"Farm to school programs work—for schools, for producers, and for communities," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "By serving nutritious and locally grown foods, engaging students in hands-on lessons, and involving parents and community members, these programs provide children with a holistic experience that sets them up for a lifetime of healthy eating. With early results from our Farm to School Census indicating schools across the nation invested nearly $600 million in local products, farm to school also provides a significant and reliable market for local farmers and ranchers."
In 2016, 74 projects spread across 39 states will be funded, including:
- $45,000 for California’s Konocti Unified School District to use for increasing the amount of locally-grown food in school meals and embedding farm to school methods in the school environment.
- $42,300 for the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska. Missouri and Iowa will work together with Nebraska to host a Tri-State Farm to School Conference. The event will bring together farmers, community members, food processors and more for training, networking and brainstorming.
- $74,938 for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to use towards expanding the capacity that farmers can provide locally grown items to additional school districts and expand a Poultry Pilot Program.
During the 2016 school year, the grants will help serve more than 5,000 schools and nearly 3 million students.
Join the discussion and tell us your thoughts about the USDA investing in locally-grown agriculture in American school cafeterias. Are there any other areas in schools that could benefit from education about where food comes from?