WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty-five projects are recipients of the USDA’s annual farm-to-school grants.

 

Farm-to-school programs are designed to increase the amount of local food served in schools through various methods outlined by each institution or organization.

 

“Increasing the amount of local foods in America’s schools is a win-win for everyone,” said Cindy Long, deputy administrator for Child Nutrition Programs at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, which administers the department’s school meals programs.

“Farm-to-school projects foster healthy eating habits among America’s school-age children, and local economies are nourished as well, when schools buy the food they provide from local producers.”

Schools with strong farm-to-school programs have reported higher meal participation, reduced food waste and increased willingness of the students to try new foods. The program has also proven to be a boon to the economy of local farmers. In the school year of 2013-14 alone, schools purchased more than $789 million in local food from farmers, ranchers, fishermen and food processors and manufacturers. Nearly half of these districts plan to purchase even more local foods in future school years.

“Agriculture is a big part of who we are and our way of life,” said Benny Lyle, superintendent of Metcalfe County Schools in southwestern Kentucky, which were awarded a $97,601 grant for their farm-to-school program.

“At the heart of this, we want the opportunity for all of our students, from a preschooler to our oldest senior, to have the opportunity to be involved in a program like this.”

The Metcalfe County Schools program was created to allow every grade level to participate in bringing foodboth to their cafeterias and their local farmers’ market.

“We may have the preschool students planting seeds in a raised bed, then the second- and third-graders might will be in charge of watering the plants,” said Lyle.

“Then we might have upper elementary school students preparing plants for transplanting to the high school greenhouse. From there, we could have the high school students harvest the produce. Then that product could be served on the salad bar during school lunches. If we have any excess, we can sell that at our local farmers’ market.”

The Metcalfe program will also integrate education activities into current curricula with greenhouse classes, outdoor classrooms, culinary classes, cannery jobs, farm field trips and day camps for both the region’s 4-H clubs and students.

Grants ranged from $14,500-$100,000, with the USDA awarding a total of $5 million to schools, state agencies, tribal groups and nonprofit organizations for farm-to-school planning, implementation or training.

Projects are located in urban, suburban and rural areas in 42 states and Puerto Rico, and they are estimated to serve more than 5,500 schools and 2 million students.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and the Summer Food Service Program.