The Great Apple Crunch is an annual October event that promotes local food purchasing and encourages healthy eating during National Farm to School Month. For this simple event, schools, organizations, and households across Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest region commit to crunch into local apples in October. Last year, nearly two million participants crunched into locally grown apples across the Midwest region. The Great Apple Crunch is celebrated across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio.

One of the Crunch’s main goals is to celebrate seasonal foods and to generate excitement around local foods and agriculture. The event highlights farm-to-school and farm-to-institution sales, increases appetites for regionally and locally grown produce, and supports Wisconsin apple growers. The Crunch encourages Wisconsin schools and other institutions to increase local options in cafeterias, keeping local dollars in the community and benefiting local apple producers.

Extension provides schools, institutions, and producers with marketing resources, recipes, activities, education, and solutions to boost local food systems. Extension efforts are part of national and regional efforts to connect farms to schools and institutions.

Older man crunching into Red Delicious apple with a barrel of apples in front of him.

Whom We Serve

Organizations and Institutions interested in purchasing local produce

School and early childhood education professionals interested in healthy eating and local food education for students and families

Wisconsin and Midwest apple producers

Ways We Help

Support for local apple producers to participate in The Great Apple Crunch.

Connection to outreach and educational resources for engaging schools, educators, and institutional buyers in your community.

Support for schools and early childhood educators in healthy eating and local food and farm education.

young blonde child about to take a bite of an apple close up of 5 year old blonde child with mouth open about to take a bite of an apple Child Stock Photo

How It works

The Crunch gives schools and institutes five great ways to connect with local farms and encourage healthy eating:

Plan Your Crunch

Choose a place and time to celebrate the Great Apple Crunch with your students or colleagues. Coordinate with local apple producers or your food service team to ensure you have enough locally-grown apples for everyone.

Promote Your Event

Use the provided marketing materials to build excitement. Share the Crunch with your school community through newsletters, social media, and school announcements. Encourage participation and highlight the importance of supporting local farmers.

Crunch Together

On the day of the event, gather your school or institute to take a unified bite into your apples. Capture the moment with photos or videos, and share your Crunch on social media using #GreatAppleCrunch to join the larger community celebration.

Educate and Engage

Use the educational resources provided to teach students about local agriculture, nutrition, and the journey of their food from farm to table. Consider incorporating apple-themed lessons or activities to deepen their understanding.

Reflect and Share

After the event, share your experiences and any feedback with the broader Crunch community. Consider how you can continue to incorporate local foods into your school’s meals and educational programs throughout the year.

Success & Impact

The Big Apple Project: Strengthening Local Food Systems Across Northeast Wisconsin

On a crisp fall morning, workers load bins of apples at the Door County Peninsular Agricultural Research Station (PARS), fruit that in prior years was sold for deer bait because the research station lacked staff, harvesting vests, and bins needed to collect and sort apples for human consumption.