2025 Louisiana Farm to School Conference- Seeding Change, Harvesting Healthy Futures
The annual Louisiana Farm to School Conference was held on October 8 in Baton Rouge, LA. The conference brought together educators, farmers, school nutrition staff, and community leaders from across the state to learn, share, and connect. This year’s theme, Seeding Change, Harvesting Healthy Futures, highlights the impact of fresh ideas and strong partnerships in creating healthier school food systems. Attendees participated in engaging sessions led by farm to school champions and build lasting relationships to nurture healthier futures for Louisiana’s young learners.
View the Complete 2025 Conference Program.
In case you missed the conference or a particular session, you can find all the speakers presentations below.
The keynote address this year was from Katherine Pryor, an award-winning children’s book author and good food advocate. Raised in California and Arizona, Katherine moved to Seattle to study food and farming. Her books are widely used in school gardens, nutrition education, and anti-hunger efforts. Beyond writing, she has worked to improve food choices at institutions, corporations, and food banks.
Back by popular demand, Farm to School champions from across the state will share their inspiring success stories. Celebrate the many ways people are working to teach children the value of nutrition and agriculture through hands-on experiences that foster lifelong connections to food and community.
Break Out Session One
- Growing with Purpose: Planning for Sustainable School Gardens
Learn how to plan and maintain a school garden that lasts. Izzi Frank from the Seeds to Success Program will walk through practical tools, publications, and videos designed to help schools implement sustainable garden practices. She’ll be joined by Chantelle Hataway, a third-grade teacher and award-winning agriculture educator, who will share how she’s applied these and other Seeds to Success resources in her classroom. This session is ideal for anyone looking to strengthen their garden efforts using proven strategies and support materials.
- Beefing Up Local Purchasing
Serving local is a cause for celebration that the whole community can support! Discover how Avoyelles Parish integrated local beef into their school meals while engaging farmers, 4-H Livestock Ambassadors, and students to create a stronger farm to school connection. Jenny Welch and Coastal Plains Meat Company owner, Chip Perrin, will share practical strategies for sourcing local products, building community partnerships, and effectively promoting local foods within school programs. This session will provide ideas and tools for advancing local procurement efforts in schools.
- Harvesting Healthy Futures with Hands-On Farm to School in the Classroom
Erin Fort, an elementary music teacher from Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy, Nicole Fitzgerald, Agriscience Teacher, and Dr. Lauraleigh Eddleman, Aquaponics Teacher, both from Westdale Middle School, will share how farm to school resources and community partnerships support both classroom learning and unique initiatives such as aquaponic programs. They’ll discuss how insights from the school garden leadership workshop and strong local collaborations create meaningful, hands-on experiences for students. This session offers practical ideas for integrating farm to school into diverse educational settings to ensure healthier futures for all learners.
Panel Discussion
- Fueling Your Farm to School Program: Strategies for Funding and Support
Join us for an engaging panel discussion focused on practical ways to fund and sustain your farm to school program. Learn about securing grants, leveraging local resources, and building community support to keep your program moving forward. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand, this session offers useful ideas and resources to help make your farm to school dreams a reality.
Thank You to Our Exhibitors and Supporters!
Steward Level:
Harvester Level
Cultivator Level
Planter Level
Seedling Level:
Baton Rouge Green
East Baton Rouge Parish Library
Enterprise Aquatics, LLC
Fast Food Farm
Hands Over Hearts, LLC
LA STEM- Capital Area Stem Network/LSU Cain center for STEM Literacy
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Dairy Industry Promotion Board (LDAF)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Louisiana MarketMaker
Louisiana Public Broadcasting Network
Louisiana Strawberry Marketing Board
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission
LSU College of Agriculture
Market Umbrella
Red Stick Reads
Simply Aquaponics