Opportunities for WV Farmers,
Fresh Snacks for School Kids
A Primer for Farmers on the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program
For farmers interested in new sales opportunities, now is a good time to consider marketing fresh
produce to school systems. This bulletin provides information on how the new Fresh Fruit & Vegetable
Program funding makes it easier for some West Virginia schools to “buy local,” and on how farmers and
farmer organizations can explore marketing to a school near them. This bulletin was produced as a
partnership of: the West Virginia Department of Education - Office of Child Nutrition, The West Virginia
Food and Farm Coalition, The West Virginia University Extension Service Small Farm Center, the West
Virginia Department of Agriculture and the Center for Economic Options.
WV Department of Education announces opportunity for West Virginia farmers to
sell produce to schools
The Fresh Fruit & Vegetable school snack program opens up opportunities for farmers to market to
local elementary schools – and for students to enjoy and learn more about foods grown in their
communities. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eligible elementary schools
(with over 50% of students receiving free or reduced meals) can apply for grants to serve healthy,
fresh fruit and vegetable snacks. For the 2011-2012 school year, 150 schools will receive $50 per
enrolled student for the snacks. The West Virginia Department of Education is actively encouraging
schools to purchase from local growers.
Because the program is for snacks, not full lunches, the purchasing can be more open to change from
week to week. “This is a great program to start that injection of produce,” says Bekki Leigh of the WV
Department of Education’s Office of Child Nutrition. “It can be done by looking at what’s available
each week – it’s not set in stone. It gives a lot more flexibility to farmers.”
Many school food purchasing decisions (though not all) are made locally, so farmers should start by
reaching out to their local school districts in order to take advantage of the opportunity to sell to
schools. For some West Virginia farmers, developing relationships with schools has already paid off:
during the 2010-2011 school year, Fayette County schools bought local strawberries, Hampshire and
Jefferson Counties bought local apples, and Barbour County purchased turnips from a local growers
association.
Details on the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable program can be accessed at:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/nutrition/ffvp.html
Do you know farmers who would like to sell to local schools? Read on!
Selling Produce to Schools:
How to Get Started
Q: How can farmers or farmer groups get in touch with
their school systems?
First, check to see whether schools in your county or neighboring
counties received special funds for fresh produce from the Fresh
Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP). These are the schools that will
have an easier time buying food from farms. The full list of schools
that received funds can be downloaded at the FFVP web site:
http://wvde.state.wv.us/nutrition/ffvp.html.
Next, start by contacting the school Food Service Directors in nearby
counties that have received FFVP funding. The contact information
for school food service directors in all of the WV counties can also
be downloaded at: http://wvde.state.wv.us/nutrition/ffvp.html.
Small farmers may find that they can better meet the demands of schools if they work together.
Farmer organizations, co-ops or farmers market associations are encouraged to discuss this
opportunity among themselves and to consider contacting their local school food service directors as a
group, rather than individually. Also, some farmers have also chosen to act as brokers or
intermediaries for other farmers in their area.
Q: Where can farmers or farmer groups receive training to begin selling to schools?
Several great training opportunities are coming up. Be sure to save the date:
WV Farm to School Conference, Sept. 27-28, 2011
At the Lakeview Conference Center in Morgantown, WV
Join the Center for Economic Options, WesMonTy and Potomac Headwaters
RC&Ds, the WV Department of Education and others to explore issues and
opportunities related to farm to school initiatives. This conference will include
training for farmers and a meet-and-greet between farmers and food service staff.
For more information contact Cindy Manning: cmanning@economicoptions.org or
(304) 345-1298 ext. 10.
WV Small Farm Conference, March 1-3, 2012
At the Waterfront Hotel and Conference Center in Morgantown, WV
Last year’s Small Farm Conference included a track on farm to school initiatives,
and the 2012 conference will include additional practical workshops on this topic.
For information visit http://smallfarmcenter.ext.wvu.edu/ or contact Carrie See at
the West Virginia University Extension Service Small Farm Center:
carrie.see@mail.wvu.edu, (304) 293-2715.
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Q: During most of the growing season, the schools in my area are not in session. Will
this be a problem?
The Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, which offers one of the
easiest opportunities for farmers to sell to schools, is only in
effect during the school year. Focusing on season-extended
crops and early and late season crops is a good way to take
advantage of this opportunity. However, many schools and
other local agencies also operate Summer Food Programs that
can purchase produce locally during the summer. Even if your
growing season doesn’t overlap much with the school year, it
is still worthwhile to contact your school system’s Food
Service Director to ask about his or her produce needs.
Q: Do farms need to meet any special food safety
requirements to sell to schools?
To protect yourself from liability and your customers from food-borne illness, using safe agricultural
practices and food handling practices is extremely important when selling to schools. Although there
are not yet any requirements for these practices statewide, each school system will have its own needs
and expectations for how you grow and handle produce. In other states such as Virginia, many school
systems are starting to require that their vendors follow Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good
Handling Practices (GHP). It’s a good idea to become familiar with these practices if you want to sell to
large-volume buyers such as schools, because the practices may soon be required.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture will offer training in GHP and GAP at the upcoming WV
Small Farm Conference in March 2012, or you can take an online course through the Good Agricultural
Practices Network for Education and Training at http://www.gaps.cornell.edu. For information on
GHP/GAP certification program offered to growers by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture,
contact Danielle Kisamore at (304) 558-2210 or dkisamore@ag.state.wv.us.
Farmers wanting to sell cut, frozen or otherwise processed products to schools should consult with
their District Sanitarian about commercial processing laws. Contact information for District Sanitarians
can be found at www.wvdhhr.org/phs/district.asp or by contacting Linda Whaley, WVDHHR Food
Program Manager: (304) 356-4283, linda.k.whaley@wv.gov.
Q: What can farmers do to manage their risk and liability when selling to a school?
It is essential that every farmer secures adequate product liability insurance; in almost every case, this
can be added to the regular farm or homeowners’ policy. It is imperative that farmers review their
current farm policy with their insurance agent and make sure he or she fully understands the
proposed management change in order to assure adequate coverage. The WV Farm to School
Conference (Sept. 27-28, 2011) and Small Farm Conference (March 1-3, 2012) will offer workshops for
producers on risk management and liability issues related to direct marketing. See page 2 for details.
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Other Resources for Farmers
Web Links for Farmers Selling to Schools:
•
“Growing the Links Between Farms and Schools: A How-To Guidebook for Pennsylvania
Farmers, Schools and Communities.” (Center for Rural Pennsylvania)
This guide, which includes advice for farmers on selling to schools, was written for
Pennsylvania – but most of the information is helpful for farmers from any state.
http://www.farmtoschool.org/files/publications_189.pdf
•
The Green Accelerator (Center for Economic Options)
This interactive web community includes an online forum for farmers and others to discuss
farm to school issues, post information, and ask questions.
www.thegreenaccelerator.com/group/farmtoschool
•
WV University Extension Small Farm Center
This web site has many tools and links for small farmers, including a link to West Virginia
University’s Income Tax Schools – essential for any growing farm business.
http://smallfarmcenter.ext.wvu.edu
•
West Virginia Department of Agriculture
Offers GHP/GAP assistance and numerous other services for farmers.
http://www.wvagriculture.org
•
WesMonTy Resource Conservation & Development
This RC&D currently operates a program to help farmers in its region (North Central WV) to
meet the demands of local school systems. Details can be found on the web site and blog.
http://wesmontyrcd.org
•
West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition (WV Community Development Hub)
Farmers can subscribe to the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition Newsletter and sign up
for specific updates related to farm to school opportunities.
http://www.wvhub.org/foodandfarmcoalition/get-connected
This bulletin was developed as a partnership of:
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