The Census is Coming

Jun 3, 2019 | Food Service Professionals

The USDA Farm to School Census is coming in September.

The Farm to School Census (the Census) is the only national survey that examines school districts’ farm to school activities, such as local food purchasing behaviors, the number and use of school gardens, and the frequency of agricultural education.

School Foodservice Directors can begin gathering data on:

  • Their definition of local;
  • The grade levels that participated in farm to school activities;
  • The number of schools that participated in farm to school activities;
  • The number of schools that provided agricultural education;
  • The number of schools that had edible school gardens;
  • The number of salad bars within the district;
  • The number of salad bars that served local foods;
  • The top five local foods purchased in 2018-2019;
  • The total amount of money spent on food;
  • The amount of money spent on local foods;
  • The sources of local products; and,
  • The number of full- and part-time staff dedicated to farm to school efforts.