Farm-to-School Month

School meals can be an opportunity for learning in many ways. There are lessons in nutrition, sowing, germinating, harvesting, processing, shipping, selling and cooking. National Farm-to-School Month in October is a perfect time to introduce these lessons.

Farm-to-school efforts ensure the freshest foods in school meals. Most of us think of crop agriculture when we hear farm-to-school, yet it can also encompass the likes of local fisheries, beef ranchers, chicken farms and food processors.

Farm-to-School Resources

The National Farm-to-School Network and many state and local agencies offer resources that districts, child care centers, Head Start and ECE programs can use to educate kids about the origins of their food and hard-working farmers and ranchers in our country. Find activities, single lessons or entire curriculum to use with students this year – or start thinking about how to expand your farm-to-school efforts.

Grant Opportunities

Check out these grant opportunities to support your plans for expanding farm-to-school efforts:

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has three farm-to-school grant programs (Apply by 4 p.m. CT on Thursday, October 23, 2025.)
- First Bite Mini Grant
- Full Tray Grant
- Equipment Grant: First Bite Mini Grant or Full Tray Grant applicants can also apply to receive up to $25,000 to buy equipment
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Literacy Grant (Apply by Tuesday, October 15, 2025)
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom First Year Teacher Grant

Great Apple Crunch: Thursday, October 9

The Great Apple Crunch is an annual October event that promotes local food and healthy eating. On October 9, CKC Good Food is joining millions of students across the state and country in crunching locally grown apples for lunch. We’re supplying our client partners with locally grown apples so students can enjoy fresh apples with their lunch during the Great Apple Crunch celebration.

In 2024, about 154,982 students, children, teachers and good food supporters across the region crunched.

You can keep the crunch going! Schools can connect it to learning with apple-based activities. Check out the Minnesota Crunch Guide for K-12 schools for creative ways to meet learning requirements for language, math, science and more!