration Fee: $10 Hosted by KVCC ValleyHUB in partnership with MSU Extension and Fresh Systems, LLC Cultivate Michigan Marketplace Kalamazoo  Connect through local food at this networking event for institutional food service buyers, farmers, and food suppliers (food hubs, distributors, etc.). When: January 12, 2023 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm Where: Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) Culinary and Allied Health Building, Kalamazoo, MI Registration Fee: This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Register Hosted by the Michigan Farm to Institution Network, MSU Extension and KVCC ValleyHUB  *Please note that more Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events will be scheduled in early 2023, so please stay tuned for more events coming to a region near you in early 2023!  STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌ ‌ About MFIN The Michigan Farm to Institution Network (MFIN) is a space for learning, sharing and working together to get more local food to institutions. Visit our website About Cultivate Michigan In 2014, MFIN launched a local food purchasing campaign designed to help farm to institution programs grow and track progress. Visit our website Register

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