Minnesota Grown
Farm to School
District of the Year Contest

New contest celebrates school districts who serve Minnesota Grown foods

Three Minnesota School districts have been named a 2023 Minnesota Grown Farm to School District of the Year by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Minnesota Grown Program. This first-ever statewide contest recognizes schools for their exceptional efforts to serve and promote foods grown in the state to their students. Read the full Press Release.

The three districts receiving this year’s honors include:

District of the Year: Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools
The District of the Year award recognizes one district that is doing outstanding work to serve Minnesota Grown food and promote Minnesota agriculture and producers. From their contest submission: “Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools maintain a year-round commitment to local food purchasing and menu development. This commitment extends far beyond Farm to School Month, showcasing our dedication to supporting Minnesota agriculture and providing students with nutritious, locally sourced meals. Currently, we incorporate local food items from 12 Minnesota farms and producers, five of which are new to us this school year. Our goal as a department is to continue to nurture our current relationships as well as forge new partnerships."

Rising Star: Glacial Hills Elementary (Starbuck, Minnesota)
This award recognizes a district that is newer to Farm to School and has made exceptional progress in a short time. From Glacial Hill’s contest submission: “During our first year of Farm to School, we sourced produce from 3 farmers. We are in our second year of Farm to School and now source produce from 12 farmers! We are excited to further our relationship with a variety of producers as they focus specifically on our school needs for next year.”  They also shared in their submission that they recently launched a new Kitchen Ambassador program where students get to plan school meal menus that includes all Minnesota grown foods.

People’s Choice: Hutchinson Public Schools
Each school district selected one photo to be entered in the People’s Choice Award Photo Contest. The winner district was determined by the photo that received the most votes on social media. Hutchinson’s photo earned 584 votes! You can see the Facebook post and photos here.