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Overview
New Jersey is known as the Garden State given its temperate climate and proximity to the large urban areas of New York City and Philadelphia along with the early history of farming, especially for vegetables and berries (Karst 2024). Michigan’s agricultural production is larger than New Jersey’s and boasts of the 2nd most diverse outside of California and leads the nation in the production of tart cherries (Pohl 2022). Neither state is near the top of US agricultural production but still produces important agricultural products for their residents and wider markets.
There have been ongoing efforts to increase food production locally to promote environmental sustainability, including organic (and non-organic) foods, to improve our environment and health. According to the National Farm to School Network, a nonprofit organization, School to Farm programs exist in 74.1% of US schools, with nearly 75,000 schools participate in these programs engaging over 45 million students, with some $1.8 billion spent on local foods (USDA National Farm to Table Network).
K-12 school meals have been notorious poor over the generations relying often on heavily processed foods from factories that lack nutrition or appeal to our children but were seen as inexpensive (Mishra et al 2022). Over the last several decades numerous states have been innovating by connecting local farms to their area schools. This has provided new sources of revenue for struggling farmers and more wholesome and nutritionally dense foods for our children. Recently, there have been attempts to connect local farms with schools and other local institutions like hospitals (Harris et al 2012; Colasanti et al. 2019) frequently without a steep rise in costs.
This Aresty research project explores farm to school/institution programs in two states which have important but relatively modest agricultural sectors. The key question of this research is how much organic foods are included in these programs? Local production has been the key driver of these programs. While these have important benefits of fresh food products and less pollution and energy costs through shorter transportation, there would be added health and environmental benefits if the products were increasingly organically produced. We have found relatively little information or literature on organic products. Why? This comparative study would examine the histories, policies, and outcomes of farm-to-school/institution programs in New Jersey and Michigan. Some key questions what are the key similarities and differences between these two programs? What lessons can be learned? What percentage of the respective programs distribute organic food vs. non-organic? Why do some arrangements use organic foods and others do not? How are the respective programs administered and supported? Are they profitable to local farmers? Are the schools and other institutions pleased with these programs? What are the stark differences in how these programs are administered and why? For example, we know that New Jersey’s Farm to School program is run by the state. In Michigan, it is organized by Michigan State University with the assistance of local non-governmental organizations such as Groundwork in Traverse City and Petoskey Michigan. Why is Rutgers not organizing this state program?
Methodology
To conduct this comparative study, the Aresty student and faculty member will explore official documents from each state as well secondary literature published by other researchers and third parties on farm to school/institution programs in NJ and Michigan. These documents will be available online. Some additional information may come from interviews with key informants. It is important to note that the state of New Jersey is about thirteen times smaller than Michigan. Given the difference in size, it is likely we may take a quick glance at the entire state of Michigan but focus mostly on the Northwest region of Lower Michigan which is approximately the same size as New Jersey. Of interest, the two states are nearly equal in population size of roughly 10 million each.
Report Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review and Research Questions
- The food and nutritional needs of school children and others requiring care overall with a focus on NJ and MI.
- Farm to School/ Institution history and recent developments
- The role of organics nationwide
- The benefits and drawbacks of this type of agricultural arrangement
- Research Questions derived from the literature review
Methods
Presentation of qualitative methods – online archival research; web documents
If required, Zoom interviews with key informants
The New Jersey – Farm to School/Institution Program
- History and descriptive details
The Michigan – Farm to School/Institutional Program
- History and descriptive details
Comparative Analysis
- Summary of our findings
Conclusion
Sources/Literature Cited
References
Colasanti et al. 2019. Chapter 7 – Making Local Sourcing Standard Practice: Lessons from Michigan. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813617-1.00007-1
Department of Agriculture, State of New Jersey. Updated. Jersey Fresh Farm to School. https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/farmtoschool/
Groundwork. Undated. Food & Farming: Farm to School. https://www.farmtoschool.org/our-network/michigan
Karst, Tom. 2024. Grown in N.J.: How the Garden State Lives up to its nickname. The Packer https://www.thepacker.com/news/produce-crops/grown-nj-how-garden-state-lives-its-nickname
Michigan State University. Undated. Lake Michigan School Food Systems Innovation Hub. https://www.canr.msu.edu/farm_to_school/
Mishra, S. K., Khanal, A. R., & Collins, W. J. (2022). Farm-to-School programmes, benefits, health outcomes and barriers: A structured literature review. Health Education Journal, 81(7), 781-792. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969221119290 (Original work published 2022)
Pohl, Stephanie. 2025. Michigan: The Hands that Feed you. Michigan Economic Development Corporation. https://www.michiganbusiness.org/news/2022/03/michigan-the-hands-that-feed-you/#:~:text=Michigan%20is%20the%20No.,2)%2C%20blueberries%20(No.
USDA Farm to School. National Farm to School Network. Undated. https://www.farmtoschool.org/our-network
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