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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

Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Tuesday October 28

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Tuesday October 28
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Zoom online

Are you interested in applying for a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)? On Tuesday, Oct. 28, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Land Stewardship Project will be holding an online webinar on four grants that will be available this fall. MDA staffers will go over the details of these grants and how to apply for them.

 To sign-up, click here.  

 This webinar will feature information on four grants:

– AGRI Livestock Investment Grant

– AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant 

– Preparing for Extreme Weather (Prepare) Grant

– AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant 

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

Wednesday October 29

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Wednesday October 29
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, 2800 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Thursday October 30

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Thursday October 30
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

November 2025

Saturday November 1

6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
Saturday November 1
6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
W6275 Main St, Bay City, WI 54723, USA

Calling all folk dance lovers! The Land Stewardship Project is co-sponsoring a potluck and folk dance at the Town Hall in Bay City, Wis., on Saturday, Nov. 1. Can you attend or volunteer? LSP is looking for one or two more people to help represent our people-powered organization by tabling at this event. To volunteer, reply directly to this e-mail and let me know you’re available. 
 
For details, check out this flier. 

The potluck and dance are co-hosted by LSP members from Oxheart Farm and the Oak Center General Store. No RSVP required; please direct questions to Emmet at oxheartfarm@gmail.com.
 

Folk Dance Flyer 2025.jpg

Tuesday November 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Tuesday November 4
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

View Full Calendar

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