Morris Farm to Kids + Food Forum 2026: Building Local Foods Relationships

Are you a Minnesota farmer or producer who is looking to expand your market opportunities?

Are you a school or early care provider who would like to incorporate more locally grown food in your meal program?

The Minnesota Farm to Kids Roadshow will bring together producers, school nutrition professionals and early care providers to make new connections and learn how to build successful relationships. This in-person event will include training and facilitated networking opportunities. 

Farm to Kids Roadshow Agenda 10:00-4:30

This year's Food Forum will include a Farm-to-Kids Roadshow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m, a light meal from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m, and a local foods panel and community-led breakouts from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pre-registration for this free event is encouraged.

Farm to School Roadshow: Head to Morris early and join Renewing the Countryside, the MN Department of Ag and the MN Department of Education for a Farm to School Roadshow tour. We will have a presentation on Farm-to-Kids, a kitchen tour at Morris, and then producer-buyer networking and matchmaking. Following the Farm to School Roadshow, we will have a social hour with a light lunch for producer and buyer networking.

Relationship Building

Meet your Farm to Kids community! Meet your local farmers, food service directors, regional local food coordinators (RLFC’s) and other local food system supporters who have the resources you need to succeed!

Farm to Kids Resources and Support with Kate Seybold, MN Department of Agriculture and Jayme Anderson, MN Department of Education

Hear from state agency staff about resources and supports available in MN to help farmers, food service staff, educators, and communities engage and succeed with Farm to Kids work!, This session will highlight free resources, trainings, recipes, and menu suggestions, grant funding and more!

School Kitchen Tour with University of Minnesota - Morris Food Service Director

Tour the University of Minnesota - Morris' school kitchen to discover tools and equipment that could be useful in your kitchen. Some favorite Farm to School equipment items you may see include: Combi-ovens, Robo Coupes, or a tilt skillet.  Learn firsthand how this equipment helps the foodservice staff. Farmers and producers will also gain valuable insight into the school kitchen space- how much space is in a typical school kitchen? What refrigeration and freezer space is available? What equipment is essential for preparing the crops you produce? The tour will be a great peek behind the scenes of school foodservice operations.

Making Community Connections

Time for prospective buyers and producers to meet and talk about potential connections for sales.

The Morris Food Forum is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project with support from the USDA's Local Food Promotion Program.

The Minnesota Farm to School Roadshow is free and organized by Renewing the Countryside, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Education, and University of Minnesota Extension. Funding is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Patrick Leahy Farm to School program.

All sessions will close at capacity so register early!

If you have any questions while registering contact Sara George at sara@rtcinfo.org