Michigan Farm to School Updates | | Stay informed on the latest news, resources, and events! | | Accessing local food this school year… | | The Michigan Department of Education has an excellent new resource available to help food program operators source local food! The Farm to Program Directory is a searchable database of both suppliers and buyers of Michigan-grown products. This directory was developed to make it easier to procure and serve Michigan fresh produce in schools, childcare centers, and community service agencies across the state. Bookmark this page and start exploring!
Are you a supplier of Michigan-grown products interested in selling to Child Nutrition Program customers? Learn more about how to create a public or hidden profile in the Farm to Program Directory here:Resources | | 10 Cents a Meal grant application open! | | | The Michigan Department of Education’s 2025-2026 application for 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids and Farms is still available through September 17 of this year. Any sponsor of a federal Child Nutrition Program is eligible to apply for 10 Cents a Meal! Need help or have questions about the 10 Cents a Meal Program? Schedule time with MDE’s Farm to Program team via Microsoft Bookings.
- 10 Cents a Meal reimburses 50% of the cost of buying and serving Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans in meals and educational activities for children.
- Grantees can also use up to 25% of their grant award to receive 100% reimbursement for transportation and labor expenses such as delivery fees, mileage costs, and part time labor expenses that support the goals of the program.
- To access MDE’s virtual walkthrough of the application process and the 2025-2026 scoring rubric, please visit the How to Apply page.
- Bonus points available for applicants that submit by August 28.
You can still attend an in-person training session this month. These sessions cover how 10 Cents a Meal works, how to source local produce, what is needed to participate, and hands-on application assistance. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.
- Flint – August 18, 2025 2-4pm ET Register
- Virtual training – TBD
| | Now open! 2025 Michigan Great Apple Crunch Registration | | Sign up now to take part in this annual fall tradition, celebrating Michigan’s 17.6 million apple trees and the apple crunchers that love them. Last year, more than 340,000 people participated in this statewide event at their local school, hospital, business, organization or from their own home. Be sure to mark the Crunch on your calendars for this year and help Michigan reach the 2025 goal of 400,000 Crunchers in Michigan! | | | Summer meal sites are still available! | | Community meal sites are winding up their final weeks of providing children ages 18 and under with delicious, nutritious meals this summer. Come grab a meal and meet your neighbors!
Use the map to find the location nearest you. If you don’t see a Summer Meal site near you, help is available. Every site includes contact information to help connect you with Summer Meals. | | | | CACFP Virtual Summit August 13-21, 2025
The CACFP Virtual Summit will offer a wide range of workshops on nutrition and meal planning, program operations, financial and non-profit management and more. | | | Life Lab–Certified School Garden Educators Course September 2- December 16, 2025
This 16-week virtual course helps educators create inclusive, engaging garden classrooms that support environmental learning, nutrition education, and social-emotional growth. Cost is $1,400 (includes materials and certification) and is open to all, no prior experience or degree required. Program includes:
- Weekly live Zoom sessions (Tuesdays, 3:30–5:00 PM PT)
- 1-on-1 coaching and flexible asynchronous content
- Certification and access to Life Lab’s curriculum, including The Growing Classroom guide and digital K–2 lessons
| | | Healthy School Food for Thought: 3-part Webinar Series Fall 2025
Join the Chef Ann Foundation for a special, free three-part webinar series. During each webinar, a major topic in today’s school food landscape will be examined — decreasing food waste, reducing ultra-processed foods, and buying more sustainable ingredients — to understand challenges and opportunities. | | | ABCs of Farm-Based Education October 18 - 21, 2025
Are you a farmer or farm-based educator looking to build skills in teaching on your farm? The Farm-Based Education Network and Shelburne Farms in Vermont have an exciting professional learning event coming up in Vermont, but the deadline to apply for the lottery to attend is August 18! Dig into farm-based ed activities and experience Shelburne Farms as your classroom for only $75. Co-facilitated with Atiya Wells, founder, educator, and ED at Backyard Basecamp. | | | National Black Child Development Institute's 2025 National Conference October 24-26, 2025
This year's conference in Atlanta, Georgia invites us to step into a future rooted in possibility, imagination, and transformation. Three bold tracks will speak directly to the needs, dreams, and liberated futures of Black children and families. Guided by the principles of Afrofuturism, these tracks are not just themes—they are blueprints for reimagining systems, reclaiming narratives, and co-creating a world where Black brilliance thrives without limit. | | | The 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference December 2-5, 2025
Early bird tickets are available through August 23 at their lowest price! The National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is designed to be a powerful space for learning, networking, and collective action. In light of all of the changes in the food systems space this year, this will be an even more impactful and important moment to gather in person. Whether you’re involved in school nutrition, local food procurement, early care education, or community food access, you are invited to join this December! | | | | Agenda Highlights:
- Curated Workshops and Networking Sessions
- Exhibitor and Poster Sessions
- Intensive Courses: Farm to ECE Deep Dive, Bringing the Farm to Table, Creating and Sustaining School Gardens, and more!
- Field Trips to Local Farm to School Sites
| | 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit February 19-22, 2026
Save the date for February 19 to 22 in Phoenix, Arizona when over 700 school garden educators will gather for four days of peer-to-peer learning, networking, and movement building. Presentation proposals due August 1 for the 2026 Summit. | | | Resources and Inspiration | | | Lake Michigan School Food System Spark and Innovation Collaboration Awards: Application Update! - The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub fosters collaborations that nourish students, connect schools with local farms and businesses, and reflect the region’s families and communities.
- Spark Awards
- Designed for short-term, high-impact projects, Spark Awards provide a vital boost for efforts focused on school food system and marketplace improvements. Projects may include capacity-building, planning, product testing, or other early-phase work.
- Award range: $30,000-$100,000
- Innovation Collaborative Awards
- These larger awards support systems-level change through efforts such as scaling programs, developing new regional partnerships, or integrating new products or services into the school food ecosystem.
- Award Range: $250,000-$500,000
- Visit the Support for Applicants Page to connect with state leads, develop project ideas, form, and manage partnerships, connect with resources, answer questions about your application, and strengthen your grant-writing by reviewing and/or editing your application! Applications for the 2025 Spark and Innovation Collaboration Awards are expected to open in late 2025 with additional grant cycles continuing through 2028.
Recording of Local School Wellness Policy Tool Kit Webinar - As school year’s launch, school wellness policy may be on your mind. The Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP) Tool Kit is a playbook for school communities and external stakeholders to engage in their district’s wellness policy process. Whether you’re an internal or external stakeholder, city official, organization, or an educational agency, this toolkit can serve as a catalyst for starting or improving a school district wellness network in your community.
Southeast Asian Traditional Foods Toolkit Now Available - This toolkit focuses on Hmong traditional foods which are heavily influenced by Southeast Asian cuisine and are foods that have been traditionally prepared and consumed by Hmong Americans. The toolkit includes information on Hmong culture and history, meal pattern requirements and recipes to be featured in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Meals Programs.
The 2025 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Harvest of the Month - This monthly packet encourages children to learn about nutrition, agriculture, Indigenous food culture and cooking with monthly recipes, coloring pages, and fact sheets. Each month is focused on a different culturally relevant food in season. August’s feature is WILD RICE!
| | | | Stone Fruit! A Cultivate Michigan Summer Food
Explore Michigan stone fruit sourcing tips, resources, and recipes for your school site.
| | | About Michigan Farm to School
Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. We share ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts, from school garden programming to farmer visits and field trips.
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