• September 25 - ODE Farm to CNP Education Grant Pre-Application Informational Materials became available on the Education Grant webpage.
• October 15 - Deadline to submit presentation proposals for the Oregon Farm to School conference (Apply here).
• October 23 - Oregon statewide Farm to School Month Crunch!
• November 16, 4:30pm - ODE Farm to CNP Education Grant applications close.
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- Farm to School Podcast: New episodes are now available! (New)
- October is Farm to School Month (Updated)
- Oregon's 10-Year Strategic Vision for Farm to School (New)
- School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute Webinar Series (New)
- Local Link 2025 (Repeat)
- FY 2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program: Applications Open (New)
- 2026 Oregon Farm to School Conference (New)
- Save the Date: 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit (Repeat)
- National Farm to Cafeteria Conference (Updated)
- Philosophies and Practices of Exemplary Garden-Based Educators (New)
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (Updated)
- Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant (Repeat)
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Allowables/Unallowables for the 2025-2027 Grant Biennium (Repeat)
- Farm to CNP Competitive Reimbursement Grant (Updated)
- Farm to CNP Education Grant (Updated)
Officially at 12,000 downloads! With listeners in 54 countries!
New Episodes: We have new episodes of the Farm to School Podcast! Check out the latest Farm to School Podcast episodes below!
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School-Supported Agriculture: Alice Waters Reimagines Farm to School
When Alice Waters speaks about food, she’s not just talking about what’s on the plate—she’s talking about culture, community, and the future of our children. Best known as the founder of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant, Waters has spent decades proving that how we grow, prepare, and share food can transform lives. Now, she’s taking that philosophy beyond the kitchen and into the classroom with a bold vision: School-Supported Agriculture. It’s more than a meal program—it’s a movement to connect students directly with local farms, nourish bodies and minds, and plant the seeds of ecological literacy in every school garden.
You can listen to the episode here.
Available on approximately 30 platforms! Simply search for “Farm to School Podcast.”
For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.
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What happens when school teams, cafeteria leaders, teachers, and students gather in a botanical garden to grow more than just vegetables? Welcome to the Oregon Farm to School Institute — part summer retreat, part action-planning bootcamp, and all heart. In this episode, dig into how this unique two year-long program is sprouting real change across the state. You’ll hear from the program’s director, a passionate educator, a thoughtful student leader, and more — all working to root farm to school deeper into culture, curriculum, and community. From hydroponic lettuce to high school leadership, this is farm to school like you’ve never heard it.
You can listen to the episode here.
Available on approximately 30 platforms! Simply search for “Farm to School Podcast.”
For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.
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The Farm to School Podcast is a project by Oregon State University (OSU), funded by the USDA. It is hosted by Rick Sherman and Michelle Markesteyn.
From school garden work parties to special cafeteria offerings, there are so many ways to celebrate Farm to School Month in Oregon!
Visit the Oregon Farm to School Network website to get inspired for how you can participate in Farm to School Month.
Consider registering for the Crunch at Once event on October 23! The Oregon Farm to School Network is facilitating the statewide event in which Oregon students from across the state crunch into an Oregon-grown fruit or vegetable at the same time! Learn more about the Crunch and register on their website.
We're also excited to share that Governor Kotek has proclaimed October as Farm to School Month in the State of Oregon!
Oregon's 10-Year Farm to School Strategic Vision is LIVE!
Building on nearly 20 years of national leadership, ODE in partnership with the Oregon Farm to School Network, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University, FoodCorps, Ecotrust, Raindrop Workshop, and the Oregon Dairy Council just released the most collaborative plan in Oregon's history. This isn't just about putting local food on lunch trays—it's about creating a future where farm to school equitably improves child health, supports academic achievement, promotes environmental resilience, and strengthens Oregon's agricultural economy.
The numbers speak for themselves:
→ $40+ million invested by Oregon lawmakers
→ 85% of Child Nutrition Programs now serve local foods
→ 63 schools have active school garden programs
→ 850 Oregonians helped shape this vision
You can access the full report on the Oregon Farm to School Website, or explore the complete Strategic Vision at Oregon Farm 2 School Counts.
Mark your calendars: Movement Meeting on October 29th at 4pm for the official launch celebration! Register here.
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Join the 2025 School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Leadership Institute Webinar Series for monthly presentations featuring this year's cohort and their expertise on various school garden topics.
- September 24th, 11:00 am ET/ 2:00 PM PT – Youth as Food Justice Leaders
- October 29th, 2:30 Pm PT/5:30 pm ET – School-Based Garden to Cafeteria Programming
- November 19th, 11:00 Am PT/ 2:00 pm ET – Pipelining Garden to Cafeteria...
...And more in 2026! Visit their website for the full list of sessions and links to register!
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Shared on behalf of Ecotrust:
Save the date for Local Link 2025! Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 9am-12pm, at The Redd on Salmon (831 SE Salmon St., Portland, OR).
Local Link is a vendor fair and networking opportunity. Want to learn more about Local Link and working with schools and other institutions? Tune in for an info session for producers and local food businesses:
Check the Local Link webpage for more details over the upcoming weeks.
Photo courtesy of ecotrust.org/local-link.
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Shared on behalf of USDA Food and Nutrition Service:
USDA Food and Nutrition Service is pleased to announce the release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA)!
This competitive grant will fund innovative farm to school projects ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 for a total of up to $18 million. Eligible entities include state and local agencies, Tribes, child nutrition program operators, small- to medium-sized agriculture producers, groups of agricultural producers, and nonprofits.
If you are interested in this grant opportunity, please read the full RFA before applying. Complete applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 5, 2025.
For more information, the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program will host a webinar on October 1, 2025, at 2-3 PM ET. Register here.
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The Oregon Farm to School Conference brings together the diverse farm to school community who make our state's programs thrive. This 2-day event creates space for learning, networking, and inspiration as we work toward a common goal: providing farm and garden-based education and incorporating healthy, local food into school meals for Oregon students from PreK-12. The next conference will take place on January 29 to 30, 2026 at the OSU Alumni Center in Corvallis. Registration will open in November.
Applications are open for proposals for presenters to host a lightning talk, workshop, or short course at the conference. Submit your proposal here by October 15.
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Mark your calendars for February 19-22, 2026 - the Growing School 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
• Fall 2025 — Scholarship Application Opens
• Fall 2025 — Registration Opens
Learn more at SchoolGardenSummit.org
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Shared on behalf of the National Farm to School Network:
A More Accessible, Action-Oriented, and Impactful Food Systems Conference
The National Farm to School Network is proud to present the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, taking place December 1–4, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Farm to Cafeteria Conference has been thoughtfully updated to better serve the evolving needs of food system leaders across the country and advance a more resilient and equitable food future.
Registration is open!
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A survey conducted out of Elon University is gathering experiences with and perspectives on effective garden-based education.
Studies show the benefits -- academic, social, emotional, physical -- of school and community gardens. This study is about the EDUCATORS. The survey aims to capture what experienced, effective garden-based educators believe and do -- and why.
The study starts with a short survey that will take about 10 minutes or less, and there will be an option to indicate your willingness to participate in a 45-ish minute interview (Gift cards are offered as a thanks to those who do an interview!)
You can participate in the survey by copy and pasting this link into your browser: bit.ly/gardenbasededucation
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Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
The current grant period is October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026. Awardees should submit FFVP claims monthly.
- New Allowable/ Unallowable items for the 2025-2026 grant period. Updates have been made to the list of items considered by ODE as “standard fare.”
New allowable: Granny Smith apples.
New unallowable: Carrot coins; Fuji and Gala apples; Valencia and Cara Cara oranges.
- 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.
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Bimonthly FFVP open office hours: Starting Wednesday, August 6th, the ODE FFVP team will host bimonthly virtual open office hour sessions on the first Wednesday of every other 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.
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Have a FFVP question or topic you'd like to explore or get help on? Send it to ODE.FFVP@ode.oregon.gov and it may be featured in the Bimonthly FFVP open office hours!
- Curious what other schools are purchasing with their FFVP funds? A list of fruits and vegetables purchased during the 2023-2024 school year is available on the ODE FFVP webpage.
Any questions can be sent to us at ODE.FFVP@ode.oregon.gov.
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All NSLP, CACFP, and SFSP CNP sponsors were automatically opted in to receive a Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant for the 2025-2027 biennium (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2027). Unofficial award announcements were sent on July 22, 2025.
The Grant’s start date is retroactive and you can submit claims for items purchased starting July 1, 2025 when your Grant Agreement has been signed and returned to ODE. Please review your unofficial grant notification email for necessary next steps and visit the ODE NCRG webpage to review the 2025-2027 grant timeline. Official award announcements will be sent via email by the ODE Procurement team in the coming months.
Resource alert: The 2024-2025 Farm to CNP Combined Claims File is live on the NCRG webpage! The Farm to CNP Reimbursement Grant Combined Claims Excel file is a list of eligible purchases made by other grantees during the previous grant period. The list can be sorted by county, product, vendor, etc.
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.
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Beginning in the 2025–2027 grant biennium, the list of items allowable for reimbursement will be updated to more closely align with the core goals of the grant: to increase the purchase of Oregon-grown and Oregon-produced foods, and to enhance the variety of these foods offered in school meals. These changes are intended to support Oregon’s agricultural economy while complementing existing meal programs with Oregon grown and produced products that may not typically be part of standard menus.
Starting July 1, 2025, pizza products, tortillas, and tortilla chips will no longer be eligible for reimbursement through the Farm to CNP Reimbursement Grant.
Pizza products include, but are not limited to:
- Pizza (whole or slices), pockets, sticks, bites, crust, dough, etc.
Tortilla products include, but are not limited to:
- Hard and soft shells, wraps, chips, etc.
A list of Allowable and Unallowable Products is always available on the ODE Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant webpage.
If you have questions please contact the ODE Farm to CNP Team at FarmtoCNP@ode.oregon.gov.
Competitive Reimbursement Grant
The Competitive Reimbursement Grant (CRG) provides eligible grantees with additional funding beyond their Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant awards. To be eligible, applicants must have received a Farm to CNP Noncompetitive Reimbursement Grant award and fully expended those funds.
2025-2027 biennium applications are expected to open in early 2026.
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