Farm to School implementation differs from school to school because it functions by community driven approaches. Currently, there is no state funding to support farm to school. The Farm to School Bill, sponsored by Grow Montana, would help secure state funding that would assist schools in beginning or expanding farm to school activities. Farm to school not only connects kids with locally grown food and food and nutrition education, it also helps foster more resilient food systems. COVID-19 has highlighted the need for farm to school as a way to solve food supply issues. Promoting locally grown and raised foods is one way to promote availability of fresh, healthy foods. Would you like to learn more about the impact of Farm to School practices in Montana? The 2019-2020 Montana Farm to School Annual Report is available at this link: https://www.montana.edu/mtfarmtoschool/documents/F2S19_AnnualReport.pdf

One of Grow Montana’s legislative priorities is providing funding for Farm to School activities. The Farm to School Bill would establish a grant program for schools to provide funding to begin or expand farm to school activities. Farm to School focuses on three main components: Procurement, Education, and School Gardens. To learn more about Montana Farm to School and how it benefits students and communities, visit Montana State University’s Farm to School website https://www.montana.edu/mtfarmtoschool/