Trainings and Events
Upcoming Training & Events

Montana Food for Montana Schools
Montana Food for Montana Schools is a local procurement training and a meetup event for producers and schools. Montana Team Nutrition Program, Montana Office of Public Instruction, Abundant Montana, and partners will host three regional events in 2023--the first was held March 14, 2023 in Hardin, Montana. Two are being offered in Fall 2023:
- September 28, 2023 at 1:30-4:30pm in Great Falls
- October 25, 2023 1:30-4:30pm in Missoula
This project is funded in part by a 2022 USDA Team Nutrition grant. USDA is an equal opportunity provider.
Click Headings Below For More Details
Two events will be held in Fall 2023:
- September 28, 2023 at 1:30-4:30pm in Great Falls
- October 25, 2023 1:30-4:30pm in Missoula
Montana Food for Montana Schools aims to help schools and producers work together to feature local foods in Montana school meals. The event will be divided into two components:
- PART 1: A farm to school training for school nutrition professionals and producers focused on buying, serving, and selling local foods.
- PART 2: Agriculture producers and food businesses will be able to connect with school nutrition professionals in a casual vendor show format.
This training and meetup event is intended for school nutrition professionals (or anyone involved in administering, preparing, or serving school meals), agricultural producers, and food businesses. Please see the sections below for specific information on which components are intended for each audience.
Please note: this is not a general farm to school training. See the other upcoming and past trainings and events for general farm to school training. The focus will be on buying/selling local foods and not on the other components of farm to school (i.e., school gardens, education).
School nutrition professionals attending the event will receive training on how to implement farm to school, in particular how to purchase local foods for school meal programs. The training will be followed by an Abundant Connections Producer + School Meetup where school nutrition professionals will be able to meet local producers from around the region in a casual vendor show style format.
This event counts towards the Montana School Meals Certificate Program.
What to Bring/Prepare
- Business cards to share with producers
- Consider what local foods you are interested in buying as well as your desired specifications, delivery timing, amounts, etc.
Food producers attending the event will receive training on how to engage in farm to school, in particular how to work with school nutrition programs. The training will be followed by an Abundant Connections Producer + School Meetup where school nutrition professionals will be able to meet local producers from around the region in a casual vendor show style format.
What to Bring/Prepare
- Business cards
- Marketing materials—including brochures, product lists, etc.
- Packaged product samples (optional) – If you wish to bring product samples, please only bring packaged samples that are intended to be consumed offsite. You will not have access to a kitchen facility to prepare, heat, or serve foods.
- Consider what products you can offer to schools including price ranges, quantities, delivery method and timing, etc.
Registration
Registration is free and closes September 26 for the Great Falls Training and October 23 for the Missoula Training.
More Information + Questions
Haley Scott
(406) 994-5641
Montana Farm to School Producer Training and Panel – August 31st- September 21st
Farmers, ranchers, processors, and other local food businesses can learn strategies for selling products to schools and child nutrition programs at the Montana Farm to School Producer Trainings. These trainings utilize the Bringing the Farm to School curriculum.
Producers that attend this training will:
- Learn about accessing school markets and growing products for schools.
- Hear from producers that have successfully navigated school markets.
- Gain new knowledge and resources for integrating school markets into a business plan.
- Meet local peers and experts.
- Experience school markets and farms.
In conjunction with Mission West and Ravalli County Economic Authority’s Food and Agriculture Development Centers, Montana Farmers Union is proud to be hosting the Montana Farm to School Producer Trainings and panel. Producers who register for this virtual and self-paced training series will receive weekly videos from past Montana Farm to School Producer Trainings. Producers may also receive a Montana Farm to School Producer Training workbook if desired (optional). These videos will be emailed once a week, along with a short survey, and place for any questions producers may have. On September 21st from 12:00-1:30pm, Montana Farmers Union will host a virtual panel of producers, distributors, and school food nutrition professionals to answer any questions producers taking this training may have.
Video and panel schedule:
August 31st- 1st Producer Training Video
September 7th- 2nd Producer Training Video
September 14th- 3rd Producer Training Video
September 21st at 12:00-1:30- Panel Q&A
Deadline to register and receive training workbook is August 17th
We will not be sending a zoom anymore, and will instead be sending just a link to each section of the recorded F2S producer trainings from MT Team Nutrition. We will also be sending a survey to collect questions for the guided panel discussion.
More Information + Questions
Jay Stagg, Montana Farm to School Coordinator
(406) 994-5996
Past Training & Webinars
USDA hosts farm to school webinar series on a regular basis. Check out the current webinar series or recorded versions online.
- Welcome Plenary
- Don't Eat That Mushroom: Food Safety in the School Garden - Nina Heinzinger + Whitney
Pratt
- Recording
- Slides
- Handout: Food Safety in School Gardens
- Local Food for Local Kids: Solutions for Successful Local Food Procurement
- HOM and ECE in Action
- School Kitchen Tours
- Boulder Elementary School Tour
- School Garden Planning and Planting Basics
- Youth Food Talks
- Deep Dig Into No Dig Growing
- Engaging Families in Farm to School: Highlighting a Family Cooking Program - Brianna Routh + Zoey Mahoney
- Buying Local with an Economic Lens
- Building Strong School Garden Committees - Lori Blumenthal + Erin Austin
- Greenhouse to Cafeteria
- Enhancing Farm to Early Care Programming: Montana HOM Best Practices
- Creating an Afterschool Cooking Class Program
- Local Beef to School
- Harvesting Montana Recipes with DoD Fresh
- It Takes a Village: Strategies to Support Your Food Service Partners
- Keynote: Food as Resilience - Mariah Gladstone
- Closing Plenary - Christy Clark + Elsie Arntzen
- Recorded Showcase
- Video Clip: Ogren Ranch
- Video Clip: Miller Ranch
- Video Clip: Native Fish Keepers, Inc.
- Video Clip: Project Meats
- Video Clip: Huntley Project Schools
- Video Transcript
- Slides
- Recorded Showcase
- Video Transcript
- Slides
- Garden City Harvest: Creating an Effective School Garden Committee - Video Clip
- Polson School District: School Gardens Video Clip
- Columbia Falls School District: Seed Kits Video Clip: Seed Kits
- Resource: Action Plan Template
- Resource: Creating an Outdoor Learning Center, Garden City Harvest
- Resource: High School Plant Project
- Resource: Georgia Organics COVID-19 Handouts
- Resource: CDC Considerations for Outdoor Learning and Community Gardens during COVID-19
- Recorded Call
- Video Transcript
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Recorded Webinar
- Video Transcript
- View slides
- Watch the video
- Read the transcript
- View slides
Watch the video
Download the participant packet
Download presentations and slides
Watch the recorded webinar
Chef Donna's Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Creating and Using a School Garden as an Outdoor Classroom
- Garden City Harvest - School Garden Guidebook
- Creating an Ideal School Garden Committee Handout
- PowerPoint Presentation
Funding Farm to School: Grants & Other Creative Funding Sources
Get Kids Hooked on Cooking in the Classroom
Getting Started with Farm to Early Care and Education
MT Beef to School Stories
Six #SocialMedia Strategies You Can Use to Promote Your Program NOW