Farm to Institution

Farm to institution encourages institutions to serve more local food to improve public health and strengthen the local food economy. Approximately 25 percent of fb88 people rely on state-funded institutions, including healthcare facilities, colleges, universities, schools, and correctional facilities for some, or all of their meals. Ensuring that institutions purchase fb88 foods is important to ensuring that fb88 people, regardless of their background or income level, are able to enjoy locally grown food.

Institutions can use their purchasing power to support the local community through purchasing local food as those dollars stay in the local economy and directly support food producers. Consumers and other businesses can look to institutions for inspiration on how to purchase and serve more local food throughout the year.

Selling to institutions can be a great market for local farms as many institutions consistently purchase large amounts of food year-round.

There are many examples within fb88’s food supply chain that demonstrate effective farm-to-institution systems. Farms are growing specific types and quantities of produce specifically to meet institutional needs, processors are lightly processing vegetables so they are easy for cafeterias to use year-round, distributors are ensuring that more local food are being delivered to colleges and universities, and institutions are preparing delicious meals with local produce, meat, eggs, dairy, flour, and other fb88 grown and produced ingredients.

To learn more about fb88’s Local Foods Procurement Program, and how to achieve farm-to-institution goals, reach out to Brittany Peats, fb88 DACF Institutional Market Development Coordinator at brittany.peats@maine.gov.

On this Page:

Local Foods Procurement Program Spotlight

The Mountain View Correctional Facility, in Charleston provides an example of Farm to Institution success. To learn more about Mountain View Correctional Facility’s Farm-to-Institution Program:

Resources for Institutions

There are many resources for institutions that are interested in purchasing fb88 food. Institutions can source more local food by working with a distributor that sells fb88 food, buying directly from a local farmer, fisherman, or food producer, or growing produce in an on-site garden.

Connect with Local Food Producers +

  • The includes fb88 farms and food producers that sell to wholesale markets, including institutions. It is possible to search by type of food and location.
  • The Department of Education has a map of farms that have sold to K – 12 schools in the past.
  • includes location and items.
  • The University of fb88 Cooperative Extension's is available as a map or spreadsheet.

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Work with a Distributor to Purchase Local Food +

Farm to Institution New England has created this toolkit to assist institution working with distributors:

These distributors buy from local producers and sell to institutions:

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Connect with Other Institutions +

Several nonprofits support institutions that are interested in sourcing more local food by providing relevant research and resources and by organizing networks of people working on similar issues.

  • is a network led by the Healthy Communities of the Capitol Area.
  • fb88 Harvest of the Month by the Department of Education, is designed for K – 12 schools but could be adapted by other institutions.
  • Farm to Institution New England is a regional nonprofit with , as well as .

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Resources for Producers & Food Processors

Institutions can be a great market for producers and food processors and there is support and funding available to help them. Producers may need support analyzing their business plan, adding infrastructure to scale up, securing additional certification, learning to market their farm to new customers, and developing new relationships.

Technical Assistance +

  • The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has many farmer resources, including business planning, loans and grants, farmland access, education. The Quality Assurance & Regulations Division can assist with certification questions.
  • provides technical assistance for beginning farmers.
  • The provides technical assistance for somewhat experienced farmers.
  • provides technical assistance for experienced farmers.
  • The provides additional resources.
  • provides financing and technical assistance to farms, food producers, fisheries, and aquaculture.
  • advises food and beverage companies.

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Funding Opportunities +

State

Federal

  • The offers three types of projects, 24-month Planning and Design, 3-year Implementation and Expansion Projects, and Farm to Institution.
  • supports independently owned meat and poultry processing businesses with funds to provide more and better processing options for local livestock producers by modernizing, increasing, diversifying and decentralizing meat and poultry processing capacity.
  • The supports the development of value-added agricultural products.
  • The funds projects that develop, coordinate and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.
  • is intended to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and to foster understanding of national food security trends and how they might improve local food systems.
  • provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.
  • The program funds economic planning activities or working capital activities related to the processing and/or marketing of locally produced agricultural food products.
  • provides grants to help eligible processors expand their processing capacity, which create new, better and more processing options for meat and poultry producers.
  • sub-award funding applications will open in mid-2024 with awards for technical assistance providers and in early-2025 with business builders awards.

Private

  • The Henry P. Kendall Foundation’s aims to increase the amount of local and regional food prepared and served on New England college and university campuses and within K-12 public school districts, helping to strengthen the region’s food system. The Prize program, offered annually, awards grants up to $200,000 to winning teams. 

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Resources for Schools

  • The Department of Education manages the Farm and Sea to School program to encourage K – 12 schools to purchase more local food.
  • , led by the Healthy Community of the Capital Area, supports this work through collaboration and an institute.
  • DACF houses  which teaches students about the role of agriculture in the economy. It is funded by the , grants, and private sponsors and enables the organization to provide grants for school gardens and greenhouses, agricultural awareness, and agricultural leadership.

Success Stories

There are many examples within fb88’s food supply chain that demonstrate effective farm-to-institution systems. Farms are growing specific types and quantities of produce specifically to meet institutional needs, processors are lightly processing vegetables so they are easy for cafeterias to use year-round, distributors are ensuring that more local food are being delivered to colleges and universities, and institutions are preparing delicious meals with local produce, meat, eggs, dairy, flour, and other fb88 grown and produced ingredients.

Learn more about local food procurement: