NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL PODCAST

New Episodes: We have new episodes of the Farm to School Podcast! Check out the latest Farm to School Podcast episodes below!

Cultivating Curiosity- Digging into real stories of how farm to school is changing classrooms—and communities—from the ground up. A conversation with Jade Davidson

Join us as we sit down with Jade Davidson, Executive Director of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom. Jade leads a small but mighty nonprofit dedicated to helping students understand where their food comes from and how Oregon’s diverse natural resources shape our lives.

For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.

Join Rick and Michelle as they (virtually) journey across the Atlantic to chat with Jennie Devine from England’s National Farmers Union. Discover how UK schools are connecting kids with farming through innovative STEM-based lessons, live farm broadcasts, and a nationwide ambassador program—without government funding! It’s a fresh take on farm to school that’s inspiring students, empowering teachers, and putting a new face on farm to school.

For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.

Oregon Harvest for Schools: Grow Portland

It's a program that facilitates hands-on garden experiences that foster connections to food, nature and each other. Learn all about Grow Portland--an Oregon Farm to School grantee that is using its funds to help kids learn and grow!

Watch the full segment here!

Mark your calendars for February 19-22, 2026 - the Growing Schools Gardens Summit is heading to Phoenix, Arizona! This event brings together over 700 school garden educators for four days of hands-on learning! Now in its third year, this event continues sparking new ideas, strengthening connections, and supporting the growth of school garden programs nationwide.

Key Dates & Deadlines

•  May 2025 — Calls for Sessions Open   

•  Fall 2025 — Scholarship Application Opens  

•  Fall 2025 — Registration Opens

Learn more at SchoolGardenSummit.org

The 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is officially scheduled for December 2-5, 2025! Hosted by the National Farm to School Network, this conference is the premier event for anyone passionate about bringing local food to institutional settings and driving positive change in the food system. Whether you’re a food service professional, farmer, educator, policymaker, entrepreneur, or student, this conference offers invaluable opportunities to network, learn, and share knowledge with others who are shaping the future of food access and sustainability.

*An important date change was made to the conference, originally in June 2025, to December 2025.

Umpqua Valley Farm to School (UVF2S) has been in a multi-year collaboration with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians to create educational signage featuring native plants and animals found in the region. Each sign features the word written in Takelma—the language of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians—and a QR code leading to the Tribe’s educational website where visitors can hear the word’s pronunciation. The signs also highlight the traditional uses of the featured plants and animals. UVF2S is expanding this work by partnering with the local Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Youth Corps, and the Tribe to bring related educational programming to school sites.

ODE's robust Farm to School (also known as Farm to CNP) program provides several Umpqua Valley schools with Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant funds, a portion of which can be used for educational efforts. This year, UVF2S was use some of their funds to expand education around Oregon’s Harvest of the Month program. Each month, they highlight a different Oregon-grown product through cafeteria tastings and classroom lessons. Students who make a recipe at home using the featured item can enter a monthly drawing. The grant funds have expanded capacity to offer tastings at more schools and engage more students in hands-on learning.

To the right is Jesse Jackson, the Education Programs Officer at Cow Creek Education, leading a program on fire at Glide Elementary, next to the signs UVF2S created in collaboration with Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Jesse shared the significance of using fire as a tool for regenerative ecology. Later, Jesse, along with the fire science class at Glide HS and tribal students at Wolf Creek Job Corps, performed a field burn on the nature trail at Glide Elementary and burned one camas field, and left one untouched. In late May, Jesse, Elizabeth Bryant (Takelma Language Teacher), students of Glide Elementary, and Jaley Osuna (UVF2S Paw Patch Garden Manager), met and did their annual camas dig along with Lynn Hill (5th grade teacher) to learn about traditional foods. 

USDA Farm to School Census - 2023 Findings pt. 8

Increasing the amount of local foods served in schools is a goal of many Farm to School programs—and the movement is gaining serious momentum. According to the USDA 2023 Farm to School Census, 74% of schools nationwide are serving local food. In Oregon, that number is even higher, at an impressive 86%.

Dig a little deeper, and the stats get even more exciting. Among School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in Farm to School programs, 81% across the U.S. serve local foods at least once a week. In Oregon, 82% of SFAs are dishing up local foods weekly -- demonstrating a powerful commitment to connecting students with fresh, regionally grown ingredients.

This success is fueled in part by the Oregon Department of Education’s Farm to CNP grants, which helps SFAs purchase more Oregon-grown and produced foods. SFAs can also utilize the Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory, a curated resource listing Oregon farms and producers who specifically want to sell their produce and products to Oregon schools!

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)

The current grant period is October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Awardees should submit FFVP claims monthly. The 24-25 grant period is half way through, and we are awaiting an allocation announcement from the USDA to determine grants for the 25-26 grant period.

**FFVP has a new email address** As of March 2025 FFVP has a new email address! ODE.FFVP@ode.oregon.gov. Please send any FFVP related emails, including monthly claims, to the new address.

• NEW: Monthly FFVP open office hours: Starting Wednesday, May 7th, the ODE FFVP team will host monthly virtual open office hour sessions on the first Wednesday of each month from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Join the call anytime during the hour to ask FFVP-related questions, get technical assistance on claims, or connect with the team about program operations and best practice.

Update: Buy American provision does NOT apply to FFVP

ODE was recently informed that the Buy American provision does not apply to FFVP. While USDA encourages the purchase of domestic purchased in all Child Nutrition Programs, most recent rulemaking regarding Buy American, including requirements around exceptions and limits on non-domestic purchases, only applies to the school meal programs and not others, such as the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Additionally, the USDA has stated that the guidance on Buy American, on page 18 of the FFVP Handbook, is incorrect. They did not have a timeline as to when the FFVP handbook would be updated, nor when they would provide further guidance in writing. ODE will be working to revise its guidance, processes, and procedures in accordance with this new information.

Curious what other schools are purchasing with their FFVP funds? Here is a list of fruits and vegetables purchased during the 2022-2023 school year. 

Have an FFVP success story, best practice, or hot tip to share? Send it to ODE.FFVP@ode.oregon.gov and it may be featured in an upcoming Farm to CNP/FFVP newsletter or in future FFVP trainings!

Any questions can be sent to us at ODE.FFVP@ode.oregon.gov.

All NSLP, CACFP, and SFSP CNP sponsors were automatically opted in to receive a Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant for the 2023-2025 biennium (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025).

The Grant’s start date is retroactive and you can submit claims for items purchased starting July 1, 2023 when your Grant Agreement has been signed and returned to ODE.

In past years, there has been a Progress Report required halfway through the grant biennium. This biennium a Progress Report is not being required, instead ODE is tracking purchases through reimbursement claims submitted. Instead of the hour you would have spent filling out a progress report, we encourage you all to make the time to find new connections with Oregon producers, and source new food to expand youths' palates! 

Curious what other schools are purchasing with their funds? Visit the Farm to CNP Reimbursement Grant webpage for grant resources. Visit the Oregon Harvest for Schools Portal for a directory of Oregon producers ready to sell to schools!

Please let the Farm to CNP team know at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov if you have any questions.

2025-2027 NCRG Update: Please note, at this time we are still awaiting the announcement of the state budget -- which funds the Farm to CNP Grants -- and do not have any information available to share about the 25-27 grant biennium.

When the budget is announced, sponsors enrolled and participating in NSLP, CACFP and SFSP programs (with a few exceptions) will automatically be opted in to receive a grant. There is no grant application process.

Competitive Reimbursement Grant

The Competitive Reimbursement Grant is a separate sub-program that was available again this biennium. A Request for Application (RFA) has been developed and is available for applications. The Competitive Reimbursement Grant is only available for Sponsors that use all their available Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant Funds. Applications are now closed for the 23-25 biennium, no further funding is available.

Education Grant

Awards for the 2023-2025 ODE Farm to Child Nutrition Program Competitive Education Grants have been announced. A full list of awardees is available on the Education Grant website. The Education Grant Final Report has been sent to sponsors and should be completed by September 30, 2025.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov.