Appendix B.3 2023 Farm to School Census Preparation Worksheet rev 2.17.22

APPENDIX B.3

2023 FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS PREPARATION WORKSHEET

FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS PREPARATION WORKSHEET

This optional worksheet is designed to help you gather information you will be asked as part of the Census. It will assist you to more quickly complete the survey. Please use this tool to gather information from schools, other departments, staff, or vendors before filling out the Census. The worksheet can be discarded after the Census is completed.

See below for definitions of some of the terms used in the Census.

Q7. For each activity below, please indicate if your SFA or schools in your SFA have never done the listed activity, did the activity before SY 2022-23, did the activity last year (SY 2022-23), are doing the activity this year (SY 2023-24), and/or plan to do the activity in the future. For each row, please choose all that apply. Remember, we are counting it as participation even if only one school in your SFA does or has done an activity.

	CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY: My SFA/schools in my SFA …
	Have never done	Did before SY 2022-23	Did in SY 2022-23 (last year)	Doing in SY 2023-24 (this year)	Plan to do in the future
7a. Use foods of any type and in any form in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
7b. Use local foods of any type and in any form in the School Breakfast Program (SBP)
7c. Use local foods of any type and in any form in summer meals (i.e., meals in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or through the Seamless Summer Option (SSO))
7d. Serve local foods of any type and in any form through the NSLP After School Snack Service
7e. Use local foods of any type and in any form and in any form in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
7f. Use local foods of any type and in any form in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meals (e.g., in a pre-kindergarten setting)
7g. Use local foods of any type and in any form in CACFP At-Risk Afterschool (snacks and/or supper)
7h. Serve local of any type and in any form in any ways not mentioned above (e.g., in the classroom, sold a la carte, as fundraisers)
7i. Source local foods from USDA DoD Fresh
7j. Have any type of edible school garden
7k. Hold taste tests/cooking demonstrations of local or edible school garden-grown foods in the cafeteria, classroom, or other school-related setting
7l. Work with local food producers to develop specific food products using local foods
7m. Serve local foods in a school salad bar.
7n. Implement strategies to encourage student selection and consumption of local foods (e.g., product placement, food prompts, creative signage)
7o. Use cafeteria food coaches to promote the consumption of local foods (i.e., adults or students in the cafeteria encouraging kids to eat local foods)
7p. Use USDA Team Nutrition materials (such as The Great Garden Detective Adventure or Dig In!) as part of taste testing or educational activities
7q. Conduct student field trips to farms, farmers’ markets, producers, processors
7r. Have farmer(s) visit the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting
7s. Integrate farm to school activities (such as gardening and local foods education) into curriculum
7t. Expose students to agriculture-related careers (e.g., through a class/curriculum or clubs like 4-H or Future Farmers of America)
7u. Promote local foods through themed or branded promotions (e.g., Harvest of the Month, Local Day, Taste Washington Day, Apple Crunch)
7v. Promote local foods at school in general (e.g., via cafeteria signs, posters, newsletters, etc.)
7w. Generate media coverage of local foods being used in schools (e.g., in newspaper, blogs, radio, TV)
7x. Host farm to school related family and community events (e.g., invite parents to lunch, corn shucking contests, farmers markets at schools, etc.)
7y. Celebrate National Farm to School Month (October)
7z. Host special local foods events in CACFP and/or summer meals (i.e., SFSP or SSO)
7aa. Grow or serve local foods that are culturally relevant
7ab. Collect food waste for composting
7ac. Provide training to school food service staff related to farm to school activities (e.g., on holding taste tests, purchasing or preparing local foods)
7ad. Search for local vendors, farmers, food hubs, or cooperatives to procure local foods
7ae. Forecast budgetary needs for local purchases
7af. Include values statements indicate a geographic preference in procurement documents
7ag. Evaluate the impact of farm to school activities (e.g., measuring changes in food waste, student acceptance of local items, changes in participation rates)

Q19. Which grade levels within the SFA participated in farm to school activities during SY 2022-23?

	Pre-Kindergarten and younger	Elementary schools (K-5th grades)	Middle schools/junior high (6th-8th grades)	High schools	Pre-Kindergarten and younger	Not applicable
19a. Use foods of any type and in any form in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
19b. Use local foods of any type and in any form in the School Breakfast Program (SBP)
19c. Use local foods of any type and in any form in summer meals (i.e., meals in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or through the Seamless Summer Option (SSO))
19d. Serve local foods of any type and in any form through the NSLP After School Snack Service
19e. Use local foods of any type and in any form and in any form in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
19f. Use local foods of any type and in any form in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meals (e.g., in a pre-kindergarten setting)
19g. Use local foods of any type and in any form in CACFP At-Risk Afterschool (snacks and/or supper)
19h. Serve local of any type and in any form in any ways not mentioned above (e.g., in the classroom, sold a la carte, as fundraisers)
19i. Source local foods from USDA DoD Fresh
19j. Have any type of edible school garden
19k. Hold taste tests/cooking demonstrations of local or edible school garden-grown foods in the cafeteria, classroom, or other school-related setting
19l. Work with local food producers to develop specific food products using local foods
19m. Serve local foods in a school salad bar.
19n. Implement strategies to encourage student selection and consumption of local foods (e.g., product placement, food prompts, creative signage)
19o. Use cafeteria food coaches to promote the consumption of local foods (i.e., adults or students in the cafeteria encouraging kids to eat local foods)
19p. Use USDA Team Nutrition materials (such as The Great Garden Detective Adventure or Dig In!) as part of taste testing or educational activities
19q. Conduct student field trips to farms, farmers’ markets, producers, processors
19r. Have farmer(s) visit the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting
19s. Integrate farm to school activities (such as gardening and local foods education) into curriculum
19t. Expose students to agriculture-related careers (e.g., through a class/curriculum or clubs like 4-H or Future Farmers of America)
19u. Promote local foods through themed or branded promotions (e.g., Harvest of the Month, Local Day, Taste Washington Day, Apple Crunch)
19v. Promote local foods at school in general (e.g., via cafeteria signs, posters, newsletters, etc.)
19w. Generate media coverage of local foods being used in schools (e.g., in newspaper, blogs, radio, TV)
19x. Host farm to school related family and community events (e.g., invite parents to lunch, corn shucking contests, farmers markets at schools, etc.)
19y. Celebrate National Farm to School Month (October)
19z. Host special local foods events in CACFP and/or summer meals (i.e., SFSP or SSO)
19aa. Grow or serve local foods that are culturally relevant
19ab. Collect food waste for composting
19ac. Provide training to school food service staff related to farm to school activities (e.g., on holding taste tests, purchasing or preparing local foods)
19ad. Search for local vendors, farmers, food hubs, or cooperatives to procure local foods
19ae. Forecast budgetary needs for local purchases
19af. Include values statements indicate a geographic preference in procurement documents
19ag. Evaluate the impact of farm to school activities (e.g., measuring changes in food waste, student acceptance of local items, changes in participation rates)

Q20. Approximately how many schools within the SFA participated in the following activities during SY 2022-23?

	Number of schools
20a. Participated in any farm to school activity from the list above
20b. Served local food in any form
20c. Provided food, nutrition, or agricultural education

Q21. In SY 2022-23, how many staff in your SFA, schools, and district (e.g., food service staff, garden educators, AmeriCorps members, teachers) spent time on farm to school activities? Please only include paid staff, including any contracted and grant-funded staff.

Number of full-time staff whose job is dedicated to farm to school activities.
Number of staff (including full-time AND part-time staff) who use some portion of their time for farm to school activities but whose job is not fully dedicated to farm to school activities.

Q24. Approximately how many schools in the SFA had edible school gardens during SY 2022-23?

____ schools

Q26. For SY 2022-23, please indicate if your SFA procured local foods using any of the following sources, and if so, what percentage of your local spending each source represented.

Source for local foods	Used this source? Y/N	Percentage of local spending
Directly from an individual food producer (i.e., farmer, rancher, fisher), including but not limited to a farmers’ market or CSA model
Directly from a cooperative of producers (i.e., farmers, ranchers or fishers)
Directly from a local food processor or manufacturer
Food hub
Grocery store
School or community garden/farm
Produce distributor
Broadline distributor
USDA DoD Fresh Program
USDA Foods
Other:
Other:

Q29. Please indicate if your SFA or any schools in your SFA purchased local foods with any of the following characteristics during SY 2022-23 or would like to in the future.

Type of Item	Purchased? Y/N
From a woman-owned business
From a minority-owned business
With the farm identity preserved (i.e., the identity of the producer/farm is known and explicitly communicated with the final product)
USDA Organic
With other environmental certifications or indications (e.g., low-spray, integrated pest management, organic transition)
With labor-related certifications or indications (e.g., fair trade)
With animal welfare certifications or indications (e.g., Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved)

The following questions ask how much money was spent by your SFA on food and local food during SY 2022-23.

Type of Spending	Amount Spent
Q35. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on food? Do NOT include food purchased through USDA Foods or DOD Fresh (i.e., entitlement spending).
Q36. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on local foods INCLUDING fluid milk?
Q37. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on local fluid milk?
Q38. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on food through USDA Foods? (Do not count USDA DoD Fresh.)
Q39. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on local foods through USDA Foods? (Do not count USDA DoD Fresh.)
Q40. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) through USDA DoD Fresh? (Do not count USDA Foods.)
Q41. In SY 2022-23, about how much did your SFA spend (in dollars) on local foods through USDA DoD Fresh? (Do not count USDA Foods.)

Q42. In SY 2022-2023, what were the top five local items, of any type and in any form, that your SFA spent the most on and from what source(s) did you purchase

	Item
Top local item
Second local item
Third local item
Fourth local item
Fifth local item

Q42b/c. From what source(s) did your SFA purchase your top local items, and if from more than one source, about what percent (based on dollars spent) came from each source? (Please see the options for types of sources below.)

	Item	Sources	Percentage from each source
Top local item
Second local item
Third local item
Fourth local item
Fifth local item

• Directly from an individual food producer (i.e., farmer, rancher, fisher), including but not limited to a farmers’ market or CSA model

• Directly from a cooperative of producers (i.e., farmers, ranchers or fishers)

• Directly from a local food processor or manufacturer

• Food hub

• Grocery store

• School or community garden/farm

• Produce distributor

• Broadline distributor

• USDA DoD Fresh Program

• USDA Foods

• Other (please specify) _____________

Definitions

Cooperative: A business that is owned by its members or employees. In a farmer cooperative, several farmers may work together to market their products and/or purchase supplies.

Culturally-relevant foods: Items that are unique or relevant to specific cultural groups, e.g., traditional foods consumed by Native American communities)

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program: The DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program allows schools to use entitlement dollars to buy fresh produce.

Edible school garden: Any indoor or outdoor space where students or other school or community members tend to edible plants. This can include raised beds, hydroponic systems, and tower or container gardens.

Food hub: A centrally located facility that aggregates, stores, processes, distributes, and/or markets locally/regionally produced food products.

Full time: Defined as working at least 40 hours in one week)

Geographic preference: In their procurement process, SFAs can indicate preference for unprocessed agricultural products that are locally grown or raised. A geographic preference in a procurement solicitation provides bidders located in a specified geographic area additional points or credit during the evaluation of the proposals or bids received.

Local: The USDA Child Nutrition Programs do not define “local.” Please use your SFA’s understanding or definition of the term (e.g., within a 100-mile radius, within the State). For the Census, we are interested in foods that are produced locally, for example, farmed, raised, fished, or manufactured in the area considered to be “local” by your SFA. This does not include foods that are produced elsewhere but procured through a local distributor). FNS is interested in local foods of any type, including but not limited to fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, other dairy, meat, fish, chicken, baked goods, and grain. These foods can be in any form, for example, fresh, pre-processed, frozen, dried, pre-cooked, or manufactured items.

Local food producers: Individuals or businesses, including farmers, processors and manufacturers, who meet the SFA’s criteria for local.

Minority-owned: A business that is third party certified as racial minority or Indigenous owned, or self-identifies as such.

Procurement documents: For example, requests for proposal or invitation for bids).

USDA organic: Foods can be certified as “organic” by the USDA if they are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, including soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives.

Values statement: For example, expressing a desire to purchase items from women- or minority-owned farms or with certain environmental standards)

Woman-owned: A business that is third party certified as woman-owned, or self-identifies as such.

This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service in understanding and tracking farm to school engagement. This is a mandatory collection and FNS will use the information to set priorities for USDA outreach and technical support. This collection does not request any personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0646. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 0.5 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22306 ATTN: PRA (0584-0646). Do not return the completed form to this address.