Farm to School (F2S) is made up of three core elements: 1) procurement of local food by schools, 2) agriculture, food, health and nutrition education, and 3) school gardens. According to the 2023 Farm to School Census, 74.2% of school districts in Kentucky participate in some form of F2S activities, with 55.7% serving locally-produced foods in school meals and 9.8% managing school gardens (USDA NIFA, 2023). F2S has been shown to have strong economic development, public health, education, environment, and equity and community engagement benefits (NFSN, 2020). Research has shown that F2S activities lead to improvements in student health behaviors, including an increase in the consumption of and preference for fruits and vegetables and improved knowledge and attitudes to nutrition. School gardens have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in children. Coordinated efforts across different groups provide opportunities for F2S stakeholders to share information and resources; strengthen the F2S movement in Kentucky; improve nutrition and agricultural knowledge of the future generation; and provide new market opportunities for Kentucky farmers, further promoting a vibrant local economy.  

The Kentucky Farm to School Network is a coalition of organizations, agencies, and individuals passionate about F2S in Kentucky. The Network's mission is to leverage and build upon our collective resources and shared vision to cultivate farm to school initiatives that: create and support opportunities for all KY students to grow, learn about, and choose locally-grown foods, today and in the future; increase participation of KY farms in farm to school activities; and expand the capacity of KY schools to participate in farm to school. Horticulture Extension Specialist Cindy Finneseth was instrumental in the network launch and continues to be involved in F2S activities, which include publishing a monthly newsletter, maintaining a website (https://www.kyf2snetwork.com/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KYF2SNetwork), hosting events like Bringing the Farm to School Grower Training, sponsoring F2S Month activities, administering a garden grant program, and many other F2S centric activities. Over the last year (July 2024 – June 2025), the network has advanced F2S through:

F2S Network Advisory Council, which meets quarterly to review the activities of the network and contribute to the development of outreach materials, provide feedback on program implementation, consult on network funding, evaluate staff, and actively contribute to guiding project implementation. The University of Kentucky (Dr. Finneseth), Community Farm Alliance, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Department of Education, Feeding Kentucky, Kentucky Horticulture Council, Kentucky School Nutrition Association, farmers and food service directors all serve on the Council and contribute to guiding the F2S Network as it matures. All the representatives consider this work worth their time.

F2S Network Meetings that bring stakeholders together on a monthly basis to discuss F2S topics and ongoing and proposed activities. A group of 8 individuals from different organizations, including several participants from UK, form the core of this group, with others joining intermittently.

F2S Challenge is an annual event during October, which is recognized nationally as Farm to School Month. In 2024, 142 school entities entered to complete the “Taste, Learn, & Grow” Challenge; 55 groups completed the challenge with over 10,600 students reached by activities. Larue County Middle 6^th Grade Science Class, Estill County Middle School 6^th Grade Ag Classes, the Wise Family Homeschool group, and Beaumont Middle School were recognized for their F2S activities and each received a prize pack.

F2S Garden Grant Program issues an annual call for proposals to schools and organizations that want to establish school garden programs. Schools can apply for up to $5,000 for garden materials and supplies as well as nutrition education materials, plus $2,500 in staff or student support for garden activities. PreK - 12 grade schools are eligible for funding to establish school gardens and implement nutrition and cooking education using the produce grown in the school gardens. Five awards are made annually.

F2S Summit (December, 2024). The inaugural Farm to School Summit was held on December 2, 2024 in Elizabethtown, KY. The 116 attendees included farmers, school food service directors, teachers, and representatives from government agencies. The event provided a platform to share ideas on increasing local food in schools and building stronger community networks. Participant engagement was high, with feedback that a future event would be well-received.

Farm to School is an important market channel in the local food system. Championing F2S activities in Kentucky is creating and supporting opportunities for Kentucky students to grow, learn about, and choose locally-grown foods, today and in the future; increase participation of KY farms in farm to school activities; expand the capacity of KY schools to participate in farm to school; and build grower capacity to provide locally-grown products to school feeding programs.