As the new year quickly approaches, sentiments of waving goodbye to 2020 and starting fresh in 2021 are top of mind. While this past year has presented challenges for all, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS) wants to honor the incredible work that has been done in the farm to school community to continue to feed children, support families and lift up communities during these unprecedented times. These efforts have been a bright spot in this difficult year and continue to light the path into 2021.

The Farm to School Grant Program

On an annual basis, USDA awards competitive Farm to School Grants to support to help initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts.​ Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 was a banner year- the Farm to School Grant Program awarded more than $12.1 million in grants to 159 farm to school projects spanning 46 States and tribal nations as well as two U.S. territories – the largest number of projects funded and highest total grant funds awarded since the Program began in 2013. The 2020 Farm to School Grants will serve more than 7,610 schools and 2.5 million students, more than half (57.4 percent) of whom are eligible for free or reduced priced meals. In addition to the Farm to School Grants, USDA awarded a brand-new grant – the Regional Farm to School Institute Grants – to two grantees earlier in 2020.  Grants of approximately $100,000 each were awarded to First Nations Development Institute (CO), and Shelburne Farms (VT).

OCFS National Office and Regional Leads have worked closely throughout 2020 with grantees, providing training on best practices, facilitating networking, hosting quarterly calls with grantees, and conducting grantee webinars. In September of 2020, OCFS hosted nearly 300 USDA FY 2020 Farm to School Grantees and key stakeholders for the 2020 Farm to School Virtual Grantee Gathering. One of the most popular sessions, “Creative Actions Taken By Farm to School Grantees” featured a panel of grantees who shared success stories and tips for pivoting their programs to meet the needs of students and families virtually and at home. Check out their stories and resources HERE.

Farm to School Grantees Across the Country Support Resilient Local Food Systems

Despite the challenges COVID-19 presents, Farm to School Grantees have navigated this new landscape and continued to support local food systems in innovative ways.  

FY 2020 Implementation Grantee, The School District of Erie Public Schools has pivoted their Erie Farm to School program in Pennsylvania to produce a more sustainable method of providing their Harvest of the Month (HOM) lessons to ten elementary schools.  They have produced video lessons for students K-5 that include an introduction to the HOM item while touring one of their thirteen school gardens, a science lesson with a specific content theme, mindful meditation with nutrition highlights and a visit to a local farm or farmers' market including a career connection.  Throughout the summer and fall 2020 growing season, Erie Farm to School distributed 1,551 pounds of fresh produce to school families and the neighboring community through weekly food distribution. Adult volunteers have been caring for various school gardens while students have not been on campus.

Restrictions due to COVID didn’t stop Gibson County, Tennessee from celebrating Farm to School Month in October. The Gibson County Farm to School Team, which was formed through the Trenton Special School District’s 2020 Planning Grant, provided over 700 2^nd grade students with local apples from Jones Orchard out of Millington, TN to kick off Farm to School Month. “Since the students cannot visit pumpkin patches this year with their classrooms, the Gibson County Farm to School Team thought we could bring some of the farm to the classroom,” stated Lisa Seiber-Garland, School Nutrition Director, and Farm to School Team Leader for Trenton Special School District. Students in afterschool programs throughout Gibson county also got in on the Farm to School Month fun with local sweet potatoes from Steele Plant Company and pumpkins from Todd’s Family Fun Farm along with educational activity sheets.

FY 2019 Implementation Grantee Sunrise Project provides farm to school programming to Lawrence, Kansas schools. Sunrise Project pivoted supply funds to purchase a “freedge” (free food fridge)[1] that offers the neighborhood, which includes schools they work with, easy access to whole, fresh produce. Sunrise also utilizes their front porch to offer tastings to youth and families (pre-Covid, was done in the cafeterias) and creates meal kits that enable youth to cook at home with their families, in lieu of classroom cooking.

In Massachusetts, FY 2019 Implementation Grantee Grow Food Northampton continues to advance Farm to School in the Northampton Public Schools. Their education initiative has been preparing and distributing take-home cooking kits to families, followed by live cooking instruction. They are also holding outdoor, socially distant garden days at two subsidized housing properties. To support the District's food service during this difficult time, Grow Food Northampton has stepped up their efforts to provide outreach for school meals, publishing many social media posts and profiling 'Local Food Heroes' from the school meal distributions.

What’s Next for Farm to School in 2021?

USDA will award up to $10 million in competitive grants to eligible entities through the Farm to School Grant Program in FY 2021. The RFA includes three tracks—Implementation, State Agency, and a new Turnkey track—to support a variety of projects and implementation stages.

The Grant RFA is now open can be found online at www.grants.gov. Complete applications must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on Friday January 8, 2021. You can also find information about applying on our OCFS Grant Applicant Resource page.

In addition to another great year ahead for the Farm to School Grant Program, OCFS plans to share the results of the 2019 Farm to School Census!  The Farm  to School Census collects information on the scope of farm to school activity, the amount spent by schools on local food products, the types of products bought by schools for their nutrition programs, and other relevant information from School Food Authorities across the country. USDA is excited to release the results of that survey in the Spring of 2021.

Finally, OCFS would like to thank YOU, our readers! This year we’ve reached over 70,000 subscribers to the Dirt, which reflects the continuously growing farm to school community. We look forward to the great work ahead in 2021!

[1] Be sure to work with your local health department to ensure food safety requirements are met.