(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the final round of Local Food for Schools grants are out for this year. Among the recipients in the KJAN listening area, are the following school districts: Atlantic, Audubon, Bedford, CAM, Clarinda, Council Bluffs, Essex, Griswold, Nodaway Valley, Panorama, Shelby County Catholic School, Shenandoah, Treynor, West Central Valley, and the West Harrison CSD. Naig says “What this is all about is providing some small grants, two-thousand dollars ($2,000) to those school districts, and that will be an incentive for them to buy locally.”

Schools can use the grants to buy meat, eggs, produce, dairy and other local foods from area farmers. “It is a case of, yes, it’s a it’s a good food and nutritious local food, fresh food for students, but also it can be a really nice market opportunity for farmers,” Naig says. He says 137 public and private schools were awarded grants in this round “We’ve been excited that 110 farms or food businesses have participated in this program, now entering its its third year,” Naig says, “and here’s the I think even more exciting is that we’re seeing a lot of interest in folks either expanding their farms or getting into it.”

IA Ag Secretary Mike Naig (RI file photo)

Naig expects the program to continue and grow. “While we’re able to supply …what schools are looking for in terms of today, right now, I think this is an area that’s growing, and so I believe we’re going to see increased interest in schools and institutions looking to buy local,” he says. “And I think we’re going to be seeing either an expansion of and the addition of some farms that are going to try to supply that marketplace. And really is a nice upside for folks.”

Naig says through the first two rounds, more than one-point-seven million dollars has been awarded to 162 Iowa schools, and more than 110 farms and food businesses have sold products to schools through the program.

Here is a link to the schools approved for grants: https://iowaagriculture.gov/sites/default/files/2024/2024%20LFS%20Iowa%20Schools_0.pdf