Trainings and Events
Upcoming Training & Events

Farm to School Workshop: Harvesting Helena -- August 10, 2023
Join St. Peter’s Health, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Helena Food Share, Old Salt Co-op, Helena Public Schools, and partners for the second of three Farm to School Workshops on Thursday, August 10, 2023 from 9am to 4pm at Central Elementary in Helena! Harvesting Helena will feature training on incorporating Montana grown and raised foods into your community, community-wide Harvest of the Month implementation, and how anyone can contribute to these initiatives. There will be tours to Old Salt Co-op’s new processing facility, both school and Helena Community Gardens, and Helena Food Share’s pantry and mobile kitchen.
Anyone interested in increasing opportunities for nutritious, Montana-grown food in their community should attend this event. Along with trainings and tours, there will be time for networking, taste testing local foods, and action planning. Lunch will be provided by Old Salt Outpost.
Registration is $25 and covers lunch and snacks. Five Continuing Education Units and six Early Childhood Project credits will be offered for educators. Limiting funding available to assist with registration, please contact [email protected] to request funding.
Registration is now open!
Bringing the Farm to School Local Producer Training
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. Two trainings using Bringing the Farm to School curriculum will be offered.
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.
Click Headings Below For More Details
This event has passed. A fully virtual self-paced option is being created. Stay tuned.
These trainings are hosted by Montana Team Nutrition Program at Montana State University and Montana Office of Public Instruction in collaboration with project partners including: Alternative Energy Resources Organization, Great Northern Development Corporation, Headwaters RC&D, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Mission West Community Development Partners, Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana Department of Livestock, Montana Farmers Union, Montana State University Extension, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Northern Plains Resource Council, Northern Pulse Growers Association, Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, and USDA Office of Community Food Systems.
This project is supported in part by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Farm to School Network, Montana Wheat & Barley Committee, and Great Northern Development Corporation.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Registration
This workshop has passed. A fully virtual self-paced option is being created. Stay tuned.
More Information + Questions
Aubree Roth, Montana Farm to School Coordinator
(406) 994-5996

Montana Food for Montana Schools
Montana Food for Montana Schools is a local procurement training and Abundant Connections producer and school meetup event. 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 and two will be held in Fall 2023.
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
The first event was held in Hardin on March 14, 2023. Two additional events will be held in Fall 2023.
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 focused on local food procurement from 1:30 to 2:45.
- PART 2: Agriculture producers and food businesses will be able to connect with school nutrition professionals in a casual vendor show format from 2:45 to 4:30.
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. Scroll down on this page for other upcoming and past trainings and events.
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 implement 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
The first event has passed. Stay tuned for information on the two additional events to be held in Fall 2023.
More Information + Questions
Aubree Roth, 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