Ohio becomes latest state to invest in farm-to-school funding

Farm-to-school efforts in Ohio are getting a boost from the state. The Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced over $332,000 in Grow Ohio Grants which will support 14 farm-to-school projects across the state.

The first round of recipients met at least one or more of the following criteria:

​​​The projects will include food literacy programs, school gardening, partnerships with local suppliers and hydroponic gardens.

“For some students, these programs will inspire them to take an interest in the agriculture industry and become part of the next generation of Ohioans who will feed our communities,” Governor DeWine said in a statement. “But all who take part will certainly become more connected to our state’s rich agricultural heritage, while learning valuable life skills they can carry with them forever.”

Ohio is the latest state to invest in farm-to-school efforts. Pennsylvania recently announced it is opening applications for its farm-to-school program. This year, the state is awarding $500,000 in farm-to-school grant funding and schools can apply to receive up to $15,000 to go toward eligible farm-to-school projects.

In addition,  New York announced the recipients of its round one funding for its Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program earlier this summer. The program aims to support school nutrition programs’ efforts to improve cafeteria kitchens and create meals from scratch using local ingredients. The state will award $50 million in grant funding over five years to eligible applicants through the program. As part of the round one funding, Buffalo City School District and Champlain Valley Educational Services will each receive $5 million to go toward expanding their local offerings.

Earlier this summer at the federal level, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a record-breaking $14.3 million in farm-to-school grant funding as part of its Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program.The grants will support 54 projects in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico and reach 1.9 million children, according to the department.