Farm to School Training Webinars, PowerPoints and IFSN Membership Education Calls

Illinois Farm to School Network has educational resources available on multiple Farm to School topics. These webinars and other resources are free to view by anyone interested in learning about farm to school practices and programming.

IFSN Webinar and Call Cache:

  • Fantastic Site Gardens!
  • Gardening with Grants and More!
  • IL Farm to School Programming 411
  • Adding Local to the Menu
  • Solving the Scratch Cooking Puzzle
  • Introducing IL Harvest of the Month!
  • Planning for Next Year w/Farm to School
  • USDA Farm to School Grant 411
  • School Wellness Policy Reboot!
  • Connecting the Dots: Successful Marketing for Your Farm to School Program.
  • Planning for Farm to School Success!
  • IL Harvest of the Month, Learn from Our Participating Schools! Click below to watch an IFSN call sharing the accomplishments made by three farm to school programs in Illinois. Listen to Champaign Unit 4, Mooseheart Child City & School and Wheeling CCSD21 share information about their programs in 2018. To catch up and learn about their progress check out our 2021 podcasts with Mooseheart and Wheeling CCSD21 located here.

All of our network calls and resources are stored online in our Google Drive. Check out this link for the PowerPoints, PDF versions, and recordings: View our webinars HERE! 

Mighty Mini Video Series

IFSN has multiple short training videos available for viewing. Our Mighty Mini Farm to School Video Series provides education on everything you need to know to make Farm to School happen.. at the speed of light! Check out these pertinent topics to help you to create impact and deepen your connection in your community! All videos are between 8 and 18 minutes long, with most videos at around 10 minutes long. Find all of the videos, along with PDFs of the presentations with notes here! These videos can be credited toward ISBE yearly training requirement hours for food service staff.

Mystery Box Harvest Demo from Angelic Organics

If you missed the Growing Deep Roots Farm to School Virtual Institute in 2021 check out this video created by our partners at Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Illinois. The Mystery Box shared ways to use seasonal produce and make the most of the summer’s harvest.

IFSN Presentations

Did you miss us at the conference? Review past presentations in PDF format on multiple topics to learn about best practices, resources and more!

More presentations coming soon!

Farm Video Tours

Watch and share these fantastic farm videos, perfect for the virtual world!

Farm to School Bootcamps and Trainings

IFSN provides bootcamp trainings across the state. Be sure to receive the IFSN newsletter to be up to date on announcements of upcoming regional trainings. Our bootcamps are free to Illinois child feeding, garden and education sites.

Past State Bootcamps:

  • Northern Illinois- Geneva IL May 2017
  • Central Illinois- Springfield IL June 2018
  • Northern Illinois- Geneva IL May 2019
  • East-Central Illinois- Champaign, IL October 2019
  • State-wide Growing Deep Roots; Farm to School Virtual Institute June 2021- January 2022 
Now, More Than Ever! Networking Opportunities to Build Farm to School in Illinois

Farm to School is happening across our state in many ways! Indoor and outdoor gardens are blossoming while kids learn about math, science, food, and nutrition. Monthly local food tastings are happening in cafeterias, local foods are finding their way onto meal trays in schools, early childcare and institutions, and local foods are now being utilized in culinary arts programs. These are just some of the ways farm to school impacts Illinois children every day.

The Illinois Farm to School Network provides information and assistance to members across Illinois from Waukegan to Carbondale. Our network of teachers, gardeners, school nutrition professionals, early care providers, farmers, food hubs & distributors, public health advocates, and students are passionate about working to change food purchasing and education practices in their communities.

It takes an army of promoters and doers to build farm to school across our state. Would you like to become more active in farm to school in Illinois? Are you a person of action? Do you have the ability to share information, promote, or organize farm to school activities in your area of Illinois? Then, we would love to hear from you!

Contact us at farmtoschool@sevengenerationsahead.org and share your desire to be a participant in the Farm to School movement!  Already working on farm to school? Share what is happening in your area of Illinois and help us to promote farm to school across our state!