Florida Resources & Publications
Case Studies & Feasibility Analysis
Florida Farm to School Case Studyby Marion Kalb Florida Farm to School Case Study
The New North Florida Cooperative began by selling farm fresh produce to 13 schools in Gadsden County, Florida. In six years, the marketing efforts have increased so that the Cooperative now sells to 15 school districts in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Through these districts, they are serving 300,000 students! The farmers focus on producing three to four main items, on a seasonal basis, and sell to schools year-round. The items are incorporated into menu planning, generally as a side dish or as a fresh fruit dessert. The Cooperative has developed a good reputation by providing high-quality produce, prompt deliveries, fair prices and for their courteous professionalism. They refer to this as "relationship marketing". The positive word-o of mouth has been very effective in opening the door to the program in other school districts.
Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids: Evaluating the Barriers and Opportunities for Farm-to-School Programs
by Andrea Azuma and Andrew Fisher Community Food Security Coalition
Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids: Evaluating the Barriers and Opportunities for Farm-to-School Programs. Azuma, Andrea and Andrew Fisher, Community Food Security Coalition, January 2001.
A case study of the New North Florida Cooperative Farm to School Program. Executive summary on-line at www.foodsecurity.org. Order by e-mailing asfisher@aol.com, or by calling (310) 822-5410, or faxing (310) 822-1440.
Farm to School: Case Studies and Resources for Success
by Alison Harmon University of Pennsylvania
A case study of the farm to school project initiated by the North Florida Marketing Cooperative (pages 30-33). (PDF)
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How to Get Started
How Local Farmers and School Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliancesby Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service USDA
On May 1, 2000, more than 180 individuals—school food service directors, State and Federal commodity procurement officials, Extension agents, members of farm cooperatives, and agricultural marketing specialists—gathered at the Georgetown College Training and Conference Center in Georgetown, KY, to share information and strategies aimed at boosting the use of locally produced fresh food in school feeding programs. The event, entitled the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Small Farm/School Meals Initiative Southeast Regional Workshop, was cosponsored and organized by the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, the University of Kentucky’s Cooperative Extension Service, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. This report summarizes the educational highlights of the workshop in an effort to help small farmers and school food service buyers throughout the country explore how they might be able to establish similar business relationships in their own communities
Other Resources
Presentation on New North Florida Marketing Cooperativeby January 2007
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