online registration is closed, but you can still show up and register at the door for Taking Root the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Detroit, Michigan, May 17-19.

Farm to Cafeteria is TAKING ROOT all across the country. Entering its second decade, farm to cafeteria is becoming a permanent feature of school meals. It’s now the subject of collaborations with community groups, of state policy, and even of a new national initiative within the US Department of Agriculture.
During the conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn about initiatives involving pre-school, K-12, childcare facilities, hospitals, colleges and prisons.  One workshop – Farm to School by Land and Sea – will include examples of integrating local seafood into cafeteria menus. Prospects for professional development will abound with short courses on media training, policy advocacy, and research and evaluation.
Raising the voices of youth, two flavor and film contests will kick off the conference. The winners will be awarded from the second annual nationwide Real Food Is… video contest, in which students from kindergarten to college are challenged to consider what “Real Food Is…”  The conference will also host a new opportunity for youth involvement in “Cooking Up Change,” a contest that challenges high school and college students to create healthy school meals, with local items, that can easily be prepared in a school kitchen. Participants will have an opportunity to sample their tasty dishes.
The conference has something to offer everyone, from field trips and short courses to workshops, a sampling of local foods and perhaps best of all…the chance to connect with others.  Join us in Detroit as we work together towards forging new frontiers in the realm of Farm to Cafeteria.