1. Farm to School Works. After a few years of experience with farm-to-school programs across the country, there is enough data for academic researchers to demonstrate with replicable studies what you already know in your heart: kids eat more healthy food in schools with farm-to-school programs. Read more on the USDA site.

2. We need your help to carry this forward.  Earlier this year, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Reps Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced the Farm to School Act of 2015. With additional support from your Members of Congress, this bill can become part of the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization (CNR) package.  The bill would be a major win for kids, farmers and communities around the country, but it won’t pass Congress without your support, so please join us and thousands of others this Thursday, Oct. 22, for a Big Day of Action as we urge Congress to pass a CNR that strengthens farm to school programming across the country.

3.  Learn More. Stay Involved. 

• Progress is being made: National Farm to School Network, and The California Thursdays Inititiatve
• Great resources from The Chef Ann Foundation, Grow Your Lunch, and Food Day
• Celebrate Food Day 2015 on October 24 with a great set of organizing resources for your school and community
• Celebrate Halloween with some scary infographics about how junk food is making your children sick, 10 scariest ingredients in halloween candy and Halloween by the numbers

Let’s face it, kids won’t eat healthy foods simply because they are good for them, or because you tell them the should. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent marketing junk food to children, and to break through that advertising noise, we need an authentic experience, like a Pure Food Kids workshop, or Growing a School Garden. We hope that with great partnerships with educators, programs, and extracurricular experiences, FarmRaiser will be part of the movement that connects kids with real food, and helps shape a lifetime of healthy eating choices.

WOW!  This past month has been incredible for our Producer Partners and FarmRaiser Organizers. With over 30 Campaigns in 10 States, we are starting to see what FarmRaiser will look like at scale. We’re averaging over $1000/day in sales, and the school year is just getting started. Our Cultivators have been working their tails off, solving problems, ironing out the kinks in our system and helping make each campaign a success.  So, don’t be shy about sending them some love, (or constructive criticism, we like that too).

Tips for Selling with Social Media. Sure, it’s great to have great products, an online market, and the ability to sell from your Facebook account, but unless your friends and supporters know about it, they won’t buy anything. Read our blog post on using social media to boost your sales, and get your network working for you.

If you’d like to become a FarmRaiser vendor, and have your products sold in school fundraisers, support great local causes, grow your business, sign up here. We’ve got dozens of new campaigns coming online each month and each one is looking for a great set of products to sell. Already a vendor, and want to learn how to get a campaign going in your area? Login to your account and get your products into the marketplace. No login? Having trouble with the platform? email your Cultivator.