Nebraska Farm to Summer
With harvests at their peak in many regions, summer is a perfect time to highlight local products and get kids involved in food, agriculture, and nutrition-based activities. Incorporating local foods into Summer Meal Programs can increase the quality and appeal of meals, connect the community with local agricultural producers, and provide hands-on enrichment activities that keep children and teens nourished and engaged while school is out.
Why Farm to Summer?
KIDS WIN
Farm to summer provides kids with access to nutritious, high-quality, local food so they are ready to learn, grow and prepare for school to return in the fall. Farm to summer activities enhance education through hands-on learning, taste testing, agriculture, nutrition, and health.
FARMERS WIN
Farm to summer can serve as a significant financial opportunity for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors and food manufacturers by opening market diversification and opportunities to increase profits.
COMMUNITIES WIN
Farm to summer provides opportunities to build family and community engagement by enriching the connection communities have with
fresh, healthy food and local food producers.
Where can I find local producers?
A member-based marketing, promotion, and education program helping to support state’s farmers, ranchers and producers. A great resource for finding local food!
A database featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ ranchers, farmers markets, and more. A simple yet powerful resource to connect with others across the production and distribution chain.
Nebraska Farmers Markets and Produce Vendor
A search tool for finding local farmers markets and produce vendors to provide fresh food for your school.
Nebraska’s local food distributor! Connecting small farms and food producers to stores, local restaurants, schools and families.
Nebraska’s online, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service. It is as easy as 1-2- 3! Order foods online through nebraskafood.org. NFC collects your order directly from Nebraskan farmers and ranchers, you order is delivered to designated sites around Nebraska for your collection.
Harvest of the Month
Nebraska Harvest of the Month is a statewide Farm to School program that features different Nebraska local food products each month of the year. The program promotes nearly 30 locally grown and raised items, such as fruits, vegetables, proteins, and more! Harvest of the Month provides schools with resources to support sampling and serving local foods to students, as well as many educational materials to use in the classroom! All material is FREE and available to download for use in schools, early care and education facilities, afterschool programs, and homes! Local recipes, taste testing guides, posters, stickers, coloring sheets, virtual field trips, trivia, recipe demos, and more are available on the Nebraska Harvest of the Month webpage.
Farm to Summer Resources
Nutrition Guide for Sponsors: This tool helps sponsors plan and serve menus with a variety of nutrient-rich foods and beverages.
Farm to Summer Factsheet: This factsheet identifies strategies for integrating local food into summer meals.
FNS Documents and Resources: This recourse offers free nutrition education materials that help reinforce and complement the nutrition messages taught by serving healthful foods.