Farm To School

La Semilla is inspiring healthier cafeterias through our farm to school procurement efforts. Our farm to school initiative seeks to get the freshest local produce into childcare and school kitchens while educating food service staff on local agriculture, seasonality, and the many challenges involved in sourcing local produce to small and large institutions.

We are currently involved in supporting Las Cruces Public Schools’ efforts to source local produce for cafeteria meals, coordinating food procurement efforts for food tastings and classroom lessons in the Gadsden and Las Cruces school districts, and developing market opportunities with area childcare centers.

There are many challenges involved in sourcing food to educational institutions, including bidding processes and scale of production, liability and food safety issues, aggregation and delivery logistics, and the availability of local produce. We are navigating the many complexities of local food procurement with dedicated partners and committed staff.

To learn more about farm to school programs visit the National Farm to School Network and USDA’s Farm to School Program