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.

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

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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.

Contact us at:

NDE – Nutrition Services
NDE.F2S@nebraska.gov
(402) 471-2488

Updated October 28, 2024 2:25pm