Resources
(Updated 3/26/10)
 The
Oklahoma Food Connection
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
How to Use This Directory
Section I
Oklahoma Farms
Farms on the Web
Farmer's Markets
Section II
List of Crops and the
Farms that Grow Them
Number of Farms
by Individual Product
Harvest Calendar of Selected Crops
Section III
Directory of Institutions
Public Schools
Other Public Institutions
(Colleges, Corrections, Technology
Schools, State Resorts)
Section IV
Farm-to-School FAQs
Kerr Center FAQs
Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program
The Oklahoma Food Connection
Preface
This is the second edition of the popular Oklahoma Food Connection
2003: A Directory of Agricultural Producers, Crops and Institutional
Buyers. We hope this updated directory will be helpful to food
service staff of public and private institutions such as schools, colleges,
hospitals, state parks and resorts. Restaurant chefs, caterers, public
health professionals and people in extension—anyone who wants
to connect directly to Oklahoma farms growing fruits and vegetables,
meats and grains—will also find this directory a useful resource.
The purpose of this directory is several-fold. First, there is a growing
demand for local food from public institutions and consumers. This demand
needs to be satisfied or it will simply go away. Our experience tells
us that satisfying this demand can be profitable for those who are willing
to adjust their production and marketing programs.
There are a number of farmers in our state willing and able to meet
some of that demand. This directory lists farms who will sell directly
to the public, where they are located, and what they produce. This publication
also lists public schools that have expressed interest in buying local
produce.
Much progress has been made since the first edition of The Food
Connection was published. To recap briefly, the Oklahoma Food
Policy Council, a joint project of the Kerr Center and the Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, organized a successful
farm-to-school pilot project in
2004 and 2005, which led to the 2006 passage of legislation establishing
a state farm-to-school program. (For more information on the Oklahoma
Farm-to-School program, see the FAQs in this publication.)
We look forward to watching this program blossom as comprehensive farm-to-school
programs are established in numerous school districts around the state.
We believe that farm-to-school programs, by exposing schoolchildren to
fresh, nutritious locally-grown foods, will improve their eating habits
(and their health) for a lifetime. We also look forward to watching the
Oklahoma economy grow, particularly in rural communities, through increasing
sales of locally-grown foods and locally-made value-added products.
We thank the government agencies, schools, grass roots groups and individuals
who made the farm-to-school pilot successful and who worked hard for
the farm-to-school legislation. We look forward to working further with
these partners, as well as new ones from the fields of public health
and education, to improve the diets and health of Oklahoma's schoolchildren.
Another thank you goes to the Community Foods Program of the USDA's
Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Service. This update of The Food
Connection is one of many activities supported by a grant from
this program.
After many years of working for and with Oklahoma farmers, I find it
gratifying that the concept of "local foods on local tables"
is gaining currency. Many people want to help farmers remain on their
land, restore rural communities, and enable children to connect with
the sources of their food. We can all enjoy the fresh taste and nutrition
of Oklahoma farm-fresh food. We invite you to join us in supporting farm-to-school
programs as well as local markets that offer Oklahoma farm-fresh and
Made in Oklahoma foods. Help us to grow healthy kids and a healthy rural
economy.
Sincerely,
James E. Horne, PhD, President and CEO,
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and
Chairman, Oklahoma Food Policy Council
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