Federal grant award links local foods with Iowa schools

The Iowa Department of Education is proud to announce it has been awarded a competitive Farm to School Grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA awarded 52 projects for its first cohort of grants for fiscal year 2026, totaling a record amount of nearly $20 million in grant funding. The Department’s Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services received over $215,000 to implement a farm to school project that partners with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Through this joint project, known as Cooking Up Connections: Iowa Farms, Food Hubs and Land Stewardship, several activities will be implemented to improve access to local foods in Iowa schools. Notably, the grant funding will assist the Department in expanding its popular Farm to School virtual field trip video series, which explores different produce grown on local Iowa farms.

The grant will also assist in providing agricultural education to Iowa students and strengthening farm and child nutrition program partnerships across the state. Through this opportunity, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Choose Iowa Food of the Month Campaign will be expanded to include 18 new locally grown and produced foods. The Choose Iowa Food of the Month Campaign helps create support for farmers, drive demand for the products they produce and generate excitement about agriculture innovation happening in Iowa.

“We are excited to be named as a USDA Farm to School Grant awardee and collaborate with our state agency partners,” said Meg Collins, section chief for the Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services’ Farm to School Program. “Through the Farm to School Grant, we can link our school nutrition teams with farmers in their local communities, creating valuable connections that provide Iowa students with healthy foods and access to agriculture education opportunities.”

The Iowa City Community School District also was named as a Farm to School Grant recipient for Iowa. Their initiative will build connections between their child nutrition program and middle and high school curricula.

Established in 2013, the federal Farm to School Grant program connects farmers to children by incorporating local foods into school meals, summer meals and child care settings. Funds have supported a wide range of activities from training and developing partnerships to creating new menu items and planting school gardens. The USDA has awarded more than $115 million in grants, funding more than 1,250 projects throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Additional information and a full list of grant awardees and project descriptions can be found on the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program Awards website.

For more information on the Department’s initiatives with local foods, visit the Iowa Farm to School webpage.