Established by the Rozo McLaughlin Farm to School Act of 2006 (6 V.S.A. Offers a loan for either 75% or 90% of the total cost of a project for capital improvements for the business. Food and agriculture service learning activities supported by Food and Agriculture Service Implementation grants may include, but are not limited to: 1. YOUR evaluation plan tracks your internal metrics, grant progress and outcomes, depending on your project USDA: Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities. 10B Airline Dr. Albany, N.Y., 12235│ (800) 554-4501 │www.agriculture.ny.gov 1 Guidance on Available Funding Sources to Support Farm-to-School Activities The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (Department) has prepared the following guidance on available funding sources for schools to support their Farm-to-School activities. Our fact sheets cover topics that range from USDA grants and loans that support farm to school activities to working with Cooperative Extension professionals to grow your program, while a brand new Farm to School Planning Toolkit offers eleven distinct chapters on everything from school gardens to menu planning, marketing and more. Refer to the table to see where you fit! The USDA Farm to School Grant Emergency Farm Loans: Help producers who own or operate located in a county declared by the President or designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a primary disaster area or quarantine area. Farm-to-school programs began in the 1990s and have been encouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through grant funding, technical assistance, and changes to school meal procurement regulations. Such activities may include school garden curriculum, class field trips to farms, or in-class meal-preparation and taste-testing. In years when a school contracts with a healthy lunch company, students at the school score better on end-of-year academic tests. We recommend that you start by seeking local sources of funding and in-kind support for your farm to school projects. One priority area for Farm to School is creating more opportunities for small and mid-sized livestock and poultry producers. The purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The grants on this page are mostly from national sources and may be highly competitive. Getting Started. These resources have helpful information for farms and schools interested in developing a Farm to Farm to School Planning Toolkit: This comprehensive document describes the key activities to building a strong Farm to School program. How Extension professionals can summarize county information from the USDA Farm to School Census; National Resources. WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 19, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the release of a request for applications for the third round of USDA's Farm to School grants, including the addition of a new funding track. Most successful farm to school projects are made possible with grants and community-based funding, at least in the start-up stages. Farm-to-School Census. Farms, schools, state agencies, non-profits, and anyone in between can apply for funds through the USDA. 2015 National Farm to School Census Results including Find Your Ohio School District. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is seeking applications from Vermont early childcare providers who want to purchase community supported agriculture (CSA) shares to help them incorporate more local food into their operations. » Complete reporting and evaluation activities as determined • by USDA. To find out which grants apply to you depending on your place in the local and regional food system, please view the USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain document (PDF, 112KB). Please describe any farm to school activities that you engage in with the children and/or families you serve. USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities Funding from the US Department of Agriculture is available to assist farms, schools and every link in between feeding kids healthy, local meals; teaching them about food, farming … These grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. Farm to school is the common term for programs and activities that are intended to get more local foods into school systems and to to increase students knowledge of nutrition, agriculture, and/or culinary arts, typically through hands-on, experiential learning methods. Examples include gardening, farm visits, cooking and nutrition based activities, etc. Phone: 651-201-6000 Toll Free: 800-967-2474 711 TTY 5. School Gardens. Farm-to-School. The Farm to School Incubator Grant Program will award competitive grants to support innovative local and regional farm to school projects in nutrition education, sustainable food production and procurement, and high-quality student engagement through experiential learning. Case Study ‒ Boulder Valley School District USDA F2S Grant 2014–15 3 Background ‒ USDA Farm-to-School Grants The earliest Farm-to-School activities began in the late 1990s in a small number of school districts across the United States. USDA and federal policy: The USDA Farm to School Program provides support to farm-to-school efforts, including research, grants, and technical assistance. Food & Nutrition Service Newsletter. In 2012, USDA’s Farm to School Program was formally established to improve access to local foods in eligible schools. 3. Loans can also be used to construct buildings or make farm improvements. USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm-to-School Activities. The Farm to School Grant Program (“F2S”) provides grants on a competitive basis to increase local food procurement for school meal programs and expand educational agriculture and gardening activities. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. 4. FUNDING. USDA Farm to School Program - Food and Nutrition Service . Agricultural Marketing Service : Market your product or improve intermediary supply chain activities. Assistance Grants Institution USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities Funding from the US Department of Agriculture is available to assist farms, schools, and every link in between in feeding kids healthy local meals; teaching them about food, farming and nutrition; and supporting local agricultural economies. Through the USDA Farm to School Grant Program, $5 million in funding is available per year and about ... States support farm to school in different ways, including: state-level farm to school ... that provide capital grants and loans to non-profit and for-profit social … The concept grew as a … USDA Farm to School Grant Program; USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities One way that VAAFM supports schools and ECE’s is through our annual farm to school grants. Grant recipients will be required to: Grant Tracks » Planning ... that support farm to school initiatives in schools; ... 24/7 Grants.gov support available: • support@grants.gov • 1-800-518-4726 At a favorable 5% interest rate, this program can help save money for agricultural enterprises making improvements. Looking for funding to help increase kids access to healthy local meals? Program Background. EVALUATION FOR USDA FARM TO SCHOOL GRANTS 1. There are additional funding opportunities for farm to school activities, take a look at the USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities for more details. WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6, 2013 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced the release of a request for applications (RFA) for the latest round of USDA's Farm to School grants. Expanding farm to school programs beyond lunch to bring local or regional products into the School Breakfast program; 2. USDA wants to know some information about your project activities, management tasks, expenditures & outcomes Baseline & final report Semi-annual progress reports Quarterly financial reports 2. § 4721), these grants provide financial and technical assistance to organizations looking to establish or expand their farm to school … National Farm to School Network, Ohio. FSA loans can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and supplies. GRANTS & LOANS. List any farm to early childhood professional development opportunities in which you have engaged. Here’s an example: The USDA Farm to School Grant specifies its goal as “ …[to] establish a Farm to School Program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.” Since 2013, USDA has invested nearly $10 million in Farm to School grants that support schools as they purchase from local and regional sources. This story looks at how school nutrition impacts educational achievement, focusing on the quality of food served. The USDA provides funding to encourage public schools to purchase fresh-market produFoce from local farmers. 625 Robert Street North Saint Paul, MN 55155-2538. Activities in State agency proposals may include, but are not limited to: hiring of staff to support statewide farm to school initiatives; creation of statewide marketing campaigns or harvest of the month initiatives. If you are interested in applying for a Farm to School Grant, the FY 2018 Request for Applications (RFA) will be released in the fall of 2017. Ohio Farm to School on Facebook . Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources: Farm to School Program Farm to Preschool is an extension of the Farm to School movement, and incorporates many similar activities designed to promote locally produced fruits and vegetables in a childcare setting. Farm to School encompasses efforts that bring locally or regionally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as school gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes; and the integration of food related education into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum. School districts may apply for $1,000 to $5,000 and there is no match required. Housing Assistance USDA provides homeownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income rural Americans through several loan, grant, and loan guarantee programs. learning throughout the school environment. USDA distributed the 2015 Farm to School Census to over 18,000 public, private and charter school districts in the United States. AGRI Farm to School Rapid Response for Food Vendors – Grants are intended to support equipment purchases for food vendors that will help them to meet the product needs of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional funding opportunities for farm to school activities, see USDA Grants and Loans that Support Farm to School Activities for more details. See About the Census for more information. Farm Ownership Loans: Provide farmers and ranchers the opportunity to purchase farmland, construct and repair buildings, and make farm improvements. To fulfill the farm to school mandate in the NSLA, $5 million is provided to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) on an annual basis to support grants, technical assistance, and the Federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program.