The Lifecycle of Farm to School Workshop Series

What is the Lifecycle of Farm to School?

The Lifecycle of Farm to School was a USDA funded grant project implemented by the DPI Bureau of School Nutrition. The project featured eight experiential workshops, highlighting stages of a school garden over a year timeframe. Project goals included expanding school nutrition professional’s Farm to School (F2S) teams, providing opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring, equitably supporting F2S activities and sustaining F2S efforts.

The Bureau of School Nutrition partnered with the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative to evaluate the success of the Lifecycle of Farm to School Workshop series. Check out the Lifecycle of F2S Evaluation Report to see the results.

Seed Starting In a Nutshell
Seed Starting Video: A brief overview of planting seeds indoors before eventually transferring them to an outdoor garden.
Resource to Find Materials for Seed Starting: Ideas for where to purchase seeds, seed starting mix, heat mats, lights, and more!
Resource to Find Assistance with Seed Starting: Ideas for who you can partner with to help with your seed starting venture.
Seed Starting 2nd Graders Video: Shell Lake School District discuss steps to start seeds indoors with the help of AmeriCorps F2S member Emily High.
Students Plant Cucumbers Video: Howard-Suamico School District students plant cucumber seeds outdoors with the help of AmeriCorps member David Lee Schneider.

Hoop House Video: Overview of Hoop House or High Tunnel Gardening
Options for Gardens e-learning: Identify what type or style of garden is most suitable for the space at your school.
Resource to Find Materials for Building and Planting your school garden.
Planting in Hoop House Video: Overview of planting in a hoop house.

Garden Maintenance In a Nutshell
USDA School Garden Food Safety Memo: food safety tips for school gardens.
Watering the Vegetable Garden – details when to water, how much to water, and ways to water your garden.
Guide to Vegetable Garden Pests – identification and controlling of common garden pests.
Easy Weeding Instruction – video instruction of how to efficiently remove weeds in the garden.

Harvesting In a Nutshell
Lifecycle of Farm to School Harvesting Workshop Video – a video recapping the Harvesting Workshop at Howard Suamico School District.

Composting In a Nutshell
Introduction to Composting Video: Learn the basics of composting including what is composting, the steps of creating compost, and ideal compost conditions.
Vermicomposting System Video: Discover how to build your own vermicompost (worm) compost system!

Lifecycle of Farm to School Processing Workshop Video: a video recapping the Menu Planning Workshop at Nourish Farms.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) in the Food Safety Plan: Washing and Handling Fresh Fruits/Vegetables SOP 14, Storing Food SOP 10, Approved Food Source SOP 7.

Menu Planning In a Nutshell
Menu Planning Workshop Video: a video recapping the Menu Planning Workshop at Nourish Farms.
Crediting Unprocessed Food Items in the USDA Child Nutrition Programs – examples of how to calculate the yield of raw to cooked ground beef and unprocessed to processed produce.

Serving Local Foods In a Nutshell
Get the Facts About Food Safety: how to serve locally-grown foods safely in schools.
Serving Local Foods Video: This video features the partnership between Greenfield Farm and the Oregon School District to utilize a local beef product in school lunches!
Wisconsin Harvest of the Month Resources: Wisconsin Harvest of the Month is a statewide campaign that encourages kids and families to eat more fruits and vegetables. Each month schools showcase one seasonal, Wisconsin-grown fruit or vegetable. Students taste, explore and learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.
Wisconsin Local Foods Database: Use this database to find local producers willing to sell to schools, including the products they have available and during what times of the year. Also, add your school to the list of schools interested in buying from local farmers!