Sarasota County Farm to School Program

The Sarasota County Farm to School Program is supported by UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension for the purposes of  providing ‘Local Food for Healthy Children’ in our public school lunch & snack programs and of strengthening the local agricultural economy.  It is part of the National Farm to School Program  which educates communities how to provide locally-grown foods in school meals for the benefits of high nutrition to the children and for opportunities in direct marketing and risk management to farmers, especially producers on middle to small size family farms.  The national Program provides national and southeast region newsletters of project information and resources.  In Florida many counties now are also initiating Farm to School programs with the support of the FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  For information about them see the following websites:

Farm to School.org

Florida Agriculture Farm to School

Successes of the Sarasota County Farm to School Program include:

1) Beverly Girard, Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the School Board of Sarasota County, Florida, announced in November 2009  “80% of the produce in the school nutrition program is from a local source”.

2) Since 2007 the Edible Schoolyard Program by Sarasota County Extension has provided garden-based curriculum, supplies, and volunteers for supporting teachers provide activities where students learn how to grow, cook, and taste fresh, nutritious foods that they grow themselves.  The nation Edible Schoolyard Program is a model for the use of school gardening to support the Sarasota County Farm to School Program by improving the awareness and consequent consumption by students of locally-grown foods in the school lunches.  To see a presentation & contact information of the Sarasota County Extension Edible Schoolyard Program see the following link:

Edible Schoolyard Program

To see a 2010 news story about the edible schoolyard project at Booker Middle School, follow the following link:

Suncoast.com Booker Middle School Story

Currently these efforts are being supported by the Farm to School Program of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services which offers a website to connect local farmers to local school districts. Additional support is now being considered in the 2010 reauthorization by Congress of the Child Nutrition Act with additional funding for the National School Breakfast & Lunch Programs to school districts for the expanded purchasing of locally-grown, fresh foods.  To find out more about this important legislation for your own education and action, please, visit the websites http://www.farmtoschool.org/policies.php  and  http://frac.org/Legislative/action_center/index.html

There are community partner opportunities assisting the Sarasota County Farm to School Program meet its goals.  For example, community partners include the Sarasota County Government,and the Sarasota County Farm Bureau , which have provided staff funding, and  the Hi Hat Ranch in Sarasota, FL and the Jones Potato Farm in Parrish, FL which have participated in past pilot project events. Community endorsements include the  All Faiths Food Bank of Sarasota, the Sarasota-Manatee Originals ,and the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota County and are welcome from interested community groups.

The Sarasota County Farm to School Program welcomes all interested groups or individuals wishing to get involved in supporting its goals, including volunteers for edible school gardens. Educational presentations are available about the Program to community groups - just contact Robert Kluson, Sarasota County Extension, at (941) 861-5000.

Sarasota Co. Farm to School In the News

• September 2007 - Farmer and Rancher Article on the Sarasota County Farm to School Program
• July 21, 2009 - Sarasota Herald
• January 13, 2010 - Sarasota Heral Tribune Article of Dr. Oren Rosenthal
• January 21, 2010 - SNN Video - Local produce finds its way into area school lunch menus.
• May 11, 2010 - Sarasota Herald Tribune "Funds for School Healthy Food Program Dwindle"        

• December 10, 2010 - New Florida agriculture commissioner wants to help decide what students eat

• May 18, 2011 - Putnam: School Vending Machines Too Sweet