What's new with the Network? |
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Save the date and register for the Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Fall All-Network Meeting!Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 1pm ET
The Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network supports people and programs across Michigan that help children and youth (ages 0–18) learn about and eat local food. Join this fall quarterly meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 1pm ET! We'll share great Farm to School Month celebration ideas, details on Michigan Apple Crunch, and so much more!
Parents, early childhood educators, teachers, food service staff, farm to school coordinators, administrators, farmers, food hubs, families, and supporting organizations are all important members! All are welcome, and parent participation is greatly encouraged! Whether you are in the classroom, the cafeteria, or the community, this network is for you! |
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In attending the Fall Network Meeting, you will:
- 🍐 Receive updates on Michigan farm to school and early care initiatives and resources
- 🥕 Hear inspirational stories from the field
- 🫐 Take part in meaningful networking with other people and programs supporting farm to school and farm to ECE
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Spark Awards Opening Soon!Michigan launches five new Innovation Hub projects, with another round of Spark applications opening in October! |
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The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub funds community-driven collaborations that reimagine school meals. This month, the Spark and Innovation Collaborative Award recipients from 2025 will begin projects that focus on making school food more local, more nourishing and moved loved. Learn about this year’s grantees here. Read the stories and follow the numbers on the impact Innovation Hub work is having across the Great Lakes region.
The third and final round of Spark funding will open on October 30, 2026.
If you are working in your local food system as a farmer; food producer, supplier or distributor; educator; or nonprofit partner, learn about the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub:
- Whether you have applied in the past or you are just learning of this opportunity, you can also contact Jazmin Bolan-Williamson at bolanwil@msu.edu to review your project idea and lend support.
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National Farm to School and Early Care Month is around the corner!
Resources coming soon!
October is Farm to School Month! This year’s theme from the National Farm to School Network, Creating Thriving Communities: Local Food in Every School from early care through K-12, celebrates the powerful, positive impact of local procurement in creating thriving communities. |
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More info coming in our next issue, but consider using October to highlight the farm to youth work you are doing, or start a new project!
- Invite community and school leaders for a tour of your farm to youth efforts. This is a great way to make connections and share your accomplishments.
- Collectively crunch into locally grown Michigan apples on October 15 during the Michigan Apple Crunch! An updated Crunch Guide and new Michigan Apple Crunch resources are coming soon!
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Got suggestions?
We strive to provide content that is relevant and inspiring! Share your ideas, events, and opportunities to include in future newsletters here! |
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🍐 = Farm to ECE & School, 🥕= Farm to School, and 🫐= Farm to ECE |
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MDE Tuesday at 2 Procurement Series: Procurement Policies, Procedures, and Procurement Methods September 1, 2026, 2pm ET
Virtual
Join Michigan Department of Education’s School Nutrition Programs staff for an informal 30-minute webinar meeting on procurement. Staff will provide a brief description of the topic, and the remainder of the time is open for Q & A. Past recordings are posted online. |
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Undoing Borders Through Food and Alternative History September 9, 2026, 2pm ET Virtual
In this session, in partnership with KidsGardening, attendees will participate in a combination history lesson and cooking class to learn how food can bring history to life for students. |
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Michigan Farm to School and Early Care All-Network Meeting
September 10, 2026, 1pm ET Virtual
Join our fall meeting to get updates on Michigan farm to school and early care initiatives, hear inspirational stories from the field, and take part in meaningful networking with other practitioners! We’ll share planning ideas to celebrate Farm to School Month and info on how to participate in Michigan Apple Crunch! |
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Root for Local Food: Let's Cheer for Farm to CACFP
September 10, 2026, 2pm ET Virtual
Farm to CACFP Week is October 18-24, 2026! This webinar will help educators or sponsor organizations discover ways to grow their participation, access fresh ideas and resources for inspiration, and be ready to celebrate Farm to CACFP Week. |
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Marinara Across the Nation: Combining USDA Foods and Local Ingredients September 17, 2026 2pm ET Virtual
National Farm to School Network’s next State Procurement Innovation Spotlight session will spotlight the small number of states such as Maine, Montana, Massachusetts, and Washington that have or are striving to combine USDA Foods with locally grown ingredients to create cost-effective, delicious products for school food markets while supporting local economies. (This work has centered mainly on marinara products, but there are endless possibilities with this model!) |
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Growing Resilience: How Food Policy Councils Build Civic Engagement and Community Well-Being September 25, 2026, 2-4:30 pm ET
East Lansing, MI
Discover how local Food Policy Councils drive public health, economic vitality, and community well-being! In this book talk, author Nessa Richman will share practical strategies and actionable, research-based tools for building equitable, resilient local food systems from her new book, Food Policy Councils: Building Civic Engagement and Community Well-Being (Routledge, 2026). |
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MDE Tuesday at 2 Procurement Series: October is Farm to School Month September 29, 2026, 2pm ET
Virtual
Join Michigan Department of Education’s School Nutrition Programs staff for an informal 30-minute webinar meeting on Farm to School Month! Staff will provide a brief description of the topic, and the remainder of the time is open for Q & A. Past recordings are posted online. |
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Sharing the Bounty: Telling Your Data-Driven Story September 30, 2026, 2pm ET Virtual
Participants will be guided through the processes of collecting, evaluating, and showcasing program data, and will leave with a plan for drafting an impact report that is meaningful and appropriate for unique stakeholders. |
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National Farm to School Network's (NFSN) Partner Meeting
October 13-15, 2026 Sacramento, CA
NFSN invites their Partners to an in-person Partner Meeting in Sacramento, California, hosted in concert with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. This in-person convening is dedicated to NFSN's Partner network and is a space to build the farm to school and early care movement, participate in skill-building, as well as inform the strategic direction of the network. If you would like to attend but are not yet a Partner, you can join their network today. Registration will also include registration for the California Farm to School Summit. |
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Farm to School & ECE Month Webinar: Harvest of the Month
October 21, 2026, 2pm ET Virtual
This webinar is a Harvest of the Month deep dive! This webinar will review where to find your state’s materials, how to use these tools, and how some states are adapting and using their Harvest of the Month materials. |
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State of 10 Cents a Meal
- Partial funding for 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) program was restored in Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2027 School Aid Budget; however, administrative funding was removed from the final bill package. Without administrative funds for Michigan Department of Education to run the program, there are many questions about the future of this work.
Exploring Food Preservation, Free Resource from KidsGardening
- Bountiful summer and fall harvests provide the opportunity for students to explore the history and importance of food preservation. By exploring preservation methods, students can appreciate the climatic and survival challenges faced by people in different places and eras, and extend their enjoyment of local foods.
Farm to School Podcast
Digging In: Farm to School Activities, Case Studies, and Resources
- Center for Ecoliteracy has just released a supportive resource for advancing farm to school programs. This comes at an important moment in the farm to school movement, as SNAP-Ed program end nationwide. Sections include: Community-Centered Farm to School + Local Procurement + Food Systems and Nutrition Education + Tracking Farm to School Success.
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See Where School Gardens are Growing: Add your Garden to the Map!
- The School Garden Support Organization Network synthesized school garden data, created an interactive map for public use, and analyzed the state of school gardens across the country. The map shows where school gardens are located and entities that support school gardens. Explore the map tutorial here and then use this map to: develop partnerships, educate your community, secure funding, and develop an outreach plan.
To join the map, follow the steps outlined below:
- Check if your school garden or organization is already on the map.
- If you aren’t, complete this form to add yourself on the map.
- If you are, check the data to make sure it’s up to date. You can provide updates through the same form.
School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network Mentee Applications Open!
- Applications to become a mentee in the SGSO Network Mentorship Program are open! Mentees are emerging professionals that are looking to grow their skills by being paired with an experienced school garden champion. To be eligible, you must satisfy at least one of the following:
- Be under 30 years old.
- Have less than 3 years of experience working in school gardens.
- Have less than 3 years in their current school-garden-related role.
- You should also plan to keep working in the movement and have a skill set, role competency, project, or area of support you’d like coaching on. Submissions Due August 31!
Kindred Fellowship for School Nutrition Leaders
- Are you a school nutrition professional ready to spark systemic change? Applications are open through August 31 for FoodCorps’ Kindred Fellowship for School Nutrition Leaders, a free, nine-month program designed for 30 school food leaders ready to transform the field of school nutrition. Grounded in FoodCorps’ School Food Leadership Framework, fellows will receive virtual leadership training, personalized coaching, monthly digital advocacy engagement, small peer-learning pods, and fully paid, in-person convenings in Philadelphia and Washington, DC. If you are ready to connect, cultivate, and nourish your community, apply by August 31!
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New Nutrition and Physical Activity Resource Kits in Michigan Great Start to Quality Resource Centers!
- Genesee, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties have new lending libraries that families and childcare providers of all kinds can use to checkout curriculums, professional development material, hands-on student materials, and indoor and outdoor farm-to-ECE kits. Five other Michigan counties also offer Resource Center lending libraries; read more here!
Kids Book of the Month!
- We loved hearing Alexis, from Keep Growing Detroit, read The Pie That Molly Grew, by Sue Heavenrich. This is one of MANY great resources for early childcare providers and caregivers from one of Michigan’s primer gardening organizations!
MI Growing Healthy Eaters Facebook Group
- Michigan’s ECE Facebook group for childcare providers to connect with others in the Farm to ECE community, including local farmers, market managers, vendors and other providers. This is a special group – consider joining now!
How's It Growing? Farm to ECE curriculum!
- Check out Minnesota’s eight Farm to ECE chapters, perfect for integrating into your preschool learning environment! (BONUS: Chapter Nine includes 50 PreK books that center gardens!)
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Get connected!
Get in touch with fellow Michigan Farm to School and Early Care and Education leaders and practitioners! Subscribe to the listservs to connect directly with your peers:
MIFARMTOECE Sign up for the Michigan Farm to Early Care and Education listserv to receive updates and learn about farm to ECE work happening across the state.
MIFARMTOSCHOOL Sign up to receive updates and get linked in with Michigan farm to school stakeholders, from school and ECE food service directors and administrators, to growers and distributors. |
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About Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network
The Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network collaborates so children ages birth to 18 can grow, choose, and eat nutritious local food in their educational settings.
Farm to School and Early Care in Michigan includes local food sourcing, ag and nutrition education, and gardening. Children, families, schools, providers, and farmers all benefit from farm to school and early care.
The Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network exists to:
- improve access to local food,
- increase nutritional awareness and health outcomes, and
- support schools and providers as they work to improve children’s learning environments.
Contact Julie Lehman, Network Co-lead, at lehmanju@msu.edu with any questions, comments, ideas or for more information on the Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network. |
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