State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2023

The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2023 builds on a survey that was originally released in 2011, and updated in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2021. Alongside this latest edition, we’re introducing an interactive database featuring all coded bills from the Handbook. This powerful tool helps you easily search for example policies by state, year, status, and topic. 

Key Takeaways

Between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2023:

• 48 states, DC, and two US territories introduced 809 farm to school bills and resolutions.
• 45 states, DC, and two US territories passed 369 farm to school bills and resolutions.
• The popularity of farm to school legislation increased rapidly in the past few years. Between 2021-2023, 43 states and DC proposed 296 bills that relate to at least one of the core elements of farm to school—128 of these bills passed. 
• The most common bill category was Local Food Purchasing Incentives, representing 22% of introduced bills.
• Farm to ECE has also seen tremendous growth: in 2021-2023, 18 states proposed 39 bills and resolutions that support or relate to farm to ECE. That’s 13% of all bills! 

In this new edition, we have also broadened our scope beyond the three core elements of farm to school: school gardens, education, and local procurement. This update includes three new policy areas that also have a significant impact on the success of farm to school: 

• Expanding school meals access: California and Maine were the first states to establish permanent School Meals for All in 2022, and this type of legislation has gained momentum ever since. Since 2021, 32 states have introduced 86 School Meals for All bills, and eight states (CA, CO, ME, MA, MI, MN, NM, VT) have currently implemented permanent programs.   
• Supporting the rights of essential workers and elevating the work of child nutrition professionals: The well-being and agency of all people who get food from the farm to the table are integral to farm to school. From 2021-2023, there were 37 bills across 37 states introduced to elevate child nutrition professionals or protect essential workers’ rights.
• Funding kitchen infrastructure and equipment upgrades: The appropriate kitchen infrastructure is necessary to serve high-quality, scratch-cooked local food in school cafeterias. From 2021-2023, we observed 49 policies across 14 states that funded kitchen infrastructure and equipment upgrades.

Acknowledgements

The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2023 builds on a survey that was originally released in 2011, and updated in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2021. We are grateful for the many organizations and individuals who provided input and contributions to earlier versions of this Handbook (previously called the State Farm to School Legislative Survey).

Thank you to the following individuals who contributed to or reviewed this report: Megan EisenVos (Dakota Rural Action), Melissa McCauley (Dakota Rural Action), Kelsey Egan (University of New England), Chelsea Krist, Sunny Baker (NFSN), Karen Spangler (NFSN), David Hutabarat (NFSN), Jiyoon Chon (NFSN), Kelcie Creel (former NFSN intern), Lindsey Connolly (CAFS), Austin Price (CAFS), and Laurie Beyranevand (CAFS).

Thank you to the following Vermont Law and Graduate School students who supported the research process: Laura Ataa Agyekumhene, Alexander Arroyo, Olivia Bayne, Raina Goldstein Bunnag, Julia Jester, Theodore Rose, and Whitney Roth.

This project was made possible with support from the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture.