Bringing the Farm to School

This online course is specifically designed for local agricultural producers in Ohio. The goal of the Bringing the Farm to School program is to provide training and tools to build your capacity to launch or grow efforts to market to schools while increasing farm to school activity in schools and communities across Ohio.

Course Goals

This training course is designed to:

• increase your knowledge and understanding of farm to school programs;
• outline requirements for selling agricultural products to schools;
• provide tools and resources to help you successfully plan a business model for selling to schools; and
• help you understand what market channels are available to sell your agricultural products to schools.

Course Format

This course is available fully online with no scheduled class sessions or fixed due dates. You can start the course at any time and work through it independently at your own pace.

Course Organization

This self-paced course is comprised of the following 4 modules:

• MODULE 1: Getting to Know School Markets
• MODULE 2: Selling to School Markets
• MODULE 3: Choosing the Right Product to Sell to Schools
• MODULE 4: Growing for Schools

Course modules include graded knowledge checks and optional activities which will help you to achieve the learning objectives outlined in the modules. Successful completion of this course requires passing scores on the graded knowledge checks and completion of a course evaluation survey. A course certificate will be issued to participants upon completion of these requirements.

Technology Requirements

• For best performance, a computer or tablet that supports the most recent web browser versions and is capable of playing mp4 files. It is recommended to use a computer five years old or newer with at least 1GB of RAM and high-speed internet connection. Some features may not be compatible with mobile devices.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader. Can be downloaded here for free.
• The recommended web browsers are Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the course, contact the Department of Education and Workforce Office of Nutrition at Child.Nutrition@education.ohio.gov or call 877-644-6338.

This course was adapted for Ohio by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Ohio State University Extension from Bringing the Farm to School, a training created through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN). This course is designed to give agricultural producers training and tools to build their capacity to launch or grow efforts to market to schools, therefore increasing sales to schools for farmers while expanding farm to school activities for students in schools and communities across the nation. This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The speakers and content presented in this training are for information and educational purposes only. Presence in this training is not an endorsement or advertisement of any product or service.

First Time ScarletCanvas Users: After you enroll, you will receive two automated emails, one with the subject "Please confirm your email address - Ohio State ScarletCanvas." Use the link in that email to set up the password you would like to use for your account. 

For technical assistance with the ScarletCanvas platform, including logging in and password concerns, please contact CFAES Online Outreach team at faes-onlineoutreach@osu.edu (preferred) or call and leave a voice message at 614-292-5213. Please allow at least 24 hours for a reply during business hours, 72 hours over holidays and weekends.