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Tuesday, November 29, 2022

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

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! 
For more information, contact:
Meagan K. Shedd, mshedd@msu.edu 
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Monday, November 28, 2022

Farmers, learn more about how to sell to schools

Farm to School Producer Training on December 8 in Grand Rapids
Salad bar with orange carrots and green broccoli
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
*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.
About Cultivate Michigan

In 2014, MFIN launched a local food purchasing campaign designed to help farm to institution programs grow and track progress.