The Latest with the Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network |
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Mark your calendar! Celebrate Farm to School month with a Michigan Apple Crunch this October! |
The 2026 Michigan Apple Crunch will be celebrated on Thursday, October 15! Join thousands of participants from K-12 schools, Early Care and Education sites, and other institutions and organizations across the state by registering to crunch into a local Michigan apple on Crunch Day. Apples provide a great way to get local schools and institutions excited about supporting local farmers and they are a nutritious snack that is available in Michigan most of the year.
There are so many ways to Crunch! Thursday, October 15, at noon is the official Michigan Apple Crunch date, but your school’s Crunch is welcome anytime this October! |
How to participate:
- Register your school’s crunch.
- Plan your celebration with the NEW Michigan Apple Crunch Guide.
- Follow the Michigan Apple Crunch Facebook page for the latest updates and to post pictures of your Crunch.
- View and share the one-minute 2026 MI Apple Crunch promo video.
Show your support of Michigan farmers, healthy kids, and strong communities! |
Join us for a virtual Apple Crunch and Celebration on October 8!
We want to make it easy for you to plug in and celebrate. Students will get the chance to connect with a local Michigan apple farmer and other children ages 0-8 throughout the state!
Register for a 15-minute celebration sessions on October 8: • 10:30AM: kidneymi.org/AppleCrunch1 • 1:00PM: kidneymi.org/AppleCrunch2
Share this virtual Apple Crunch & Celebration flyer with your school and ECE! |
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Start planning your Farm to School and Farm to ECE month Celebrations! October is National Farm to School and Farm to ECE Month |
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Join us in sharing this year’s theme, "Creating Thriving Communities: Local Food in Every School." Whether you're planning a special local lunch, organizing a farm field trip, tending to school garden activities, or participating in Michigan’s Apple Crunch, farm to youth in the great state of Michigan is worth celebrating! Find activities, ideas, and resources below!
- Small Bites Adventure Club is giving teachers FREE digital resources to teach students hands-on cooking in their classrooms for October Farm to School Month!
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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: 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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Virtual Great Apple Crunch Celebration October 8, 2026
Virtual
Join the Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network for a virtual Apple Crunch and Celebration! We want to make it easy for you to plug in and celebrate. Students will get the chance to connect with a local Michigan apple farmer and other children ages 0-8 throughout the state at this online event! Register for a 15-minute celebration sessions at 10:30AM or 1:00PM! |
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The Time is Now!
Targeted Local Food Systems Investments and Infrastructure: Producing Measurable Impacts for Farmers and Communities October 8, 2026, 9am ET Virtual
Investments in local food purchasing infrastructure by the federal and state government have generated significant returns, increasing capacity for local food purchasing and stimulating impacts for producers and consumers. Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems invites food systems leaders, policy and funding decision makers, and state agency leaders, and partners to attend this 90-minute webinar highlighting the implications of the findings from the National Food Hub Survey, Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (U.S. and Michigan), and 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms. |
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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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Rooted in Goodness: Launching Farm to CACFP with Local Vegetables
October 19, 2026, 2pm ET Virtual
Farm to CACFP starts with practical, flexible approaches that can work in any program, regardless of region, season, or budget. Discover how root vegetables can serve as an easy entry point for connecting CACFP menus with local agriculture. Learn CACFP crediting basics, explore simple menu swaps, and participate in a guided menu lab featuring the Local Roots Menu. You'll leave with practical ideas and the confidence to adapt Farm to CACFP strategies using foods that are grown and available in your community. (This workshop is part of Farm to CACFP Week. Follow the link for additional free resources!) |
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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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Michigan Farm to School and Early Care All-Network Meeting
December 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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10 Cents a Meal Program and Application Update
- 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) is a state funded matching grant that provides funds to pay for Michigan-grown food, local food transportation fees, and food service labor expenses to strengthen the local food supply chain and enrich nutrition and educational experiences for children. Public school sponsors participating in the National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast program (NSLP/SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and/or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) are eligible for the program.
For the current phase of funding for FY 2027, only public-school sponsors are eligible to participate. This means non-public schools, childcare centers and homes, non school before and after school providers, and community service agencies are not eligible at this time.
How Do I Apply? The 2027 application is expected to open in NexSys later this fall. MDE will share updates on the application window and deadline as soon as they are available. To prepare for the 2027 application, please note the following: Each program year, all applicants must complete the 10 Cents a Meal Required Annual Training, which is available now on the 10 Cents a Meal Training page. The documented training date must be after September 1, 2026, and sponsors are encouraged to complete this training before the 2027 application opens.
Training Opportunities The Farm to Program team will offer live virtual training sessions and weekly office hours for sponsors who have program questions or need help with the application. Additional information about the 2027 program and training schedule will be shared soon.
For questions about the 10 Cents a Meal program, please contact the Farm to Program team at MDE-FarmtoProgram@Michigan.gov.
Pilot Light's Food Education Standards & Food Education Center
- This digital hub for educators, families and communities provides free access to expertly crafted, standards-aligned Food Education resources that seamlessly integrate into PreK-12 curriculum across all subject areas. Whether in school or the kitchen, these free customizable lesson plans help children explore food origins, nutrition, and cultural traditions—building essential life skills and lasting memories along the way.
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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Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Spark Applications
- 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 using the links below.
- View the informational video linked here and then fill out the Interest Form.
- You can explore inspiration for projects,
- Join office hours, and connect with the state team.
- 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.
The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA)-funded, grant-making initiative that reimagines school meals for students. With support from the USDA FNA’s Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Initiative, we offer funding, training and other assistance to people working to improve meals in schools across our region. Learn more about the final opportunity in this current funding cycle to apply for a grant. InnovateSchoolFood.org.
Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools new toolkit: Celebrating Our Roots
- Every student carries a story about food: an ode to a favorite dish, a treasured family recipe, or a memory of a celebratory meal. This toolkit, created for grades 3-6, offers 21 lessons organized into three phases for helping students explore identity, culture, and belonging through food.
BIPOC Growers and Farm to School: Finding Your Path into School Markets This guide explores how schools purchase food, who makes buying decisions, volume expectations, how delivery works, what food-safety requirements apply, and prices. It is designed to help BIPOC growers understand the pathways available to school markets, identify the support they may need, and connect them with people and resources that can help them take the next step.
USDA Announces Harvest to Hallways Initiative to Invest in Child Nutrition Programs
- In August, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled Harvest to Hallways, a new initiative aimed at strengthening ties between local farmers and school cafeterias while improving the nutritional quality of meals served to students. Read the press release and watch the recording here.
- The plan includes:
- $50 million for School Kitchens: These new funds will support cafeteria equipment and infrastructure upgrades, and build on the recent $20 million in awarded National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants.
- $30 million in Healthy School Meal Research: This HHS-funded research will explore cost-effective ways to improve school meal nutrition. Read the HHS press release on the new research funding, which is expected to open in September, and give awards of $75,000 to $2.5 million.
- $25 million in New Farm to School Grant Funding: This new funding is in addition to the previously awarded FY 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants totaling $20 million. USDA will award a third cohort of grantees in the upcoming months.
- The “Local Option” Outreach Campaign: This campaign aims to help more districts use existing procurement pathways to source local foods. Read USDA’s new memo and resource document on local procurement.
- A push for greater state adoption of the Pledge for Healthier School Meals.
- For more information, review the: Harvest to Hallways official website.
(Thank you to National Farm to School Network for this summary.)
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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!
Farm to ECE advocates share on proposed federal Head Start rule
- In August the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule titled "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs". This proposal would reduce the resources available to Head Start administrators, and the specificity of standards that ensure integrity in Head Start programs. While it calls for raising the bar on incorporating "whole, nutrient-dense foods" in their programs, many of the measures directly undermine that goal. Farm to early care and education (ECE) advocates are particularly concerned about how proposed changes could harm the ability of Head Start programs to incorporate local food and farm to ECE activities for some of the most vulnerable populations of children in our country. The proposed rule is open for comment until October 6, 2026. Follow the link to read an analysis of this rule and share your voice.
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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