Tennessee Department of Education reviews Farm to School programs, grants and competitions

Lindsay Paul, the Tennessee Department of Education’s farm to school and grant specialist, told an online training audience that the department’s Farm to School work now reaches every county in Tennessee and reviewed tools for school food authorities to expand gardens, local procurement and student nutrition education.

Paul opened the presentation by saying the session would be “a general fun overview of Farm to School,” and she outlined the program’s three core elements: school gardens, classroom and culinary education, and local procurement.

Why it matters: Paul said Farm to School activities can increase student exposure to fresh foods, support local farmers and bolster community economies. “Farm to School enriches the connections communities have with fresh, healthy food and local producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites,” she quoted from the National Farm to School Network and later noted that, “as of 2025, we are completely green. Farm to school is officially in every single county.”

Overview and scope

Paul described three common Farm to School components and how districts can adopt any one or multiple elements: hands-on gardens (including hydroponics and greenhouses), classroom nutrition and culinary education, and purchasing local food for cafeterias, taste tests or classroom use.

She said the department tracks Farm to School participation using its census and that participation has grown each year since 2019. Paul gave examples and photos from districts across the state, including greenhouse-grown strawberries in Cumberland County, school gardens in Murfreesboro City and Marshall…