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
Amend bidding regulations for state-funded food purchasing Assess and amend the current lowest-cost state bidding regulations for state-funded food purchasing to include geographic preference of local food,… Goals & Tags: State Agencies, Schools or Institutions, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Institutional Markets	Policy/Regulation
Implement RSA 425:2-a, the NH Granite State Farm to Plate Food Policy and Principles Support the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food in implementing RSA 425:2-a, the NH Granite State Farm to Plate Food Policy and… Goals & Tags: NH Dept of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, State Agencies, Nonprofits, UNH Extension, Schools or Institutions, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Institutional Markets	Program creation, support, or expansion, Coordination/Network development or support, Policy/Regulation
Create and fund work facilitating wholesale buyer and food producer/hub relationships The NH Food Alliance and partners to create resources directly connecting institutional buyers to appropriate New Hampshire-based wholesale food… Goals & Tags: Nonprofits, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Schools or Institutions, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Local Food Economy	In Progress	Institutional Markets	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion, Coordination/Network development or support, Investment/Funding
Support successful sales to retailers by farmers, fishermen, and food producers Provide guidance to retailers to build consistent relationships and local food purchasing habits, as well as business technical assistance on … Goals & Tags: Technical Assistance Providers, Nonprofits, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Local Food Economy	In Progress	Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives	Coordination/Network development or support
Increase cold and dry storage capacity through funding opportunities for farmers, distributors, and aggregators By providing funding opportunities for on-farm, on-site (for distributors), or community-held storage facilities, aggregation and bulk order… Goals & Tags: Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Nonprofits, State Agencies, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy	In Progress	Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives	Investment/Funding
Perform a feasibility study for a Seacoast-area food cooperative Study the financial feasibility of a retail food cooperative in the Seacoast area in collaboration with grassroots support in the region. The… Goals & Tags: Nonprofits, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, NH Regional, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives	Coordination/Network development or support, Investment/Funding, Research/Study
Increase organizational capacity to support growers selling to wholesale markets Increasing capacity for organizations, like UNH Extension, would allow for opportunities to offer more resources for business technical assistance,… Goals & Tags: Technical Assistance Providers, UNH Extension, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State Agencies, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives	Program creation, support, or expansion, Investment/Funding
Create a catalog of wholesale-ready farms, producers, and products Make a wholesale catalog available for retail with details on distribution capability and capacity. This could be achieved by partnering with food… Goals & Tags: Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Nonprofits, State/NH, NH Regional, (goal) Local Food Economy	Completed	Grocery Stores & Food Cooperatives	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion, Coordination/Network development or support
Support the production of other tree syrups, such as birch, in New Hampshire This support would primarily occur through continued research and market development. Goals & Tags: Technical Assistance Providers, State Agencies, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Natural Resources and Climate	Not Started	Syrup	Investment/Funding, Research/Study
Increase state support for the NH Maple Producers Association This support, in addition to grant opportunities, would increase promotion of Maple Month in March, linking maple syrup to promotion of the foliage… Goals & Tags: State Agencies, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Syrup	Investment/Funding

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NH Farm to School Workgroup

Recommendations of interest to this workgroup

NH Food Alliance