Connect with schools. Meet with the school nutrition director

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Connect with schools Start to build relationships with nutrition directors and school community members by searching for schools in your area: www.dpi.state.wi.us/schldist.html.

Meet with the school nutrition director Harvesting salad greens When you are ready, schedule a face-to-face meeting with the school nutrition director.

In general, many directors are available to meet early in the afternoon, following lunch.

1 Connect with schools Start to build relationships with nutrition directors and school community members by searching for schools in your area: Organizations listed in the resources section at the end of this toolkit may be able to help you identify and reach out to schools. Meet with the school nutrition director Harvesting salad greens When you are ready, schedule a face-to-face meeting with the school nutrition director. Like you, nutrition directors are typically busy people who will appreciate your flexibility with meeting times. In general, many directors are available to meet early in the afternoon, following lunch. While it is appropriate to approach a school nutrition director any time of year, they usually make purchasing decisions in the late winter and early spring for the following school year. Bring these materials to your meeting with the school nutrition director: 1. Business card 2. Producer survey (page 8) 3. Product availability and pricing form (page 8) 4. Copies of any certifications or licenses (if applicable) 5. Copy of your food safety plan (if applicable) Ask your nutrition director to complete the school nutrition director survey prior to your meeting. This tool will provide you with essential information about the school s meal program and needs, and help guide your discussion. ToolTool: School nutrition director survey 14 Wisconsin Farm to School: Toolkit for Producers

Connect with schools Once you and the school nutrition director have decided to work together, be sure to discuss important details such as: An ordering schedule Post-harvest handling Delivery

2 Connect with schools Once you and the school nutrition director have decided to work together, be sure to discuss important details such as: An ordering schedule Post-harvest handling Delivery Packaging requirements Payment terms This will clarify expectations and minimize unexpected surprises. For instance, if the nutrition director is accustomed to receiving cases of apples with exact counts packed in trays, he or she may have concerns about bruising or running short of product if you deliver bulk boxes with approximate counts. Discussing expectations ahead of time will help prevent these miscommunications and allow time for planning. Use the school nutrition meeting checklist to ensure you and the school nutrition director cover all the important details and cultivate a good working relationship. ToolTool: School nutrition meeting checklist When buying and selling food, school nutrition directors usually think in terms of number of servings, while producers tend to think in pounds. The pounds to servings calculator created by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry Farm to School Program can bridge this communication gap. This tool will tell you: 1) the number of servings a pound of produce will yield, and 2) the cost per serving, based on your price per pound. The calculator takes waste into account. The weight of whole heads of broccoli, for instance, is translated into usable servings. On average, school nutrition programs can spend twelve to eighteen cents of their $1.00 per meal on fruits and Washing and so rtin g apples at a Wisc Wisconsin Farm to School: Toolkit for Producers onsin orchard 15

Connect with schools vegetables. Use this calculator as a quick reference to see if you can price your product within this budget and assess which of your crops you can profitably offer to schools.

weight for a variety of fruits and vegetables. Tool Tool Pecks to pounds Schools may have uses for your product outside of their breakfast or lunch programs!

One example is REAP Food Group s Taste of Wisconsin fundraiser: www.reapfoodgroup.

3 Connect with schools vegetables. Use this calculator as a quick reference to see if you can price your product within this budget and assess which of your crops you can profitably offer to schools. ToolTool: Pounds to servings calculator The pecks to pounds tool from the Maryland Department of Agriculture converts commonly used farm measurements such as bushels and crates into approximate net weight for a variety of fruits and vegetables. Tool Tool Pecks to pounds Schools may have uses for your product outside of their breakfast or lunch programs! Special events or meals Classroom or lunchroom tasting activities for students Cooking contests Snack programs Fundraisers: Parent-teacher associations can sell local food to raise money. One example is REAP Food Group s Taste of Wisconsin fundraiser: It s a good idea to create a written agreement with the school nutrition director. This agreement should include terms of ordering, delivery and payment. The sample purchasing agreement can provide a starting point and can be modified to fit your needs. We have also provided a sample invoice that can be used as a template. ToolTool: Sample purchasing agreement Madison student enjoys a vegetable wrap ToolTool: Sample invoice 16 Wisconsin Farm to School: Toolkit for Producers

4 School Nutrition Director Survey School District: Contact Name: Address: Phone: City/State/Zip: Fax: Other members of Farm to School Team (if applicable): Student enrollment Average total daily lunch count Free and reduced percentage # of # of % of school students School students School students Elementary school Elementary school Elementary school Middle school Middle school Middle school High school High school High school Total enrollment Total daily lunch count Total % free and reduced 1. Do you currently prepare fresh, whole produce? Y N If not, would you be able to do so in the future? Y N 2. Delivery location: 3. Days of delivery: (please check all acceptable) M T W TH F 4. Is invoice required with product delivery? Y N 5. How long after the invoice is delivered will payment be received? 6. What is your cooler or refrigerator capacity for storing fresh produce? 7. Which distributors do you currently receive food from? 8. Comments:

5 School Nutrition Director Survey 9. What are the main reasons you are looking to purchase Wisconsin-produced product? (check all that apply) Support the local economy Required by supervisor Help preserve farmland Other: Customer demand Support Wisconsin family farms Serve fresher, tastier food 10. Cost: If items from a local farmer cost more than you usually pay, can you pay more? Yes No Comment: 11. Are you able to promote the local purchasing you re doing through signs, flyers, posters, and/or promotional activities in the lunchroom? If promotional assistance were available, would you be interested in getting help? 12. Would you be interested in hosting training for your kitchen staff focused on efficient and safe prep of fresh produce or other topics, if training were available? Yes No If yes, list type(s) of training: 13. If teachers are willing, are you interested in working with them to highlight local items on the menu and integrate educational activities in their classrooms? (Free lesson plans are available at Yes No

6 School Nutrition Director Survey Please indicate items you would be interested in ordering Vegetable Currently Buy Willing to Buy Asparagus Beets Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Corn Cucumbers Green Beans Greens (collard, kale) Eggplant Lettuce (Romaine, Bibb) Onions Parsnips Peas Peppers Potatoes Pumpkins Radishes Salad Greens Spinach Squash (Summer) Squash (Winter) Tomatoes Turnips Other: Approx. pounds needed per week Form (whole, shredded) Comments

7 School Nutrition Director Survey Fruit Currently Buy Willing to Buy Apples Blueberries Cantaloupe Cherries Grapes Muskmelon Pears Plums Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Watermelon Other: Approx. pounds needed per week Form (whole, shredded) Comments Other Products

8 BEFORE Give the school food nutrition director survey to the representative from the school with whom you will meet o Try to make appointments with the school nutrition director since this person is typically responsible for making final procurement decisions Complete the appropriate reference materials for your farm business o Producer survey o Product availability and price form DURIING Bring samples of product (if available) Review the producer and school nutrition director surveys together Discuss and negotiate the important details: o Estimated volume of product to be delivered o Ordering process (including best way to contact one another) o Delivery schedule including time of day, frequency and location o Packing requirements: standard box, grade, loose pack, bulk, etc. o Post-harvest handling practices: is the produce pre-cooled? How clean should the product be? o Cost per unit, payment terms, payment process o Names, phone numbers and addresses of contact people for ordering and billing Sell yourself! Invite them to the farm to see and sample products o Your best selling point is your farm and products AFTER Follow-up with nutrition directors

9 o Like you, nutrition directors are busy and it is up to you to keep the discussions going. If you follow up, you also indicate that you will follow through with product orders.

10 Translation Chart Pecks to Pounds Commodity Unit Approximate Net Weight U.S. Metric Pounds Kilograms Apples bushel loose pack tray pack cell pack Asparagus crate Beans bushel Blackberries 12, 1/2-pint basket Broccoli wirebound crate Brussel sprouts ctn, loose pack Butter block 55,68 25,30.9 Cabbage open mesh bag flat crate (1 3/4 bu) ctn, place pack Cantaloupes crate Carrots film plastic bags, mesh sacks, and cartons holding 48 1lb. film bags Cauliflower WGA crate Celery crate Cherries lug Corn wirebound crate ctn, packed 5oz ears Cucumbers bushel Eggplant bushel Eggs average size, case, 30 doz Garlic ctn of 12 cubes or 12 film bag pkgs, 12 cloves each Grapes Eastern, 12-qt basket Western, lug Western, 4-basket crate Honey gallon Honeydew melons 2/3 ctn Kale ctn or crate Lettuce carton packed, Lettuce, greenhouse 24-qt basket Milk gallon Onions dry, sack green, bunched, ctn 12-doz Buyer-Grower Meetings

11 Translation Chart, Cont. Pecks to Pounds Commodity Unit Approximate Net Weight U.S. Metric Pounds Kilograms Peaches bushel layer ctn or lug /4-bu, ctn crate Pears bushel Peas unshelled, bushel Peppers bushel Plums ctn or lug /2-bu basket Potatoes bushel barrel box Raspberries 1/2-pt baskets Spinach bushel Strawberries 24-qt crate qt crate Sweet potatoes bushel crate Tomatoes crate lug box layer flat Tomatoes, greenhouse 12-qt basket Turnips without tops, mesh sack bunched, crate Watermelons melons of average or medium size Buyer-Grower Meetings

Basic Information About Food and Facility

Basic Information About Food and Facility The Farm to School project goal is to increase the use of seasonal, fresh, New York grown foods in school meals. We want your active voice and participation in planning and implementing this project. Please