SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. (April 1, 2025)– The National Farm to School Network and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School have released the latest edition of the State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2023, a comprehensive resource analyzing farm to school and early care and education (ECE) legislation across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and US territories.
The popularity of farm to school legislation is rapidly increasing. Between 2021 and 2023, 43 states and DC proposed 296 bills that relate to at least one of farm to school’s three core elements–school gardens, education and local procurement. Of these bills, 128 passed.
Through this legislation, farm to school policy has the potential to teach kids about food production, provide nutritious food for school meals, and boost local economies by opening market opportunities for farmers. “Farm to school is really a win-win for our communities. School kids learn and grow, while farmers can find a local market for their produce,” said Lihlani Nelson, deputy director and senior researcher at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. “It’s easy to see why state lawmakers are supporting farm to school through legislation and funding for positions, grant programs and purchasing incentives.”
This new edition also highlights school food policy areas beyond the three core elements of farm to school: school gardens, education and local procurement. Legislation focused on universal school meal programs, child nutrition workforce protections and kitchen infrastructure investments have the potential to shape future farm to school efforts at the state level. For the first time, the Handbook is accompanied by an interactive State Farm to School Policy Database, allowing users to easily explore and filter all of these bills by state, funding structure, and topic.
“The momentum for farm to school and universal school meals policies has grown tremendously in recent years,” said Cassandra Bull, policy specialist at the National Farm to School Network. “Whether you’re introducing new policies or strengthening existing ones, the State Farm to School Policy Handbook provides the insights and examples needed to drive change.”
The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2023 and the new interactive database are available now. Learn more and access the resource here.
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Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, Facebook and Instagram.