Posted April 8, 2013 by JoAnne Berkenkamp

It’s tough not being perfect. Everyone who has ever had a bad hair day knows that. And that’s no more true than for those misshapen, oddly sized fruits and…

Hi all, 

Great news, the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program (AGRI) Farm to School Grant Program through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is now accepting proposals for Farm to School Grant Programs.

All of the details can be found at the links below, but here are a few…

As I look at the snow outside my window, I have to admit it: The summer’s bounty of sweet corn and tomatoes is long gone, but the demand for local food keeps chugging along—particularly among K-12 schools that are eager to keep their Farm to…

To say that the proposed 140-acre Hantz Farm in Detroit has caused controversy over the past few months would be an understatement. Labeled as the world's largest experiment in urban agriculture, millionaire and Detroit resident John Hantz's plan is to buy 1,500 lots (totaling 140 acres) of vacant and blighted land from the City of Detroit to develop an urban woodland operation. Aside from the goal of establishing the largest urban farm to date, Hantz's plan is to buy up vacant land to…

Farmers, ag businesses and entrepreneurs targeted for new grant program

St. Paul, Minn. – Minnesota agricultural producers and processors can now apply for grants to implement value added projects to their operations. A total of $700,000 in funding was made available through the Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation Program (AGRI), established by the legislature to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy industries. The Minnesota Department…

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is pleased to announce that we’ve been chosen as a recipient by the USDA’s new Farm to School grant program.

Farm to School efforts that connect K-12 students to foods produced nearby…

Posted August 30, 2012 by Erin McKee VanSlooten

In mid-June, beginning farmer and former IATP staff member Dayna Burtness was delivering her farm’s…

Farming is a tough way to make a living and no segment of the American farm community has been harder hit in recent decades than the farmers known as Ag in the Middle (AITM).  These are the producers of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat products that are too big to sell directly to consumers and too small to effectively compete with agribusiness—a difficult place to be in a globalized food system and yet these midsize farmers are essential…

About this survey

As part of our work on Farm to School, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) conducted our second annual survey of growers interested in Farm to School in Spring 2012. This survey was designed to assess growers’ perceptions of Farm to School, challenges, aspirations and strategies that could enable growers to benefit more fully from this growing market.

A request to participate in…

About this survey

Aimed at educating children about where and how their food is grown, strengthening local economies and supporting healthy eating habits, the Farm to School (F2S) movement is rapidly growing. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has supported Farm to School efforts locally and nationally since 2007. Our work has included training for K-12 school staff and farmers, building relationships with allied…

MINNEAPOLIS – Schools serving over 558,000 students—or more than 68 percent of the state’s K-12 student population—are now engaged in Farm to School according to a pair of surveys released today by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the Minnesota School Nutrition Association…

Affordable, healthy food is now easier for recipients of SNAP (the new food stamp program) to buy, thanks to a coordinated effort that allows more farmers markets to accept benefits through EBT (electronic benefits transfer) cards. SNAP benefits can be used to purchase fruits, vegetables and other healthy food. EBT cards were accepted at six Minneapolis farmers markets last season. Customers purchase tokens from the market with their EBT cards that can be spent with vendors…