Farm to School: October 2025 Newsletter
Welcome to National Farm to School Month: Growing for the Future!
October is here, and we're thrilled to kick off the annual celebration of National Farm to School Month! This year, the theme is "Growing for the Future," a concept that highlights how we're cultivating a healthier, more vibrant food system for our children, our farmers, and our planet.
The farm to school movement is truly more than a meal, it's a movement. It ensures that students of all ages—from our youngest learners in early care and education to those in K-12 schools—eat fresh, local food while providing a reliable source of income for our local producers. When we invest in local farms, we are genuinely investing in farmers today for a healthier tomorrow. We are excited to bring this theme to life with hands-on learning, seasonal flavors, and community connections.
A Guide to Planning for National Farm to School Month
October is National Farm to School Month! Join us and thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country as we celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients. Here are several easy ways to get involved:
Be Inspired: Follow the National Farm to School Network on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see inspiring examples of farm to school success and innovation.
Get Involved: Explore the national calendar of Farm to School Month events to see how you can celebrate in your state. If you are hosting events for Farm to School Month, we encourage you to submit them to the calendar!
View Official Merch: Visit the National Farm to School Month storefront for exclusive apparel, stationary, and more, specially designed to help you celebrate!
Spread the Word: Shout out about farm to school and share what you’re doing for National Farm to School Month with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool on social media.
Explore Resources: Check out the free resources for planning and promoting celebrations in your community, including our Farm to School Month Celebration Toolkit, customizable posters and bookmarks, stickers and more. This year, all of the Farm to School Month artwork on our posters, stickers, and bookmarks has been beautifully redesigned by artist Rachel Yumi Chung.
Growing for the Future
This year’s National Farm to School Month theme, Growing for the Future, emphasizes the role of farm to school and early care in creating thriving communities now and in the future. All of our futures depend on the farmers who feed us, take care of our soil and waterways, and protect seeds for the next harvest—but their work often goes unseen and undervalued. By investing in programs that support local farms, producers, and fishermen, and allow school meal programs across the country to easily buy directly from them, we can create a thriving food future that puts people and planet first.
Farm to school ensures that young children and students eat healthy, fresh, and locally grown meals in schools, and that farmers earn a reliable source of income by feeding their community.
Farm to School Highlights
NWI Farm to School in Action: The 2025 Farm Hop Tour
The "Growing for the Future" theme of National Farm to School Month came to life during the 2025 Farm Hop Tour! This event provided a powerful, firsthand look at the farm-to-school movement in action, welcoming Merrillville Culinary students, community members, FARMWISE, and IDOH partners.
From Farm to Feast: Our day began with visits to Perkins Good Earth Farm and Baby Greens, highlighting the essential work of our local farmers. The tour culminated in a delicious farm-to-table meal at River Forest Community Schools, where Food Service Director Chef Nick Alessandri demonstrated how local procurement works, proving that investing in farmers today leads to a healthier tomorrow for our students.
Where Learning Grows: We wrapped up the day at Harrison Elementary to tour their school garden. Students' lessons came to life as we enjoyed fresh salsa made with garden-grown ingredients. This hands-on activity affirmed that farm to school is about more than just the cafeteria; it’s about sowing the seeds of change and cultivating lifelong healthy habits. The 2025 Farm Hop Tour reaffirmed a simple, powerful truth: When we connect schools with local farms, we strengthen our entire food system. This is truly more than a meal, it's a movement that builds a healthier future for our kids, our farmers, and our state. Click here for the NWI Times Article
An A-MAIZE-ing Success: Hailmann Elementary's Inaugural Corn Shucking Competition
What an absolutely a-MAIZE-ing way to have celebrated local agriculture and Indiana Food Day at Hailmann Elementary School in LaPorte, IN! The energy, engagement, and pure fun of the event truly demonstrated the farm to school movement in action.
The Corn Shucking Competition at the school proudly highlighted amazing Indiana corn sourced from Garwood Orchards through Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub. The buzz and excitement were palpable as the four 4th-grade classrooms gathered for a lively agricultural contest. The challenge was simple but spirited: each class raced to shuck 25 ears of corn.
The sight of the students' focused effort and the eruption of cheers from their classmates created an electric atmosphere; the pure joy and enthusiasm were priceless. This was far more than a simple competition; it was a perfect example of effective, hands-on learning that captivated the students and connected them directly to their food.
A huge congratulations was extended to the victorious 4th-grade class, who proudly took home the awesome "Cream of the Crop" trophy—a symbol of their shucking prowess and teamwork. Beyond the competition, the best part was knowing that the students would get to enjoy the fresh, local corn at lunch the following day, creating a direct, delicious connection from the farm to the cafeteria.
This event was a brilliant, highly visible example of a farm to school program working perfectly:
Students had a blast, engaging with their food in a fun, active way.
The event supported local farmers like Garwood Orchards, ensuring a stable market for their seasonal harvest.
The entire community benefited by seeing these vital connections strengthened.
It truly was a triple win—a win for the students, a win for our local farmers, and a win for the community. A big thank you was due to Food Service Director Cindy Vondra for creating what will surely become a beloved and highly anticipated annual tradition at Hailmann Elementary. The inaugural Corn Shucking Competition successfully planted the seeds for a greater appreciation of local food and a continued growing for the future in LaPorte schools.
FALL in Love with Local Food
Fresh from the Farm – October Harvest Highlights!
Fall is here, and our farms (and orchards!) will soon be overflowing with delicious, local produce that is perfect for school menus. From crunchy apples and juicy pears, to hearty favorites like carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and sweet potatoes, we’ve got the flavors of autumn covered!
Looking for something festive? Try our local pumpkins, acorn squash, or spaghetti squash – perfect for adding a seasonal twist to your school’s meals. Don’t forget our farm-fresh proteins: local turkey, beef, chicken, and eggs are available too. And of course, no fall feast is complete without fresh apple cider to sip on.
Region Roots can help supply nearly everything you need for a classic Thanksgiving meal – from the turkey and potatoes to the sweet treats that make it special. Let’s bring the taste of fall to your school’s tables!
If you have any questions about product availability, contact our Wholesale Partnerships Coordinator Ashley Barry at ashley@nwifoodcouncil.org
FEATURED RECIPES
Squash is seasoned with curry powder and filled with fresh, sliced apples. After being baked for a little over half an hour this dish is tender and soft and full of flavor!
Components: Fruit, Red/Orange, Vegetable
Source: Healthy School Recipes
Servings: 96
Crediting: 1⁄4 c red/orange vegetable and 1⁄4 cup fruit.
Winter squash, apples and cranberries bake up in this colorful dish, bursting with flavor! This recipe is featured by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as utilizing traditional Indigenous American ingredients.
Components: Fruit, Red/Orange, Vegetable
Source: Healthy School Recipes
Servings: 50
Crediting: 3/8 cup fruit, 1/8 cup red/orange vegetable
Overnight oats have become popular in schools because they are easy to prepare the day before and are a quick, grab-and-go for early morning breakfast service.
Components: Fruit, Grains, Meat/Meat Alernate
Source: Healthy School Recipes
Servings: 50
Crediting: One portion provides ½ cup fruit, 1 oz. eq. grain, 1 oz. eq. meat/meat alternate
Early Childhood Education Celebrates Harvest of the Month
September Success: A Ripe Recount
We are thrilled to report that our September Harvest of the Month, featuring delicious local tomatoes, was a tremendous success across all participating locations!
The excitement around this classic summer fruit was palpable. We were especially delighted by the feedback from Lela Debose at Tradewinds Childcare, who shared the sweetest scoop: students absolutely devoured the tomatoes! This local product proved to be perfect for diverse uses, whether served as part of a meal, featured in taste tests, or used as the basis for hands-on educational activities.
We are confident that by connecting children with local agriculture from an early age, we can help them develop healthy eating habits and foster a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
A-Maize-ing Indiana: We Still have corn!!!
There's still plenty of time to get in on the fun. Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub has a wonderful supply of local corn available to help you celebrate. We strongly encourage you to plan your menus and activities around this incredible local harvest. Featuring a locally sourced ingredient like corn is a fantastic way to celebrate the bounty of Indiana farms right in your cafeteria!
Let us know what fun corn-themed dishes you’re whipping up!
It's an incredible opportunity to showcase local food and get students excited about healthy eating.
Just click here to REGISTER and access all the amazing ideas and resources you'll need to make your celebration a huge success!
Indiana Apple Crunch
What is the Great Apple Crunch?
Every year the Indiana Department of Education and Purdue University Extension create the “Crunch Heard Around the State”.
On any October date of your choice, Hoosiers come together for a delicious “CRUNCH!” to celebrate local agriculture's importance and fresh flavor. Groups of all ages are welcome!
The Indiana Great Apple Crunch encourages healthy eating and supports farm-to-school and other local food-purchasing initiatives across the state. Each year it is held in conjunction with Indiana Food Day, which also promotes the culinary diversity of our state.
DID YOU KNOW? Other states across the Midwest will also host their own “CRUNCH”, so you are adding to a regional effort to make an even louder impact on local foods!
There's still plenty of time to get in on the fun and celebrate the Great Apple Crunch. It’s a fun way to connect food and agriculture to classroom learning. It’s also an ideal project to introduce more Indiana-sourced foods into your cafeteria’s menu and to expand your institution’s food procurement from area farmers!
Just click here to REGISTER and access all the amazing ideas and resources you'll need to make your CRUNCH a huge success!
Funding Opportunity: Grow Indiana’s School Food System
The NWI Food Council is a part of the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, which supports people working to improve school meals across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We are committed to providing our nation’s children nutritious meals that improve their health and set them up for bright futures. We aim to build a resilient food supply chain through innovation, and we aim to create a food system that develops nutritious foods for schools through industry partnerships. Indiana State Leads, Veronica Jalomo and Dr. Virginia Pleasant, will be able to answer your questions, help guide you through the application process, as well as connect you with partners and resources to bring your ideas to life.
Exciting news from National Farm to School Network , the USDA posted the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program! Projects can range from $100,000 to $500,000 and USDA will award up to $18 million for this grant cycle.
Read the new RFA here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/grant/f2s/fy26
This grant is designed to:
Increase the availability of local foods in Child Nutrition Programs
Connect students to where their food comes from
Fund nutrition education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and more
Grants can be used to launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts!
Questions or feedback about the program?
Would love to hear from you!
Reach out to Veronica Jalomo, Farm-to-School Coordinator,
veronica@nwifoodcouncil.org, (765) 412-6136
