(Updated 2/14/08)

The Oklahoma Food Connection 2006

Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
How to Use This Directory

Section I
Oklahoma Farms
Farms on the Web
Farmer's Markets

Section II
List of Crops and the
Farms that Grow Them
Number of Farms
by Individual Product
Harvest Calendar of Selected Crops

Section III
Directory of Institutions 36
Public Schools
Other Public Institutions
(Colleges, Corrections, Technology
Schools, State Resorts)

Section IV
Farm-to-School FAQs
Kerr Center FAQs
Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program

Oklahoma Food Connection 2003

The Oklahoma Food Connection | The Farm to School Report

The Oklahoma Food Connection 2006

Preface

This is the second edition of the popular Oklahoma Food Connection 2003: A Directory of Agricultural Producers, Crops and Institutional Buyers. We hope this updated directory will be helpful to food service staff of public and private institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, state parks and resorts. Restaurant chefs, caterers, public health professionals and people in ExtensionÑanyone who wants to connect directly to Oklahoma farms growing fruits and vegetables, meats and grainsÑwill also find this directory a useful resource.

The purpose of this directory is several-fold. First, there is a growing demand for local food from public institutions and consumers. This demand needs to be satisfied or it will simply go away. Our experience tells us that satisfying this demand can be profitable for those who are willing to adjust their production and marketing programs.

There are a number of farmers in our state willing and able to meet some of that demand. This directory lists farms who will sell directly to the public, where they are located, and what they produce. This publication also lists public schools that have expressed interest in buying local produce.

Much progress has been made since the first edition of The Food Connection was published. To recap briefly, the Oklahoma Food Policy Council, a joint project of the Kerr Center and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, organized a successful farm-to-school pilot project in
2004 and 2005, which led to the 2006 passage of legislation establishing a state farm-to-school program. (For more information on the Oklahoma Farm-to-School program, see the FAQs in this publication.)

We look forward to watching this program blossom as comprehensive farm-to-school programs are established in numerous school districts around the state. We believe that farm-to-school programs, by exposing schoolchildren to fresh, nutritious locally-grown foods, will improve their eating habits (and their health) for a lifetime. We also look forward to watching the Oklahoma economy grow, particularly in rural communities, through increasing sales of locally-grown foods and locally-made value-added products.

We thank the government agencies, schools, grass roots groups and individuals who made the farm-to-school pilot successful and who worked hard for the farm-to-school legislation. We look forward to working further with these partners, as well as new ones from the fields of public health and education, to improve the diets and health of Oklahoma's schoolchildren.
Another thank you goes to the Community Foods Program of the USDA's Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Service. This update of The Food Connection is one of many activities supported by a grant from this program.

After many years of working for and with Oklahoma farmers, I find it gratifying that the concept of "local foods on local tables" is gaining currency. Many people want to help farmers remain on their land, restore rural communities, and enable children to connect with the sources of their food. We can all enjoy the fresh taste and nutrition of Oklahoma farm-fresh food. We invite you to join us in supporting farm-to-school programs as well as local markets that offer Oklahoma farm-fresh and Made in Oklahoma foods. Help us to grow healthy kids and a healthy rural economy.

Sincerely,

James E. Horne, PhD, President and CEO,
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and
Chairman, Oklahoma Food Policy Council