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LSP Members Testify on Farm to School Funding

Aimee Haag & Laura Cullip Spoke Today During an Informational MN Senate Hearing

By Erin Dorbin
February 12, 2025

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Land Stewardship Project members Aimee Haag and Laura Cullip testify Wednesday, Feb. 12, during an informational state Senate hearing on Free School Meals in Minnesota and how Farm to School is bolstered through this critical program. For more on LSP’s Farm to School and community-based food systems work, click here. You can listen to an LSP Ear to the Ground podcast on Farm to School here.

Some key takeaways from today’s testimony:

Laura Cullip: She has been farming for over 20 years, selling into the Hutchinson, Litchfield, and Dassel-Cokato school districts for five years.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to sell our product locally. The majority of our farming career we’ve been selling direct-market. We’ve been driving into the Twin Cities, selling through CSA, and farmers’ markets; the ability to have a wholesale market open up for us within five miles of our farm, where our kids go to school, and be able to scale up some crops and grow those crops for our local school districts has been a huge benefit and support for our farm.

“It is a win-win. In my work with emerging farmers I hear from a lot of them that they are very interested in Farm to School. It provides an opportunity for them to tackle one of their biggest challenges, which is finding markets for their products as beginning, emerging farmers.

“I am also a parent. I have two kids who are in the Hutchinson public schools. Personally, we have benefitted from this program. As a family farm we have to be very thrifty, so having free school lunch has made a real difference in our family and on our pocketbook.

“We can open up access to local organic food so that all kids at school have better access. We’re increasing quality and access to local fresh food for kids without cost being a barrier.”

Aimee Haag: She is the Farm to School coordinator for the Hutchinson, Litchfield, and Dassel-Cokato districts.

“We have been at it for five years now. We have prioritized sourcing foods from all parts of the tray. That’s what we call the five different groups — the dairy, the grains, the proteins, the fruits and the vegetables. We have arrived at that place where we feel we are covering all of the tray.

“We are serving local food 12-months-of-the-year in our summer feeding program, school lunch, and school breakfast program. It has increased our food service participation, it has allowed us to invest in local businesses, and it has allowed us to build trust with our students.

“This investment allows us to move toward what students really want to see — they want quality. We realize this may be an uphill battle to rebrand and shatter the concept of what school food is in some families, but as everybody gathers in the cafeteria…we’ve really seen a culture shift in our cafeterias and our kitchens.

“Our Farm to School program and the stability of our funding because of universal free meals has allowed us to invest in local businesses and build a resilient food system.

“We began our program in 2020, so the Farm to School program is rooted in a moment when the supply chain was completely disrupted. We began Farm to School with a will and a commitment to change school food, but it really became a necessity very quickly. We still find ourselves there in that disruption and are unsure when it will level out.

“We are on track this year to hit the $1 million mark in our three small districts. That encompasses over 30 different fruits and vegetables, single-source carton-free milk, five different animal proteins —including turkey, lamb, and fish — flours, cornmeals, oats, rice, honey, maple syrup, and mushrooms; all while eliminating waste tremendously.

“We support hydroponic producers, as well as conventional and organic producers, and really prioritize this commitment to small-to-mid-sized family farms. Our investment in and our leadership around creating this local food system has built a system that can adapt.

“What I love about it so much is that students don’t want the product that industry thinks we need to buy. Students don’t want burritos wrapped in plastic, steamed in their plastic container. We’ve seen such a shift in how the students eat so we are able to respond. That further decreases waste. By working directly with our producers, they can also adapt their [production] models to what we know students want.

“The trust in our program and what we’re offering…has created an ability for students to feel comfortable and know what they can expect moving into the cafeteria. I think that is stability both for our students’ health and wellbeing, as well as for our local partners.”

LSP policy organizer Erin Dorbin can be contacted via e-mail.

 

 

Category: Blog
Tags: child nutrition • community based food systems • direct-marketing • farm-to-school • local food systems • Minnesota Legislature • rural economic development

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August 2025

Friday August 1

All Day
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class
Friday August 1
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if you are accepted into the class. Partial scholarships are available.

More details are at http://www.farmbeginnings.org or Annelie Livingston-Anderson at annelie@landstewardshipproject.org.

You can apply to the course here.

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
Friday August 1
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
22545 Co Rd 42, Richmond, MN 56368, USA

Roots and Rotation is a summer field day series happening across Minnesota. These field days will discuss the use of livestock for soil health goals in different agricultural systems. 
 
Learn about the benefits of integrating livestock onto cropland and how to make it work on your operation. Hear from experienced farmers and Extension educators specializing in crops, livestock, and soil health. These events are for producers looking to elevate their cropland soil health and increase their forage resources. 

For more information and to register, see the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association website.

Saturday August 2

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Saturday August 2
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Madison Mercantile, 601 1st St, Madison, MN 56256, USA

Building on the momentum and popularity of the Land Stewardship Project’s Small Grain Markets Workshop in Albert Lea, Minn., this past winter, we are offering a second free networking event in western Minnesota on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Madison, Minn. All those curious about small grains are welcome.

We will hear from two western Minnesota farmers who have found success in growing and marketing small grains: Noreen Thomas of Doubting Thomas Farms and Peter Haugen of Sandhill Mill. Additionally, Gilbert Williams, a longtime grain mill operator and small grains procurement expert, will walk us through the processing side of the business. Lunch will be provided.

You can reserve a spot here. 

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski 
at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Saturday August 2
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Lac qui Parle State Park, 14047 20th St NW, Watson, MN 56295, USA

 Join LSP for a book reading and Q & A with Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty, the authors of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redepmtion of Nature on the American Priaire, at Lac qui Parle State Park. Prior to the book reading, we will go on a guided prairie walk to learn firsthand about the great Minnesotan prairies. Through the event, we will gain an understanding of the history, present, and future of the land and ways to work towards building more sustainable and just food and farming systems that protect our natural ecosystems. You can read a review of Sea of Grass in the current Land Stewardship Letter.
 
To reserve a spot, click here.
 
Schedule: 

  • 3 p.m. – Guided prairie walk with prairie naturalist Amy Rager  
  • 4:30 p.m. – Sea of Grass book reading by authors Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty     
  • 5 p.m. – Q & A with Dave and Josephine   
  • 5:30 p.m. – Discussion and reflection  
  • 6 p.m. – Dinner 

Camping will be available at Lac qui Parle State Park. LSP has reserved a Group Camp Site which is in the lower area of the park and can accommodate up to 50 people. Only tents are allowed — participants will need to bring their own tents and supplies. There is no electrical hookup; water spigot and vault toilets available. Please let us know via the event registration form if you plan to camp at the Group Camp Site.

For more information, contact LSP’s Melody Arteaga at marteaga@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7

Farmfest 2025
Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7
Farmfest 2025
28366 County Hwy 13, Morgan, MN 56266, USA

Details are here.

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