Nebraska Farm To School
The Nebraska 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 settings.
There are three core elements of Farm to School: Procurement, Education, and School Gardens. Farm to School works to provide resources to promote local Nebraska grown and raised products in the classroom, cafeteria, and community.
Apply Today for the Heartland Farm to School Institute 2025!
The Heartland Farm to School & Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute will help your Farm to School program grow in the three core elements of Farm to School: Procurement, School Gardens, and Education. After a program kickoff retreat in May 2025, your team will work on an action plan with an appointed coach to elevate Farm to School programming at your site within the Classroom, the Cafeteria, and the Community throughout school year 2025-2026. Evidence shows that participation in the Institute empowers teams to make significant strides towards achieving their Farm to School goals.
Selected Nebraska sites will be awarded $3000 to cover project expenses and implementation in the 2025-2026 school year.
Teams applying to the Heartland Institute 2025 must represent a School or School District from Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska. Applicants must participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
The Heartland Farm to School & ECE Institute is offered in collaboration with Farm to School and Early Care and Education partners from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. This initiative is formally led by the Kansas Department of Education, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Nebraska Department of Education.
Applications are due December 20, 2024, at 10:59 PM Mountain Time/11:59 PM Central Time. Notification of team selection will be made by January 27, 2025.
View the attached PDF flier and download the PDF application for more information.
We’ve attached the pdf of the application so interested schools/school districts can see what the entirety of the application entails but please note, you must apply through the google form listed above.
Questions? Contact Emily Hulse at emily.hulse@nebraska.gov.
October is Farm to School Month!
On October 21, 2024, Governor Jim Pillen took a signification step towards fostering healthy communities, improving nutritional quality of school meals, and supporting local agriculture by signing a proclamation to declare October as Farm to School month in Nebraska. This proclamation highlights the importance of connecting schools with local agricultural producers, enhancing nutrition education, and promoting healthy eating habits among students.
2024 Farm to School Month Proclamation
From left to right: Tammera Mittelstet, Clare Hornung, Jessie Coffey, Sarah Meyer, Marla Kurtenbach, Taylor Schorsch, Gary Fehr, Emily Hulse, Governor Jim Pillen
NEWSLETTERS AND EVENTS
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GRANTS AND FUNDING
KidsGardening offers a variety of grants to new and existing youth garden programs across the nation. Each funding opportunity has its own timeline, defining features, eligibility requirements, and reporting expectations. Explore the open grant programs at this site and see which one might be the best fit for your particular situation. If something catches your eye, you can find more details on each grant’s homepage.
The Local Food for Schools (LFS) is funding for states to assist in the supply chain disruption brought on by the pandemic. The Nebraska Department of Education received nearly $1.5 million through the LFS program to distribute to eligible schools, explicitly to be used on the purchase of local foods for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). LFS will strengthen Nebraska’s food system by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors. For more information, allocation amounts, or to access the FAQ visit Nebraska’s Local Food for School webpage.
The Salad Bars To Schools program is focused on donating salad bars to school districts so every child across our nation has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn everything you need to know about salad bars to schools grants.