Farm to School

The Oregon School Nutrition Association is pleased to announce a new local foods feature to their annual trade show March 11 and 12, 2011. All Oregon, Washington and Idaho producers are invited to participate and be showcased, but we will have limited space to only feature 12 in the main gallery.

The recent passage of federal legislation and increased attention on local foods in schools has created more opportunities than ever for regional food producers. If you are looking to engage in, or deepen, your connections to the growing school food market, this is the one event not to miss! The event will be held at the Salem Conference Center, and 250 school food buyers will attend.  If you are ready to register, please download and complete the vendor application posted here.

Deadline to submit applications is February 28. All vendor booths are filled on a first come first serve basis, so if you’d like to be part of the Local Foods welcoming gallery, please submit your form as soon as possible to guarantee a spot. When you do, select booth options between 89-100 and make a special note that you’d like to be a part of the Local Foods main gallery.

If you have already registered for a booth and would like to make sure that you are part of the Local Foods gallery or have other questions, please feel free to call or email Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Farm to School, 503.872.6620 or mmarkesteyn@oda.state.or.us.

Friday, March 11

1:00-5:30 pm – Exhibitor Move In Time

7:00-9:30 pm – Friday Fun Night with a live band

9:30 pm on – Free to have hosted broker/vendor rooms

SHOW HOURS:

Saturday, March 12

10:00-11:00 am – designated for Directors and Purchasing agents only

11:00 am-2:00 pm – All members will be welcome

5:00 pm – Closing ceremony

BOOTH RENTAL:                               Booths will be $650.00 each.

A booth consists of the following:

• Admittance to “Vendor Friday Fun Night”
• One ticket to the Saturday Night closing Ceremony, additional tickets are $35.00 each
• 1 – 8’ x 10’ Draped Booth
• Waste Basket with Liner
• 110 Volt outlet/500 Watt outlet per booth
• A sign for your booth

Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA) and the Washington State Department of Agriculture Farm-to-School Program are partnering to celebrate Washington agriculture on September 29 with TASTE WASHINGTON DAY. Schools around the state will be serving a locally-sourced meal and providing education and activities to celebrate the farms that feed us.

WSDA Farm-to-School Program will provide support to match up farms and schools and facilitate the purchasing process. Many school nutrition directors are off for part of the summer, so we’d like to start the process as soon as possible.

We will also help schools add educational activities to the day, whether that’s posters in the cafeteria, inviting a farmer to lunch, or visiting or lunching in a school garden.  We want Washington’s kids to spend that day considering the farmers who grow their food, and we want Washington farmers to help us bring that to life!

For more information, to be listed as a participating farm, or to get help linking to your local school districts, please contact Tricia Kovacs, WSDA Farm-to-School Program Manager, at tkovacs@agr.wa.gov or 206-256-6150.