Farm to School Program
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Division of Food Distribution
Commissioner James R. Comer
High Tunnel at Berries on Bryan Station
Farm to School helps create a non-traditional market for Kentucky producers, connecting them to the
Food Service Directors across the state enabling them to purchase fresh, local Kentucky Products for
their cafeterias.
Farm to School is a viable market
Kentucky schools serve over 130 million meals a year and spend tens of millions of dollars on
food
Fresh and local apples
Kentucky has 173 School Districts, 85 Districts are Kentucky Proud and are eligible to
participate in the Restaurant Rewards program
Fresh local Kentucky Proud Products
Students from Bowling Green Independent enjoy local hydroponic lettuce from Kentucky Hydro
Farm in Benton Kentucky
School Year 2011/2012
$280,000.00 was spent of local food from local producers
School Year 2012/2013
$460,000.00 was spent on local food from local producers
Producers
80+ producers provide fresh, local products to schools
Beef….. It’s what’s for lunch
Not only fresh fruits and vegetables are on the menu but local beef, pork and chicken have been
enjoyed by our students
Food Service Directors
40+ Districts consistently use local products and over 352,000 students have benefited from the
Farm to School program
What if?
If 100 Districts participated and spent just .06 cents per student we would generate over $3.5
million annually to Kentucky farmers
Farm to School Tool Kit
Kentucky Farm 2 School Curriculum developed in partnership with UK Cooperative Extension Nutrition
Education Program targeting grades 9-12 to aid students in knowing where their food comes from and identify
the importance of local agriculture.
Farm to School Resource guide developed in partnership with Dept. of Education and Nutrition, Dept. of
Public Health and UK Cooperative Extension NEP aiding in the development of successful Farm to School
programs. Both resources can be found at www.kyarg.com under the Farm to School tab.
KDA Administrative Conference “Pitch Room”
When: Thursday December 12, 2013
Time: 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. CT
Where: Holiday Inn University Plaza Sloan Convention Center Bowling Green KY
Farm to School Junior Chef
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Division of Food Distribution
Commissioner James R. Comer
Farm to School Junior Chef
Farm to School Junior Chef competition is a statewide high school cooking competition designed to
offer youth the opportunity to learn valuable skills in recipe development, food preparation, marketing,
public presentation, organization, teamwork and community involvement.
First Annual Farm to School Junior Chef
“Multi Cultural Diverse Martha Stewarts” of Mayfield KY
Baked Fajitas
The winning recipe was provided by Tracey Tashjian’s team “Multi Cultural Diverse Martha
Stewarts” of Mayfield KY
Serving it up……
38 teams applied and 177 student were involved. We project 100 teams participating in 2014
involving 500+ students across Kentucky
District, Region and State competitions
District and Region competitions were hosted at various UK Cooperative Extension Offices
across the state
All smiles….
Junior Chef received support and involvement from groups such as FFA, 4-H, Family and
Consumer Science and FCCLA
Sullivan University and John Wiley Books
Sullivan University pledged $70,000.00 in scholarships along with John Wiley’s book pledge of
free tuition on books for the students that were enrolled in a culinary program
Commissioner Comer and the Junior Chef
Champions
Along with Commissioner Comer, Sullivan Chef’s and Kirk Farquharson was USDA Deputy
Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton. Dr. Thornton recognizes the Kentucky Farm to School
program in Washington as a leading program across the nation
Tina G. Garland
107 Corporate Drive
Frankfort KY, 40601
Phone: 502-573-0282
Cell: 502-382-7505
Email: tina.garland@ky.gov
Website: www.kyagr.com