Oklahoma Farm-to-School:
Growing Healthy Kids and a Healthy Rural Economy

Farm-to-School: FAQs

What is farm-to-school?
Farm-to-school programs feature school purchases of food (usually fresh fruits and vegetables) from local farmers. Nutrition lessons are often coordinated with the fresh produce being served for lunch. Programs can also include Ag-in-the-Classroom curriculum, school gardens, food tastings and cooking classes, and farm/farmer visits, all of which get kids excited about healthy food.

How do farm-to-school programs contribute to children’s health?
Farm-to-school programs contribute to children’s health by helping kids develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. According to research into existing farm-to-school efforts, students choose significantly more servings of fruits and vegetables when given the choice of high quality, farm-fresh produce. When they are well-nourished, children learn better.

Why would farm-to-school be good for kids in Oklahoma? During the last 30 years in Oklahoma, the percentage of overweight children (ages 6-11) has quadrupled, while adolescent rates have more than doubled. Doctors blame poor eating habits for this “obesity epidemic.” High sugar, high fat “fast foods” are being blamed. Obesity can contribute to serious lifelong conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

While Oklahoma kids are consuming more calories than they need, they are not eating enough servings of fruits and vegetables. Only 27% of Oklahoma children are eating five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetable. Perhaps this is because they do not see their parents eating healthy foods--only 15% of Oklahoma adults eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, ranking the state dead last in the nation.

Because Oklahoma kids eat lunch at school and many eat breakfast there as well, schools have a unique opportunity to improve the nutrition of the children they serve.

Can you really get kids to eat fruits and vegetables?
Several research studies have shown that kids will eat more fruits and vegetables when they have easy access to a variety of high quality fresh items, often on a salad bar where they have many different choices. Kids from different socio-economic levels respond similarly.

Research and the experience of educators has also established that kids are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables, especially unfamiliar items, if they participate in fun educational activities featuring these foods.

Are fresh fruits and vegetables more nutritious than frozen or canned?
Fresh fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious. Fresh produce is often highest in key vitamins and minerals.

Nutritionists believe that because fresh produce looks appetizing, has an appealing texture, and often tastes much better than processed, that people are more likely to eat it and improve their overall nutrition.

Farm-to-school programs feature locally grown food. What does locally grown mean?
Locally grown usually means grown nearby. Often it includes anything grown in a given state.

Why is locally grown produce better than produce grown elsewhere?
Because locally grown produce is likely harvested at peak ripeness and brought to the consumer in the shortest time possible, it is often of the highest quality--attractive to the eye, with pleasant odor, flavor, texture and feel– and if handled properly, with high nutritive value. People are more likely to consume fresh fruits and vegetables when they are of high quality.  

How are farm-to-school programs good for farmers?
Farm-to-school opens up a large new market for farmers. The potential for significant sales exists: in North Carolina, for example, farmers sold $500,000 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables to state schools in 2004-2005. In Oklahoma, according to one estimate, farmers could sell $6 million worth of fruits and vegetables to schools. Such dollars are recirculated in rural communities, improving the economy.

How widespread are farm-to-school programs?
Programs exist in 400 school districts in 23 states, including Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Food Policy Council (a joint project of the Kerr Center and the Okla. Dept. of Agriculture) has spearheaded the Oklahoma program. The motto of the Oklahoma farm-to-school program is “growing healthy kids and a healthy rural economy”.

Which Oklahoma schools have a farm-to-school program?
Four school districts (Broken Arrow, Edmond, Shawnee, and Tahlequah) participated in a pilot project in the 2004/2005 school year. In 2005/2006, Tulsa and Muskogee were added to the four. The districts bought Oklahoma-grown seedless watermelons and served them during the first few weeks of school. The Oklahoma Ag-in-the-Classroom program created a fun and educational “watermelon curriculum” to be used in conjunction with the lunchtime watermelon.

In 2006, the program expanded greatly.  Thirty-five school districts – a total of 404 schools – served Oklahoma-grown watermelons and honeydew melons in the cafeteria as part of the Oklahoma Farm-to-School Program.

What do school officials and kids think about the program?
School food service directors reported that the melons were of high quality-- “The best she ever ate,” was how Broken Arrow food service director Jill Poole put it. The melons were delivered in good condition, in a timely manner.

By all accounts, the melons were extremely popular with kids, teachers, and food service. Several schools received extensive positive media coverage for the farm-to-school watermelons.

Are other Oklahoma schools interested in farm-to-school?
In 2002, the Oklahoma Food Policy Council devised and mailed out the “Oklahoma Institutional Food Service Survey” to 545 schools in the state. About 72% of the food service directors contacted replied, a very high response rate to a mailed survey.

Of those, over 2/3 indicated they would make local purchases provided “competitive price and quality and an available local source.” More than half said they would consider local purchases if they could purchase small quantities, and more than half wanted to make contact with local food sources.

Of the one-fourth of respondents who had made local purchases, over four-fifths said they would be willing to make them again.

How can people find out more about the Oklahoma farm-to-school program?
Chris Kirby is the state farm-to-school coordinator. She works to promote the program and connect farmers and schools. She can be reached at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, (405) 522-2106 chris.kirby@oda.state.ok.us  Extensive information is also available at the Kerr Center website, www.kerrcenter.com. The Oklahoma Food Connection, a directory of farmers, school food service, and available crops is also online there or by calling the Kerr Center.

How do farm-to-school programs fit into the school lunch program?
Locally grown food can be offered as part of a hot lunch, breakfast, as snacks or, as in some schools, offered on a salad bar.

How does the school lunch program work?
The school lunch program is federally funded. School districts are reimbursed for every school meal they sell. Reimbursements fall into three categories— free, reduced, and full price.

Where do schools get the money to buy locally grown produce as part of a farm-to-school program?
School food service directors can purchase locally grown produce with the same federal reimbursement money that they use to buy all their food items. Schools also get a small amount of money to purchase locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables through a special partnership between the USDA and the Department of Defense (DoD) that is part of the school commodity program.  (This program is currently being reorganized and may not be available in the future.)

How did the Oklahoma pilot program work?
The watermelons were purchased using commodity funds through the USDA/DoD Farm-to-School program. DoD worked with an Oklahoma farmer who is part of their extensive produce procurement network. The participating schools placed their orders through the Department of Human Services (Commodity Division). The orders went to DoD, which found the grower, and guaranteed the quality and price. Thomas Bros. Produce, a produce vendor who already sells to many schools in Oklahoma, delivered the melons.

Is the DoD program the only avenue schools have to purchase locally grown foods?
No. Schools can buy directly from farmers, from farmers’ markets, through an existing distributor or broker who procures from local farmers, or from a growers’ cooperative.

Is there any federal assistance that schools may get to institute a farm to school program?
The 2002 farm bill contains language that directs the USDA to encourage food service directors to buy from regional farmers when possible. A federal farm-to-cafeteria assistance program has been authorized but not been funded. 

What have other states done to establish successful farm-to-school programs?
Several states have found that a coordinator is very helpful in getting the program up and running.  North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Washington have farm-to-school coordinators who facilitate their programs, as do some school districts, such as Santa Fe, New Mexico. Oklahoma established such a program in 2006.

California recently passed legislation funding greater procurement of California-grown fruits and vegetables. In North Carolina, the state provided $1,000 “start-up” grants the first year to 50 schools to make purchases from NC farmers; $500 in the second year. The program is now operating successfully without grant funding.

How has farm-to-school in Oklahoma been funded so far?
Using grant money and volunteer time, the Oklahoma Food Policy Council, with support from state agencies and OSU, devised and conducted a survey of school food service directors in 2002-3 and then organized a farm-to-school pilot project in 2004 and 2005. Results were published in the Oklahoma Farm-to-School Report. This effort was supported by the USDA Risk Management Agency, Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program.

The Oklahoma Departments of Human Services (Commodity Division), Agriculture, and Education, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense and USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) worked with the council on the pilot project.

In 2004 the USDA FNS provided grants to the school districts to purchase the Oklahoma-grown watermelons. In 2005, the districts used their own DoD Farm-Fresh commodity funds to purchase the watermelons. In 2005 and 2006, the Kerr Center, with support from the USDA’s Community Foods Project, provided staff time and expertise to promote and organize a farm-to-school initiative in the state.  Since the establishment of Oklahoma’s state farm-to-school program in 2006, the program coordinator is a state-funded position within the state agriculture department.

Do Oklahoma school districts need more assistance to implement farm-to-school?
The initial grants funding the pilot program are no longer available. The Oklahoma Department of Education Child Nutrition Program has initiated educational outreach to school food service directors about farm-to-school. The Oklahoma Food Policy Council believes that with the new state program, the Oklahoma farm-to-school program can be expanded to include more schools, more produce items, more farmers, and more food and nutrition education. (In May 2006, the Oklahoma legislature established an Oklahoma Farm-to-school program, with a coordinator located at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.)

How could an expanded farm-to-school program benefit Oklahoma farmers?
The 2005 pilot program, involving just six school districts, spent over $20,000 on Oklahoma-grown watermelons. These kinds of local sales keep dollars in Oklahoma and benefit communities across the state.

A farm-to-school program could potentially benefit farms of various sizes. Large school districts may be a good market for larger quantities of fruits and vegetables already grown on a commercial scale in Oklahoma, such as watermelons. Smaller-scale local farms could connect with small and medium-sized schools in the state.

A new market for Oklahoma farm products could spur farm diversification, encouraging Oklahoma farms to grow a greater diversity of crops that could be sold to schools. Farm-to-school could also spur technology and research to help fruit and vegetable growers in the state become more productive.

A robust state farm-to-school program might also benefit Oklahoma food processors and farmers who grow commodity crops. An example would be Oklahoma wheat processed within the state into healthy bread products and sold to Oklahoma schools.

Since the growing season and the school year don’t completely coincide, how can farm-to-school work in Oklahoma?
No one is suggesting that Oklahoma farmers can supply all the fresh fruits and vegetables schools use. We do not have the climate to grow some crops (oranges, for example) that schools want. But many other crops that schools use or could use are already grown commercially in the state and can be harvested in the spring or fall. Watermelons are a good example: Oklahoma is ranked twelfth nationally in watermelon production, but until recently the melons were not sold in large amounts to Oklahoma schools.

In greenhouses or under plastic, the seasons for other crops can be extended. Summer food programs could incorporate a wide diversity of Oklahoma-grown fruits and vegetables.

What Oklahoma-grown crops could be served in Oklahoma schools?
In a 2002 survey, school food service directors indicated they might purchase tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, eggs, potatoes, melons, strawberries as well as ground beef, cheese and dairy products locally.

Isn’t fresh produce hard to handle?
In a survey of food service, about ¼ of respondents indicated that lack of staffing or facilities may be a barrier to prepping large amounts of fresh produce. While not quite as easy to handle as opening a can, many fresh fruits and vegetables can be served either raw or cooked, making them more versatile than some canned or frozen items.

Does fresh produce have to be inspected by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture before schools can use it?
No inspections are required of fresh, raw produce. Processed items have to follow food safety procedures established by the county or state. Food service should follow the same procedures for washing as they use with all fresh produce.

What are some of the barriers to a widespread farm-to-school program being implemented in Oklahoma?
On the farm side, some produce items require immediate cooling after being harvested and many farmers lack this capacity. Farmers need information about what schools want, procurement policy, and in general what they need to do to make ordering from them convenient for food service.
On the school side, food service directors are doing the best they can to serve nutritious food on tight budgets. They lack information about how best to connect with farmers and procure farm-fresh foods. Teachers need educational activities and ag/nutrition curricula to implement.

Distribution issues, quality standards and other issues need to be addressed for both sides to effectively connect in a farm-to-school program.

Can these barriers be overcome?
These barriers can be, and are being, overcome.  The Oklahoma Food Policy Council made a promising start with farm-to-school efforts in Oklahoma.  The new state farm-to-school program is capitalizing on that foothold, placing Oklahoma squarely in the front ranks of states that are developing farm-to-school networks. 

However, school districts continue to need information about buying and using locally grown produce and assistance in expanding food and nutrition programs. Farmers also need information about connecting with local schools.  A concerted effort is needed to expand the program and make it an effective tool in the fight to improve children’s health.

If Oklahomans are willing to continue committing some of the state’s resources to maintain this effort, a viable farm-to-school program can be created in Oklahoma that will greatly benefit both schoolchildren and farmers. Other states have made this commitment.  If Oklahoma continues to embrace a comprehensive farm-to-school program, it will remain in the forefront of innovative efforts to address childhood obesity and improve children’s health for the better.

This educational material/project is supported by the Community Food Projects Program of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, grant
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For more information on farm-to-school contact: The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture P.O. Box 588 Poteau, OK 74953 918.647.9123  fax 918.647.8712 mailbox@kerrcenter.com  www.kerrcenter.com

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