Congratulations! You’ve been awarded an AGRI Farm to School and Early Care Grant. Here are some helpful resources for you to use as you complete your project.
Grantee resources
- Reimbursement Worksheet Guide (PDF): When you're ready to submit your project expenses, use this guide to accurately fill out your Reimbursement Worksheet and provide required documentation to request payment. Contact f2sgrants.mda@state.mn.us if you need additional help.
- Verified Local Food List: This list includes food products the MDA has verified as eligible for AGRI Farm to School and Early Care Grants. Note: This is not a complete list of all foods that are eligible for reimbursement. It only includes products that food businesses have chosen to submit for verification through the MDA's Local Food Source Verification Form.
- Onboarding Video (YouTube): This video provides an overview of eligible expenses, reimbursement submission steps, and reporting requirements. It was recorded for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grantees, but the guidance also applies to FY 2024 and FY 2025 grantees.
Farm to School and Early Care resources
- Regional Local Food Coordinators: These trained coordinators support all efforts to implement and expand farm to school and early care throughout Minnesota - whether you're a farmer, a school or early care, or a community advocate.
- Farm to School webinars: Watch recordings on planning local school menus, selling to schools, food safety, etc.—plus find information on many other resources across the state.
- Minnesota Harvest of the Month (HOTM): This program celebrates an in-season, locally-grown food item each month in K-12 schools. Explore recipes, K-12 lesson plans, posters, stickers, and more!
- Minnesota Grown Wholesale Directory: Looking for local foods fresh from Minnesota Grown farms? If you represent a restaurant, school, grocer, co-op, or other wholesale account, use this directory to find local farmers and producers.
- Minnesota Farm to Kids Strategic Plan: 2025-2030 (PDF): Developed collaboratively by partners across the state, this plan is a 5-year roadmap for advancing local procurement and agricultural education in K-12 schools and early care settings.
- Farm to School in Minnesota: 2023 Survey of MDA Farm to School Grantees: This report from the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy collected key data on activities being implemented, challenges, opportunities for growth, and feedback on needed support to grow Minnesota's Farm to School movement.
Farm to School and Early Care technical assistance office hours
Join the Minnesota Farm to Kids Alliance and other stakeholders for these virtual discussions held on the second Wednesday of each month from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Connect, learn, and ask questions about Farm to School and Early Care, including local food purchasing, school gardens, and agricultural education. There are monthly themes to help guide the conversation, but you're welcome to bring any questions or topics to the group.
Sign up for monthly office hours. You'll receive a confirmation email with information about joining each monthly meeting.
Food safety
Here are some commonly asked questions about buying local food—and resources to ensure that the food you buy has been handled using best food safety practices.
Can schools, ECE centers, or family child cares buy food directly from local farmers?
- Yes! The goal of the Farm to School and Early Care grant program is to help schools, ECE centers, and family child cares serve more Minnesota grown and raised foods to students and children and build relationships in their local community. See the fact sheets below for more information about legal local food purchasing.
Can schools, ECE centers, or family child cares buy from a local food hub or aggregator?
- Yes. An aggregator is an entity that combines and distributes products from multiple farmers. Aggregators need to have a food handler license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Ask them to list their license number on your invoice.
What are good food safety questions to ask farmers?
- Having a conversation with a farmer is a great way to learn about their food safety practices and ensure the produce you receive is grown, harvested, and packaged using best food safety practices. The resources below have a list of questions you can ask farmers and helpful things to listen for when having a conversation:
I am ready to learn about buying local. Where can I find more information, resources, and support?
- There are several agencies and organizations that collaborate to support Farm to School and Early Care in Minnesota.
