Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced Monday that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will award Farm to School grants to four of the state?s FFA chapters. The English Valley, Vinton-Shellsburg, Waukee and Wayne FFA chapters will each receive $2,000 grants to grow specialty crops, like fruits and vegetables, which will be served to their classmates through the school?s food service program.
?This program is a great way to get kids excited about and involved in agriculture,? said Secretary Naig. ?The FFA members are responsible for planting, growing and harvesting the produce. Then they get to see their hard work pay off when the school serves their foods. It?s also a win for the school?s food service program, which gains access to a larger variety of fresh, locally-grown produce at an affordable price.?
?The Farm to School grant program gives the opportunity for FFA chapters to expand career development experiences for students,? said Scott Johnson, Iowa FFA Executive Director. ?It also provides opportunities for students to improve their agricultural literacy, which will become increasingly important as they prepare for a lifetime of informed choices in a global agricultural industry.?
This Farm to School program is funded through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The objective is to expose students to new foods and introduce at least three FFA-grown fruits or vegetables to the school?s food service menu.
Participating FFA members choose which crops they want to grow and are tasked with tending to the fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Students collaborate with the school?s food service staff to establish a price for their produce and determine how to integrate it into meals.
The English Valley FFA chapter runs a 30 foot by 40-foot greenhouse. The students plan to grow tomatoes, peppers, mixed greens, radishes, carrots, snap peas and Brussels sprouts for their classmates.
The Vinton-Shellsburg FFA has a greenhouse where the students grow lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. With this grant, the chapter will expand its operation to include raised-bed gardens, fruit trees, and berries.
The Wayne FFA Chapter currently plants eight raised-garden beds and a one-half acre garden plot. They already grow tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, and cucumbers and will leverage this grant to expand their offerings to include broccoli and cabbage.
Waukee started its FFA Chapter three years ago and will use the Farm to School grant to give more urban students hands-on experiences in agriculture. The students plan to grow onions, herbs, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, corn, peppers, radishes, kale, peas, turnips, rainbow chard, broccoli, pumpkin, lettuce, cabbage, beets, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes.
To learn more about the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship?s Farm to School program, visit iowaagriculture.gov.
