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Farm to School Unboxing

The Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Food Service Program has launched a pilot project this school year: School Sized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

The goal of the project is to match schools to farms in their community. In a typical CSA model, families purchase a subscription to receive weekly boxes of fresh produce from local farms during the growing season. By making the model “school sized,” each school receives 4-10 boxes of product weekly.

This school year, 11 schools signed up for fall share CSAs from five different local farms. Schools have received a diverse selection of fresh produce, including collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, tomatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, scallions, onions, garlic, gem lettuce, several types of squash, radishes, beets and more. Each week brings new varieties, and cook managers in each kitchen collaborate with their teams and an OHM BOCES dietician to create delicious recipes for students.

Partnerships between local farms and schools include:

  • West End Farm is providing produce to Herkimer Elementary School and Frankfort-Schuyler Elementary School.
  • Common Thread Farm is providing produce to Clinton Elementary School, Westmoreland Primary Elementary School and Westmoreland Upper Elementary School.
  • Gaia's Breath Farm is providing produce to the Owen D. Young Central School District.
  • Catskill Agrarian Alliance is providing produce to the Richfield Springs Central School District, Memorial Park Elementary School and the Brookfield Central School District.
  • MAWs Farm is providing produce to OHM BOCES Middle Settlement Academy at Lincoln and the Remsen Central School District.

The School Sized CSA project highlights the amazing growers in the local communities, encourages OHM BOCES Food Service staff to get creative and helps expand the palates of local students.