Good food for better school meals
Good Grains On the Go is a 4-year project focused on transforming school breakfasts and lunches with locally sourced, minimally processed, and ready-to-bake foods using Maine-grown whole grains. By partnering with Maine farmers, food producers, agricultural educators, school nutrition directors, and student eaters, we’re making it easier for schools to serve convenient, nutritious meals—while strengthening our local food system.
Led by The Good Crust, we’re bringing healthier, locally sourced, and minimally processed ready-bake breakfast and lunch options to Maine schools.
This project will transform school menus with high-quality, Maine-grown ingredients like whole grains, cheese, broccoli, blueberries, and potatoes by leveraging partnerships with local farmers, food producers, and school nutrition teams.
The initiative will develop and scale new value-added products, such as whole grain pizza crusts, filled pockets, and breakfast rolls, to offer nutritious, convenient, and affordable alternatives to highly processed school meals.
Through culinary innovation, hands-on student and staff education, supply chain partnerships, and strategic manufacturing investments, Good Grains on the Go seeks to build a replicable model for integrating local foods into school nutrition and classroom education programs, strengthening Maine’s food supply chain, and fostering a lifelong appreciation for locally grown meals
Maine Ag in the Classroom
Farm to Pizza Student Magazine
The “Farm to Pizza” Ag Mag is now available for order (and is free for Maine teachers!). It is the first ever customized agricultural magazine that discusses Maine’s grain economy. While targeted to grades 3-5, the magazine and learning content may be adapted to a broader audience. Maine teachers may order classroom sets of 25 at no cost!
Access to grains has been crucial throughout history, playing a vital role in the development of agriculture, civilization, and human societies. The top five grains grown in Maine are Oats, Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Corn!
For lessons and related materials on growing grains, pizza lessons, cereal science, and more, go to MaineAgintheClassroom.org.
SCAN THE QR CODE FOR GRAIN-SPECIFIC MATRIX LESSONS
Our commitment to empowering school nutrition directors to succeed effectively is on display each month with a Harvest of the Month postcard mailed to every school nutrition director in Maine. These postcards contain an easy-to-make, student-approved recipe for a menu item using seasonal local ingredients and a dough product from The Good Crust. Not only that, the postcard also provides pricing information, meal pattern credit details and sourcing tips.
Click here to see what we’ve sent out so far for the 2025-2026 academic year and get ready to be inspired!
Harvest of the Month Post Card
A collaborative initiative to deepen the appreciation and use of local grains in schools
Helping Students Understand Where Their Food Comes From
Teach lifelong healthy eating habits by connecting a “Grow Your Own Pizza Garden” with kid’s favorite food! Students explore the entire food journey—from seed to slice—while learning about turning whole grains into flour, and growing tomatoes, basil, oregano, or other pizza toppings. Use agriculture to deepen educational learning standards with hands-on pizza lessons from our partners at Maine Ag in the Classroom.
Looking to keep the learning going at home or in the cafeteria? Try our recipes for homemade sauce or pesto, made to pair perfectly with our pizza dough.
Want to offer these experiences in your school or community group? Send us a message—we’re exploring ways to make these kits available for purchase in bulk, and are happy to discuss a grain education experience that may suit your needs.
Can we help you save labor and add local grains to your menu?
Talk to us about how local whole grains and time-saving foodservice products can create solutions and exceed goals for your school.