NH Farm to School Workgroup

The NH Farm to School Workgroup is a short-term, time-limited workgroup convened to inform the future direction, priorities, and strategic focus of NH Farm to School as it transitions into its next phase. Over approximately five meetings, the workgroup will gather input from key stakeholders to assess current needs, opportunities, and gaps across education, agriculture, and food systems. Insights from this process will help guide programmatic, policy, and partnership decisions to strengthen farm to school efforts statewide and better support New Hampshire farmers, schools, and communities.

This workgroup is led by:

Laura Alimayu, NH Farm to School Coordinator, UNH Extension
Mike Smith, NH Ag in the Classroom, UNH Extension

The NH Farm to School workgroup will be launched in February 2026. The four meetings of this time limited workgroup are as follows:

February 16, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
March 16, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
April 20, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
May 18, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm

If you are interested in joining this workgroup, please fill out the form linked below.

JOIN THE WORKGROUP

Status

Brief Topic

Type of Action

Goals & Tags

Keyword

Recommendation	Status	Brief Topic	Type of Action
Launch a student program to provide marketing support for food producers Launch a program at the University of New Hampshire that leverages student energy and existing programs (e.g., Voice Z Digital) to provide marketing… Goals & Tags: Schools or Institutions, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Direct-to-Consumer & Consumer Education	Program creation, support, or expansion
Increase UNH Extension capacity to help producers enhance their marketing strategies Increase capacity for direct technical assistance at UNH Extension to help producers enhance their digital presence and adapt to evolving consumer… Goals & Tags: Technical Assistance Providers, UNH Extension, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Direct-to-Consumer & Consumer Education	Program creation, support, or expansion
Establish a coordinated statewide local food promotion program Establish a coordinated statewide promotion program through an expansion of the work and infrastructure of NH Eats Local Month. This will include:… Goals & Tags: Nonprofits, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy	In Progress	Direct-to-Consumer & Consumer Education	Program creation, support, or expansion, Coordination/Network development or support, Investment/Funding, Research/Study
Educate land preservation committees on agricultural land use and preservation practices Develop resources and training that educate land preservation committees on good agricultural land use practices and the benefit of using agriculture… Goals & Tags: Local/Regional Government Agencies, State Agencies, Local/Municipal, State/NH, (goal) Engagement and Education	Not Started	Fruits & Vegetables	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion
Develop a Successful Models Portfolio of economically viable food production models Develop a Successful Models Portfolio that examines what models are working in New Hampshire for economically viable food production, what enables… Goals & Tags: Technical Assistance Providers, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Engagement and Education	Not Started	Fruits & Vegetables	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion, Research/Study
Increase support and UNH Extension capacity from the University of New Hampshire Two specific areas of support for farmers from the university are: Reinstating the Fruit and Vegetable Extension State Specialist position at UNH… Goals & Tags: UNH Extension, Technical Assistance Providers, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Fruits & Vegetables	Program creation, support, or expansion, Investment/Funding
Conduct multi-area research to extend the growing season and increase resilience against weather events Research crops, varieties, practices, and technologies for both season extension and increased resilience against weather related events, including… Goals & Tags: (goal) Natural Resources and Climate, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Fruits & Vegetables	Research/Study
Decrease barriers to hiring on-farm help Reducing barriers to hiring on-farm help could be achieved in the following ways: Collaborate with local governments to support zoning changes to… Goals & Tags: Local/Regional Government Agencies, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Technical Assistance Providers, Local/Municipal, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Fruits & Vegetables	Program creation, support, or expansion, Policy/Regulation
Create an agritourism-focused university position to serve both current and future operators Fund and hire one full-time equivalent (FTE) agritourism-focused teaching and research position. This could be a joint appointment within the… Goals & Tags: UNH Extension, Technical Assistance Providers, State Agencies, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Engagement and Education	Not Started	Agritourism	Program creation, support, or expansion, Investment/Funding
Increase the marketing of agritourism to locals Resident patronage of agritourism helps businesses position themselves as community assets, improving resilience to seasonal visitation fluctuations… Goals & Tags: State Agencies, Nonprofits, Communities/Consumers, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Agritourism	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion, Program creation, support, or expansion

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NH Farm to School Workgroup

Recommendations of interest to this workgroup

NH Food Alliance