Reposted from Best Colleges Online.

What’s not to like about farm to school programs? If you’re not familiar with the term, it means just what it sounds like: programs that bring farm-fresh, local foods to public and even private schools so that kids can enjoy great nutrition. The programs also offer excellent educational opportunities, bringing students to farms, and chefs to classrooms, while at the same time giving local farmers a great place to sell their products. Read on, and we’ll take a look at 10 farm to school programs that are doing a great job.

1. Boston Public Schools

Started in 2008 with a “Harvest of the Month” special in 10 Boston Public Schools, this district’s farm to school program has grown quite a bit in its short life, now serving over 58 schools. Going beyond simply serving farm-fresh foods, AmeriCorps VISTA members have joined up as well, sharing educational programming, as well as logistics for procurement of farm foods. As a result, kids in Boston public schools are able to enjoy locally grown items including apples, collard greens, squash, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. Select schools are treated to a professional guest chef, who rotates between five schools and prepares meals one day a week at each school, while working with the cafeteria staff to create dishes with local produce. A particularly successful part of Boston’s program is Local Lunch Thursdays, which features a local fruit or vegetable from a farmer’s market each week. As a result, staff have had students requesting items like rutabaga fries by name, an action that has been lauded as major success for the program.

2. Native Harvest

Native Harvest has been around since 2007, and in its first few months alone, was able to completely revamp the breakfast and lunch menu at a local school. They took out food dyes, and processed foods, instead replacing them with fresh, local, and organic products whenever possible. The program works with 18 farm families, and encourages the farmers to share a feast with the students to see the impact of their food. Further sharing is encouraged, as students take field trips to learn about local food systems, including visits to turkey farms, rice mills, and apple orchards. In this program, food comes to the classroom, too, with classes spending time focusing on corn and seasonal food, including its history, harvesting, and preparation.

3. Ecotrust

EcoTrust has created a program, FoodHub, that allows schools to get connected with local farms in a really easy way. It is an online marketplace connecting wholesale buyers (including schools) to sellers of regionally grown food in the Pacific Northwest. Ecotrust sits down with school food service directors, showing them how to make FoodHub and regional foods work in their schools, and shares guidance in the FoodHub Knowledge Base with resources for farm to school programming. One public school district that has particularly benefited from Ecotrust is Portland Public Schools, which is a recognized leader in farm to school programming. Portland Public Schools has achieved the amazing feat of making 30% of its purchases from local farms and food producers. PPS has also begun serving 100% locally sourced whole-grain bread in all of its schools. Additionally, through the Portland Farm and Garden Educators Network, PPS has created and maintained gardens in both schools and communities that allow students to learn about gardening with hands-on exploration and experiences….

Read about the rest at bestcollegesonline.org.