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Kansas State Department of Education receives funding to expand Farm to School programs

The Kansas State Department of Education is receiving nearly $98,000 from USDA’s Farm to Schools Program.

Director of Child Nutrition and Wellness Kelly Chanay tells Brownfield the money will go toward subgrants and technical assistance through a partnership with Kansas Farm Bureau and K-State Research & Extension.

“We are creating a platform to facilitate work at the community level between our nutrition program operators, local producers and community stakeholders,” she says.

Chaney says local producers are critical to the program’s success.

“If we have a program operator that says they want to buy 500 pounds of lettuce, you can’t just plant a crop of lettuce,” she says. “So they’re going to know what’s going on in northwest Kansas, this is what’s going on in southeast Kansas. These are the best practices.”

Chaney tells Brownfield KSDE has been advocating for Farm to School since 2013 and qualified for grants also previously in 2020 and 2022. According to USDA, the Farm to School Program helps child nutrition program operators incorporate local foods in the National School Lunch, Summer Food Service and the Child and Adult Care Food Programs. 

The application period opens in October. Awardees will be announced in January.