2015_USDA_Farm_to_School_Census_Questionnaire_2_11_15.pdf

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 1

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0593 (expires February 29, 2016). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 9 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. This information collection is conducted under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 427.

Welcome to the 2015 Farm to School Census!

We know this is a busy time of the school year, and we deeply appreciate your time.

This Census will provide updated information about how many SFAs are purchasing locally produced food for school meal programs or conducting other farm to school activities such as bringing students to farms and farmers into classrooms, teaching students how to cook locally grown food, and cultivating edible school gardens.

Before you start, a few important reminders:

Please complete the questionnaire – even if you don’t buy any locally produced food – we need your response to estimate what percentage of school districts ARE buying locally produced food.

The questionnaire has been kept as short as possible and should take about 20 minutes if you have a local procurement program and only 5 minutes if you do not have one.

A few questions ask for the total value of food purchases during school year 2013-2014, and how much (in dollars) of those purchases were locally produced. Estimates are perfectly acceptable, so please don’t spend excessive amounts of time doing the calculations. That said, if you already have that information, it will help to have it handy before you start.

The questionnaire does not include any personal information. However, we must inform you that your responses are not confidential and are not covered by the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002. USDA will treat all information gathered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

Again, many thanks!

Deborah Kane National Director, USDA Farm to School Program

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 2

1. School district identification

Email address of respondent:

School district name (Please print complete district name without abbreviation.):

State:

5 digit zip code for school district mailing address:

ID number assigned to your school district by your State Agency (if known):

2. Farm to school activities generally center around procurement of local or regional foods and food, agriculture or nutrition-based educational activities such as but not limited to:

Serving local food products in school (meals and snacks)

Serving local food products in classrooms (snacks, taste tests, educational tools)

Conducting educational activities related to local foods such as farmers in the classroom and culinary education focused on local foods, field trips to farms, farmers' markets or food processing facilities, and educational sessions for parents and community members

Creating and tending school gardens (growing edible fruits and vegetables)

Based on the definition above, did your district or any schools in your district participate in farm to school activities during the 2013-2014 school year? (Please check one.)

Yes SKIP TO QUESTION 9 ON PAGE 8

No, but started activities in 2014-2015 school year SKIP TO QUESTION 3 ON PAGE 3

No, but plan to start activities in the future SKIP TO QUESTION 5 ON PAGE 5

No activities currently and no plans for the future SKIP TO QUESTION 8 ON PAGE 7

I don't know END SURVEY

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 3

If the answer to Question 2 is “No, but started activities in 2014-2015 school year”, please proceed to these questions:

3. What activities are you starting this school year (2014-2015)? (Please check all that apply.)

Serving locally produced foods in the cafeteria

Serving locally produced foods as a Smart Snack (a la carte, as fundraisers, etc.)

Serving locally produced foods or providing farm to school activities as part of afterschool programs

Serving products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria

Holding taste tests/cooking demonstrations of locally produced foods in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Holding taste tests/demos of products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Using Smarter Lunchroom strategies to encourage student selection and consumption of locally produced foods (e.g., product placement, food prompts, creative signage, etc.)

Using cafeteria food coaches to promote the consumption of local foods (e.g. adults or students in the cafeteria encouraging kids to eat healthy/local foods)

Using USDA Team Nutrition materials (such as The Great Garden Detective Adventure or Dig In!) as part of taste testing or educational activities

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of a school curriculum

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of an after school program

Conducting student field trips to farms or orchards

Having farmer(s) visit the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Promoting local efforts through themed or branded promotions (e.g. Harvest of the Month, Local Day, Taste of Washington, etc.)

Promoting locally produced foods at school in general (e.g. via cafeteria signs, posters, newsletters, etc.)

Generating media coverage of local foods being used in schools (e.g. press interviews or other activities that resulted in local coverage)

Hosting farm to school related community events (e.g. invited parents to lunch, corn shucking contests, etc.)

Celebrating Farm to School Month (October 2014)

Integrating farm to school concepts, including school gardening activities, into educational curriculum (math, science, language arts, etc.)

Providing training to school food service staff on farm to school or school gardens

Working with local food producers to develop a specific food product using local foods

Implementing farm to school activities as part of overall school efforts to reduce food waste

Evaluating changes in student acceptance and food waste as a result of implementing farm to school activities

Other: (please describe)

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 4

4. How does your district define "local" as it relates to your food procurement? (Please check all that apply.)

Same city/county

Produced within a 50 mile radius

Produced within a 100 mile radius

Produced within a 200 mile radius

Produced within a day’s drive

Produced within the State

Produced within the region

Geographic along with other restrictions

Other (please specify)

Thank you for completing this questionnaire! For more information on starting or expanding farm to school activities, please see the new USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/#/toolkit.

Questions or comments? Please contact Matthew Benson with the USDA Farm to School Program at matthew.benson@fns.usda.gov.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/#/toolkit mailto:matthew.benson@fns.usda.gov

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 5

If the answer to Question 2 is “No, but plan to start activities in the future”, please skip to these questions:

5. Which of the following benefits do you perceive as result of participating in farm to school activities?

Reduced food waste

Greater acceptance of the new meal pattern

Increased participation in school meals

Lower program costs

Other (please specify):

6. What activities are you planning to start in the future? (Please check all that apply.)

Serving locally produced foods or providing farm to school activities as part of afterschool programs

Serving products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria

Holding taste tests/cooking demonstrations of locally produced foods in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Holding taste tests/demos of products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Using Smarter Lunchroom strategies to encourage student selection and consumption of locally produced foods (e.g., product placement, food prompts, creative signage, etc.)

Using cafeteria food coaches to promote the consumption of local foods (e.g. adults or students in the cafeteria encouraging kids to eat healthy/local foods)

Using USDA Team Nutrition materials (such as The Great Garden Detective Adventure or Dig In!) as part of taste testing or educational activities

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of a school curriculum

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of an after school program

Conducting student field trips to farms or orchards

Having farmer(s) visit the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Promoting local efforts through themed or branded promotions (e.g. Harvest of the Month, Local Day, Taste of Washington, etc.)

Promoting locally produced foods at school in general (e.g. via cafeteria signs, posters, newsletters, etc.)

Generating media coverage of local foods being used in schools (e.g. press interviews or other activities that resulted in local coverage)

Hosting farm to school related community events (e.g. invited parents to lunch, corn shucking contests, etc.)

Celebrating Farm to School Month

Integrating farm to school concepts, including school gardening activities, into educational curriculum (math, science, language arts, etc.)

Providing training to school food service staff on farm to school or school gardens

Working with local food producers to develop a specific food product using local foods

Implementing farm to school activities as part of overall school efforts to reduce food waste

Evaluating changes in student acceptance and food waste as a result of implementing farm to school

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 6

7. When do you plan to start participating in farm to school?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire! For more information on starting or expanding farm to school activities, please see the new USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/#/toolkit.

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 7

If the answer to Question 2 is “No activities currently and no plans for the future”, please skip to these questions:

8. Are any of the following considered to be problems in procuring local products or reasons why your district does not purchase local products? (Please check all that apply.)

Local producers aren’t bidding

Hard to find year-round availability of key items

Hard to coordinate procurement of local with regular procurement

Local items not available from primary vendors

Vendors for local items don't offer a broad range of products

Higher prices

Unstable product prices

Lack of reliability in delivering ordered items

Lack of kitchen equipment to process/prepare local foods

GAP or other food safety requirements

Lack of compliance with your institution’s purchasing regulations and policies

Lack of availability of processed/precut products

Hard to find new suppliers/growers or distributors

Hard to get information about product availability

Hard to place orders with vendors

Getting on-time deliveries

Getting product delivered that meets your quality requirements & other specs ( i.e., size)

Having quantity delivered equal to quantity ordered

Resolving problem deliveries

Inability to pay farmers according to farmers’ needs due to school district payment procedures

Other, please describe:

Thank you for completing this questionnaire! For more information on starting or expanding farm to school activities, please see the new USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/#/toolkit.

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 8

If the answer to Question 2 is “Yes”, please skip to these questions:

9. Which of the following benefits have you enjoyed as result of participating in farm to school activities?

Reduced food waste

Greater acceptance of the new meal pattern

Increased participation in school meals

Lower program costs

Other (please specify):

10. During the 2013-2014 school year, what age groups participated in farm to school activities? (Please check all that apply.)

Pre-K

K through 5th grade

6th grade through 8th grade

9th grade through 12th grade

11. Are you participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)?

Yes

No

I don’t know

12. To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many schools within the district participated in any farm to school activities during the 2013-2014 school year?

13. To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many schools had edible school gardens during the

2013-2014 school year?

14. To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many schools had salad bars during the 2013-2014 school year?

15. How does your district define "local" as it relates to your food procurement? (Please check all that apply.)

Same city/county

Same city/county

Produced within a 50 mile radius

Produced within a 100 mile radius

Produced within a 200 mile radius

Produced within a day’s drive

Produced within the State

Produced within the region

Geographic along with other restrictions

Other (please specify)

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 9

16. Please indicate whether your district or any schools in your district used local products IN ANY FORM (fresh, minimally processed, or processed) for any of the following federal nutrition programs during the 2013-2014 school year (Please check all that apply.):

Breakfast

Lunch

Supper

Snacks

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

CACFP (i.e., in a pre-k setting such as Head Start, etc.)

CACFP At-risk Afterschool

Summer meals (i.e., meals in the Summer Food Service Program, in Seamless Summer, or in the NLSP under accredited summer school programs)

17. For the 2013-2014 school year, please indicate whether your district obtained local foods DIRECTLY from the following sources (Please check all that apply.):

Direct from individual food producers (i.e. farmers, fishers, ranchers)

Direct from farmer, rancher or fisher cooperatives

Direct from farmers markets

Via a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model

Direct from food processors and manufacturers

18. For the 2013-2014 school year, please indicate whether your district obtained local foods from any of the following INTERMEDIARY sources (Please check all that apply.):

Distributors

Food buying cooperative

Food hub

Food service management companies

DoD Fresh Program vendors

USDA Foods

State Farm to School Program office

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 10

19. Please indicate if your district or any schools in your district purchased any of the following foods – IN ANY FORM -- from local growers/producers/processers/manufacturers during the 2013-2014 school year or would like to in the future:

Yes No Not now, but would like to in the future

I don’t know

Fruit

Vegetables

Fluid Milk

Other Dairy

Meat/poultry

Eggs

Seafood

Plant-based protein items such as beans, seeds, nuts

Grains and flour

Bakery products

Herbs

Other (please specify)

20. Please list the top 5 SPECIFIC food items (e.g. apples, chicken drumsticks) your school district purchased locally in 2013-2014, based on VALUE.

Name of item

Food item #1:

Food item #2:

Food item #3:

Food item #4:

Food item #5:

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 11

21. On average, about how frequently do your district’s meals or snacks include at least one locally sourced food item from the categories below?

Daily

A few times per week

Weekly A few times per month

Monthly Occasionally Never

Fruit

Vegetables

Fluid milk

Other Dairy

Meat/poultry

Eggs

Seafood

Plant-based protein items such as beans, seeds, nuts

Grains and flour

Bakery products

Herbs

The following questions ask about what you spent on food and local food during the 2013-2014 school year.

Please give your best approximation, and do not include USDA Foods or DOD Fresh.

22. For the 2013-2014 school year, what were your approximate total food costs?

TOTAL food costs (Please round to the nearest dollar. Do not count USDA Foods/DOD Fresh.): $

23. For the 2013-2014 school year, about how much (in dollars) of total food purchases were spent on locally-sourced foods, INCLUDING fluid milk? (If you're not sure, a rough estimate is perfectly acceptable.)

LOCAL food costs (Please round to the nearest dollar. Do not count USDA Foods/DOD Fresh.): $

24. For the 2013-2014 school year, about how much (in dollars) of total food purchases were spent on local foods NOT INCLUDING fluid milk? (If you're not sure, a rough estimate is perfectly acceptable.)

LOCAL food costs (Please round to the nearest dollar. Do not count USDA Foods/DOD Fresh.): $

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 12

25. Looking forward, do you anticipate your local purchases will:

Increase

Decrease

Stay the same

I don't know

Other (please specify):

26. To the best of your knowledge, please check the activities that any of your district’s schools engaged in during school year 2013-2014 (Please check all that apply.)

Serving locally produced foods or providing farm to school activities as part of afterschool programs

Serving products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria

Holding taste tests/cooking demonstrations of locally produced foods in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Holding taste tests/demos of products from school-based gardens or school-based farms in the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Using Smarter Lunchroom strategies to encourage student selection and consumption of locally produced foods (e.g., product placement, food prompts, creative signage, etc.)

Using cafeteria food coaches to promote the consumption of local foods (e.g. adults or students in the cafeteria encouraging kids to eat healthy/local foods)

Using USDA Team Nutrition materials (such as The Great Garden Detective Adventure or Dig In!) as part of taste testing or educational activities

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of a school curriculum

Conducting edible school gardening or orchard activities as part of an after school program

Conducting student field trips to farms or orchards

Having farmer(s) visit the cafeteria, classroom or other school-related setting

Promoting local efforts through themed or branded promotions (e.g. Harvest of the Month, Local Day, Taste of Washington, etc.)

Promoting locally produced foods at school in general (e.g. via cafeteria signs, posters, newsletters, etc.)

Generating media coverage of local foods being used in schools (e.g. press interviews or other activities that resulted in local coverage)

Hosting farm to school related community events (e.g. invited parents to lunch, corn shucking contests, etc.)

Celebrating Farm to School Month (October 2013)

Integrating farm to school concepts, including school gardening activities, into educational curriculum (math, science, language arts, etc.)

Providing training to school food service staff on farm to school or school gardens

Working with local food producers to develop a specific food product using local foods

Implementing farm to school activities as part of overall school efforts to reduce food waste

Evaluating changes in student acceptance and food waste as a result of implementing farm to school

2015 USDA FARM TO SCHOOL CENSUS Page 13

27. Are any of the following considered to be problems in procuring local products or reasons why your district does not purchase even more local products? (Please check all that apply.)

Local producers aren’t bidding

Hard to find year-round availability of key items

Hard to coordinate procurement of local with regular procurement

Local items not available from primary vendors

Vendors for local items don't offer a broad range of products

Higher prices

Unstable product prices

Lack of reliability in delivering ordered items

Lack of kitchen equipment to process/prepare local foods

GAP or other food safety requirements

Lack of compliance with your institution’s purchasing regulations and policies

Lack of availability of processed/precut products

Hard to find new suppliers/growers or distributors

Hard to get information about product availability

Hard to place orders with vendors

Getting on-time deliveries

Getting product delivered that meets your quality requirements & other specs ( i.e., size)

Having quantity delivered equal to quantity ordered

Resolving problem deliveries

Inability to pay farmers according to farmers’ needs due to school district payment procedures

Other, please describe:

28. Is there other information that was not asked for that you think we need to know?

29. Please share a local food procurement success story. (Optional)

Thank you for completing this questionnaire! For more information on starting or expanding farm to school activities, please see the new USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census/#/toolkit.

Questions or comments? Please contact Matthew Benson with the USDA Farm to School Program at matthew.benson@fns.usda.gov.