Local Product Purchasing
Local Food Sourcing Directories
- Wisconsin Local Foods Database: Find Farmers - find a list of local food producers that sell to schools by location.
- REAP Farm Fresh Atlas - database to find local products, farmers' markets, CSAs and more.
- Wisconsin Berry & Vegetable Growers Association - find berry and vegetable growers and see what is in season.
- Something Special from Wisconsin - a directory of Wisconsin made products
Local Buying Resources
- Selling to Schools: Licensing Requirements In a Nutshell (Spanish) (Hmong) – state of Wisconsin and federal licensing requirements for buying local products as a school.
- Continuing the Momentum for Local Food in School Meals – learn about the funds schools have available to purchase local foods, procurement requirements for buying local, and reliable sources of local product.
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Using Federal Funds to Purchase Local Foods - SP 11-2025, CACFP 09-2025, SFSP 05-2025, USDA, 5/6/25 – memo about the many ways schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program (CNP), can purchase local foods to serve in Program meals.
- Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide - resources to help child nutrition program operators incorporate local foods into their day-to-day operations.
- Connecting with Farmers In a Nutshell
- Food Service Directors' Guide to Local Grains
- Incorporating Local Beef into Child Nutrition Program Meals - SP 03-2026, CACFP 02-2026, SFSP 02-2026
Processing Skills
- CICN Culinary Quick Bites - hands-on training series including resources and instructional videos intended for school nutrition professionals. Featured lessons include Knife Skills, Developing Flavor, Basic Food Preparation and Cooking Techniques.
- Let’s Cook Culinary Training Courses - eight module learning series teaching kitchen skills such as knife cuts, mise en place, vegetable preparation techniques, and more.
- Chop! Chop! Culinary Skills for Wisconsin-Grown Produce in School Meals - training series walking through the steps for six recipes, featuring fresh, local produce.
- Cooking With Dried Beans In a Nutshell
- Bulk Protein Preparation: Raw Ground Beef-Oven Method In a Nutshell
Marketing and Promotion
Wisconsin schools may use the Farm to School Logo to promote their local menu items and farm to school activities. If you would like to utilize the logo, please contact DPIF2S@dpi.wi.gov for permission.
- Harvest of the Month - materials to showcase one seasonal, Wisconsin-grown fruit or vegetable monthly.
- Menominee Harvest of the Moon - poster for each month with the food, the Menominee and English name, the Menominee moon that correlates with the month, traditional recipes, learning activities, Menominee teachings around each food, and information about how to harvest and store the food.
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Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Harvest of the Month - monthly resources focusing on a culturally relevant food in season, including monthly recipes, coloring pages, and fact sheets.
- Get Involved - events to create excitement around F2S!
- Sample Social Media Posts
- Farm to School Salad Bar Labels
Wisconsin schools may request free, F2S promotional items! Items include menu signage, Producer Highlights posters, window clings, magnets, and stickers
Muffin Maynia: Celebrate Spring with Wisconsin's Local Flavors!
Celebrate Farm to School this May with fresh-baked muffins made with Wisconsin-grown ingredients! Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or à la carte, Muffin MAYnia is a fun and creative event to utilize local fruits, vegetables, eggs, and/or grains straight from local farms to your students’ trays. Be sure to Register Your Event so we can showcase just how many muffins Wisconsin schools bake up this May!
Why Muffins?Muffins are a tasty and fun way to highlight the fresh, local produce of Wisconsin. Every muffin supports the Farm to School initiative, connecting students with local farmers and healthier food options.
Featured Muffins:
Thank you to Nourish Farms for the coining of Muffin Maynia!
Menu Planning
- Crediting Local Beef
- Beef Resource Guide for K-12 School Food Service - includes information about beef cuts for school lunches, beef nutrition, storage and preparation tips, school nutrition crediting information, and large quantity recipes.
- Seasonal Availability of Wisconsin Foods
Recipes
- Cornbread - a delightful complement to the Wisconsin Chili Lunch event or to serve anytime of the year.
- Traditional Foods Toolkits - features recipes for American Indian and Southeast Asian traditional foods in two different toolkits