GOODMAN, Miss. -- Small-scale producers and school food service representatives can learn how to get locally grown fruits and vegetables into lunchrooms during an April 17 field day at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Farm near Goodman.

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will provide an overview of the Farm to School program and options for selling and buying through the program. Other topics will include school purchasing procedures, farm food safety requirements and school food service needs and requirements.

The event will give farmers and school food service representatives an opportunity to network.

Also staff members from the University of Mississippi Transactional Legal Clinic will be on hand to provide free legal advice.

The field day begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Attendance is free, but preregistration is required. Lunch and materials will be provided.

Field days are scheduled for the third Friday of each month. The last field day is set for Dec. 11.

To register for the field day or for more information, contact Keith Benson at 601-988-4999 or keithmdp@yahoo.com. The Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production is located in Holmes County between Goodman and Durant. It is 1 mile southwest of Highway 51 at 1184 Coleman Road.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Alcorn State University Extension Program, Delta Directions, Mississippi Farm to School Network, Mississippi Food Policy Council, My Brother’s Keeper Inc., The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi and University of Mississippi Transactional Legal Clinic produce the series. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant Program and USDA Food Nutrition Service fund it.

Contact: Keith Benson, 601-988-4999