Farm to School

Farm to School builds connection between students, local food, farmers, and the community. In Minneapolis Public Schools, our Farm to School Program provides students with access to fresh, local food in school meals; creates experiential learning opportunities for students to explore, taste, and grow food; and seeks to build and support community through the power of food.

Our district's Farm to School Program has three main components:

Local Food

Minneapolis Public Schools partners with small and mid-size farms to source hundreds of thousands of pounds of local produce each year for our school meals. Our Farm to School partner farms are typically located within 250 miles of the Twin Cities and use sustainable growing practices. We are proud to serve poultry, beef, grains, and beans raised by local farmers. Our local sourcing does not end with direct-to-farmer relationships. MPS works with many local food businesses to purchase meat, dairy, breads and baked goods, fresh produce, and value-added food products.

• Local - Produce, meat, dairy, breads, and other food items grown or produced within 250 miles of the Twin Cities. Learn more about our diverse local food procurement.
• Farm to School - Produce grown by small and mid-sized farmers using sustainable growing methods, within 250 miles of the Twin Cities. Learn more about our Farm to School partner farms.

MPS is proud that local food, including Farm to School produce, accounts for 25% of our district’s total food purchases, and we continue to increase the amount of local food we buy each year.

Food & Garden Education

MPS Culinary & Wellness Services works closely with schools and partner organizations to provide hands-on opportunities for students to learn about and experience local food, nutrition and agriculture. We host special events like Minnesota Thursdays and True Food Taste Tests in our school cafeterias, coordinate farmer visits to school classrooms and cafeterias, support school gardens, host student fields trips at our True Food Farm, and more.

Community Engagement

We work closely with nonprofit organizations, businesses, families and community members to ensure that our Farm to School Program is rooted in the community. We highlight exciting happenings in our biweekly e-newsletter, The Whole Carrot, partner with organization and community members on special events such as our annual Farm to School Community BBQ, attend and present at conferences and events, and participate in local and national coalitions like Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council and the National Farm to School Network.

MPS Culinary & Wellness Services prides itself on working closely with both local and national farm to school partners. If you are interested in working with us, please contact Kirsten Bansen Weigle, Farm to School Coordinator.