Maryland was the first state in the nation to have every public school system participate in Homegrown School Lunch, an element of the Maryland Farm to School program.  

“Farm to School” is the term which encompasses efforts that bring locally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as farm visits, producers visiting schools, school gardening, and culinary classes; and the integration of food-related education into the standards-based classroom curriculum. Farm to school includes of all types of producers and food businesses including farmers and waterman as well as food processors, manufacturers, and distributors.

Local offerings (and therefore economic opportunities for local food producers) can span the school meal tray and include everything from fresh fruit and vegetables servings to the cheese in the macaroni and cheese, beef and\or bison in the hamburgers, pork in the sausages, crab in the crabcakes, chicken in the baked chicken and milk.  

How are your county schools incorporating locally grown foods and agriculture education in the cafeteria and classroom?

Don’t see Maryland-grown products listed on your schools menu?  Ask your school cafeteria manager which items are local for the Week.  We encourage students, parents, teachers and administrators to continue to ask for Maryland produce in school lunches. 

The Maryland Farm to School program is sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture in partnerships with the Maryland State Department of Education.

Maryland Farm to School