BISMARCK – The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) is encouraging groups to participate in the Mountain Plains Crunch Off in celebration of Farm to School Month in October. North Dakota is competing with six other states to see which state can get the most “crunches” into a piece of local produce or other minimally processed local food, per capita. Last year, over 80,000 North Dakotans joined the Crunch Off alongside thousands of participants across the greater Mountain Plains region.
“We are encouraging students, teachers, farmers, parents, community members and local food enthusiasts to participate,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “The Crunch Off is a great way to celebrate Farm to School Month and supports local agriculture. North Dakota schools are sourcing more local products every year, from apples and cucumbers to beef and bread, helping students taste and learn about the bounty grown close to home.”
Those interested in hosting a Crunch event should register at https://forms.office.com/g/kjdXDZBNh3 to be counted in the state total. Crunch events may be held anytime through Oct. 31, 2025. A complete Crunch Off Toolkit may be obtained by visiting https://www.ndda.nd.gov/crunch.
The Crunch Off is one of the activities held as part of Farm to School Month. Each October, schools, farms, communities and organizations across the country celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with local ingredients during the month. Farm to School Month was created to spread awareness about the national Farm to School program which supports students eating more locally produced foods and encourages education on food production and eating local.
For questions about the Farm to School program, contact Jenna Nieters, local foods marketing specialist with the NDDA at 701-328-2659 or jnieters@nd.gov, or Amanda Olson, farm to child nutrition specialist with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction at 701-328-0817 or amolson@nd.gov.