A Clear Path to Joining in the Farm to School Bid
Add your produce or food items to school menus through our collective buying power.
Selling to schools on your own can be hard. We’ve pioneered a farm to school bid process that makes it easier for districts across Northeast Ohio and Greater Cincinnati to buy your products.
Our bids focus on fruits, vegetables, and value-added items made with local ingredients—giving your business access to the infrastructure and demand you need to succeed in the school food market. Our bid opportunity, in partnership with Ohio Schools Council, builds a reliable pipeline between local farms and students in cafeterias by procuring food products that meet school meal requirements. Harvest of the Month℠ also ensures that participating vendors are positioned to meet institutional purchasing requirements through our supply chain management services.
Our Harvest of the Month℠ program supports local and regional producers and businesses to enter the school supply chain. Through our Harvest of the Month℠ food system investments, we provide vendor management services, that include identifying, evaluating, and selecting producers and businesses that are ready to serve school districts. We help these partners navigate farm to school readiness planning, connect to school district partners, and access bid opportunities.
Our farm to school readiness planning offers farmers and food producers no-cost, 1:1 technical assistance to help navigate and prepare for the school supply chain.
Not sure where to begin or have questions? Meet with our team to discuss your goals, vision and how we can help- at no cost to you.
Farm to school readiness tools
Farm to School Readiness Checklist
Our tools and guides take the guesswork out of getting your business ready to sell to schools. From food safety and purchasing to readiness planning and logistics, you’ll find what you need to take the next step.
Be Food Safe
Explore trusted resources to help you navigate food safety preparedness so you can meet school requirements with confidence.
Farmer and Food Producer Cost Share Program
Our Farmer & Food Producer Cost Share Program helps you prepare for food safety certifications and audits, purchase equipment to support meeting food safety standards, and address other requirements necessary to enter the school supply chain.
This program prioritizes small and medium-sized farmers and food producers with little to no experience in school food supply chain that are interested in selling to schools within in the next two school years. Eligible applicants can be reimbursed 75% of costs up to $4,000 for purchases related to food safety certification readiness, including audits and supporting equipment, making it easier for more small and medium-sized farmers and food producers to contribute to student nutrition.
Common uses for funding include small, non-permanent equipment to meet food safety standards (e.g. portable hand-washing sink) and the cost of a food safety consultation and audit.
Local Food Procurement Stats
Since 2017, we’ve helped connect over $3.7 million in local food from producers in nearby states with students across Ohio.
We work with districts of all sizes, serving communities of every type. You can be part of the movement, helping students make mindful choices about what they eat.
Diverse Vendors, Stronger Communities
In the 2024-2025 school year, over half (59%) of food purchases came from producers designated as:
Minority-Owned • LGBT-Owned • Small Business Enterprise • Veteran-Owned • Woman-Owned
Curious what other districts are buying and what’s possible for yours?
You're in Good Company
Meet the vendors who are already part of the local school supply chain.
