The Last Word
By Hugh E. Weathers
Two areas in which specialty crop growers often tell us they want more assistance with are finding new markets and scaling up production.
In South Carolina, we’re rolling out a new market opportunity called Certified SC Cafeteria. I think it will address both of these grower needs.
Certified South Carolina, our state’s agricultural branding program, has been helping consumers identify local foods since 2007. School cafeterias have always been partners in the program, but we’ve never had a special designation for them until now.
Prioritizing Local
In its session last spring, the South Carolina Legislature invested in schools and farmers by appropriating funds for a program coordinated by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to bring more South Carolina-grown products into public school cafeterias across the state.
With an annual budget of $1 million, the program will support schools in purchasing local products while strengthening South Carolina farms and communities. Participating cafeterias sign a contract pledging to prioritize local food purchasing as much as possible. Districts will be reimbursed directly for buying additional South Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables starting in January 2026.
What does that mean for specialty crop growers? It means an increased market for local produce.
For farmers, knowing about the Certified SC Cafeteria program is only part of the picture. We will also help connect farmers to school nutrition staff.
Support for Farmers
To support and facilitate purchases, an online portal called the Local Food Connector was created. Here farmers can list their crop availability, certifications and contact information. Schools will use this tool to find farmers that can supply their needs.
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture supports specialty crop producers in many ways. School districts and other buyers require Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. The department offers cost-share grants to help farmers offset some of the costs of GAP audits and on-farm improvements. The department also offers cost-share grants for water-quality analysis, value-added packaging, organic certification, and to help producers attend educational conferences and trade shows. And the market development team offers networking opportunities, trade show support and other services to help farmers.
I think Certified SC Cafeteria will fit in perfectly with these other offerings. It’s another way farmers can sell more products to their neighbors and create economic opportunity for the state.
The tagline of the new Certified SC Cafeteria program is “Investing in our future, one meal at a time,” and I think that’s a great summary of what this means for South Carolina schoolchildren and farmers.
Hugh E. Weathers is South Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture.