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The Oklahoma Farm to School Program enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites.
With the new year on the horizon, the Farm to School Program is updating their information and contact list. If you are an Oklahoma Producers, a preschool, child care center, family child care home, Head Start/Early Head Start, or a K – 12 school, participating in the Farm to School Program, please use the link below to complete the form.
The goal of this is to be sure the program has updated and accurate information to share with partners, stakeholders, producers, schools, food service companies, and distributors across the state. The Farm to School Program also wants to know how to better serve our producers, schools, staff and students.
Check out the new Farm to School Podcast
This national podcast serves up stories of kids' lives that have been changed by eating local food and learning where their food comes from. A project by Oregon State University (OSU) and Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and funded by the USDA, this podcast seeks to make "Farm to School" a household term!
You can find it on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts - just search for “farm to school podcast”.
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Celebrate Your School Meal Success with a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award
There are many ways to serve school meals and the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards for School Food Authorities are designed to celebrate the innovative practices taking place across the country! Whether it is preparation techniques, menu planning, cultural diversity of meals, incorporation of local foods, community engagement, or nutrition education – uplift your school meal program by applying for a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award today! Recognition Award winners will receive national and local recognition, as well as an exclusive invitation and a travel stipend to attend one of the National Healthy Meals Summits.
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As we wrap up this year, it's always important to think back on all of our accomplishments and successes. This is a great time to reflect and share how the Farm to School Program has made a difference in your school, business or students life.
The Oklahoma Farm to School Program feels it's important to hear how the program is making a difference in schools and communities throughout the state. Whether a new donor made a significant donation to your school to fund a school garden, a producer hosted a field trip to their farm, or cafeteria personnel bought local produce to host a school-wide taste test, we want to hear about it! These stories will be featured on our website and social media pages.
Take the 2023 Farm to School Census
The 2023 Farm to School Census is live, and your participation counts! The Census is the only national survey that examines the extent of farm to school activities in schools across the country. It surveys all public, private, and charter school food authorities (SFAs) operating the National School Lunch Program about their farm to school relevant activities. The Census results are publicly available and the information is vital to help schools, partners, advocates, and producers understand the role of farm to school in supporting resilient local food systems and contributing to student experiences at school. Review the 2019 Farm to School Census results here and the 2023 Farm to School Census Resources here.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) sent each SFA a unique link to complete the Census.
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Get Ready for the New Year With These Farm to School Grant Opportunities!
2024 Farm to School Grant Request for
Applications is Now Open!
Deadline: January 24, 2024
The USDA Farm to School Program is excited to announce the official release of the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA). USDA will award up to $12 million in million in grant awards for activities such as training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, and implementing farm to school programs. Each grant will help implement farm to school programming that increases access to local food in eligible schools, connects children with agriculture for better health, and inspires youth to consider careers in agriculture.
The RFA includes five tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and three Turnkey grants - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages.
The grant program takes a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all in farm to school programming by prioritizing applications serving at least 40 percent of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals; applications from Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) serving tribal communities; applications from organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous or other communities of color; applications based in and serving rural communities; and applications from agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers.
If you or an organization you know wants to apply, please visit the Resources for Farm to School Grant Program Applicants webpage for more information. Complete applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by 11:59 pm ET on Friday, January 12, 2024.
Technical Assistance Available for Agricultural Producers who have Experienced Discrimination in USDA Farm Loan Processes
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just officially opened the claims process for Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides $2.2 billion in financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021. IRA Section 22007 is not a lawsuit and there is no fee to apply or to receive assistance in applying. To support producers throughout the application process, USDA is ensuring that organizations with extensive experience conducting outreach to farm organizations are able to support individuals who may be eligible for the program. These groups include AgrAbility, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Land Loss Prevention Project, National Young Farmers Coalition, and Rural Coalition.
PLANTS Grant
Deadline: January 22, 2024
Applications for Chef Ann Foundation’s newest grant program Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) open November 27th. They are seeking proposals for projects led by groups of local partners with systemic and equity-driven approaches to transforming school food supply chains. Projects should seek to build and strengthen relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and School Food Authorities (SFAs) as well as expand scratch cooking in schools in order to build more nourishing school meal programs. Grant awards will be between $500,000 and $600,000 and will not require grantees to match funding. Entities eligible to apply include School Food Authorities, food producers, food distributors and aggregators, nonprofits, and local government agencies.
Applications Open for Funding of Innovation and Partnerships in Rural School Food Systems!
Deadline: January 26, 2024
As part of the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, funding and learning support are now available for a cohort of up to 35 rural school food authorities (SFAs) across the nation. Project SCALES (Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems) will work with SFAs over a two-year period as they engage in projects to build partnerships for innovative solutions to increase local procurement in their school meal programs. The Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University will provide a grant (up to $150,000) for each SFA, with expert technical assistance from LunchAssist.
For more information and to apply, visit the Project SCALES website. The online application portal is open and the deadline for submitting applications is 11:59 ET on January 26, 2024.
Fund-a-Farmer Grants
Deadline: January 15, 2024
Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) awards competitive grants of up to $3,000 to working, independent farmers located in the 50 United States and five major U.S. territories who raise beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, ducks, geese, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Before submitting your online application, please read the complete set of eligibility guidelines here. This year FACT will fund the following types of projects: farms that wish to improve and expand pasture for animals, farms seeking one of three animal welfare certifications, and farms that already one one of the welfare certifications.
Salad Bars to Schools Grant
The Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) Program is a partnership between the Chef Ann Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation. Any district or independent school participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is eligible to apply. To qualify for a SB2S grant, you must offer the salad bar as part of the reimbursable meal served in your district. The food services director for your district is the required contact person for the application.
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