Farm to School

Program Details

Farm to School is a win for students, farmers, and communities. Our Southern Tier Farm to School Program works to increase the use of local food in school meals, integrate food and agriculture education in the cafeteria, classroom, and community, and empower students through involvement in their local food system.

We do this through local food procurement, working with farm and food businesses to strengthen the regional food system, taste tests in the classroom and cafeteria, designing kid-test school menus, school gardens, building capacity through direct consultation services, and fostering connections with organizations and communities in the region. 

Who is involved?

Our partners include Broome-Tioga BOCES Food Service, Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego (DCMO) BOCES Food Service, Northeast regional school districts, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County, participating farms, hubs, and processors, VINES, the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets, United Way of Mid Rural New York and Farm to Institution New York State.

Education, Networking, and Resources

We cultivate learning and invite students to engage with their local food systems by celebrating agriculture and healthy relationships with food through classroom demonstrations, taste tests, food systems curriculum, and school garden work.

Procurement

We catalyze collaboration between Food Service Professionals and Local Farms and Food Hubs to design seasonally appropriate menus, coordinate transportation and delivery, identify school processing needs, and implement Geographic Preference Bids to stimulate local purchasing.

Recipes

Please explore our Farm to School Recipes created by our Farm to School team and Broome-Tioga BOCES partner!

Farm to School Video Series

In collaboration with our Farm to School partners, we have put together a series of videos highlighting various aspects of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Farm to School program. Learn more about the program by watching our videos here!
Why Farm to School?
Explore the full Farm to School Benefits Fact Sheet here.
We’d love to talk with you! Contact FaHN Farm to School Coordinator Hannah Rion at hrion@rhnscny.org or 607-376-3619 if you are interested in participating in our Farm to School Program.