Florida Profile

Florida's pioneering and successful farm to school program was initiated by a group of innovative African-American farmers after they formed the New North Florida Cooperative Association Inc. (NNFC) in 1995. The NNFC began selling to Gadsden County schools during the 1996-1997 school year and since that time has rapidly expanded, selling to a total of fifteen school districts in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi during the 2003-2004 school year. Positive word-of-mouth publicity has lead to a high demand for their products among school districts. To adjust for changes associated with expansion, the NNFC has functioned as a council that helps connect farmers to local schools since 2002.

Other entities are involved in this farm to school program. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, through the USDA Child Feeding Program and the US Department of Defense (DoD), through its National School Lunch Program allows the cooperative to produce and market fresh fruits and vegetables to area school districts. The DoD provides payment flow as part of the DoD Fresh program.

Furthermore, Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University (FAMU) Cooperative Extension Program provides assistance through its Marketing and Small Farm Outreach Program led by Ms. Vonda Richardson. Another important link in the farm to school partnership includes county school district representatives. For example, Mr. Tim Tankersley, Director of School Food Services for Leon County coordinated the effort to put fresh fruits and vegetables on school lunches for his county.