Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the final round of Local Food for Schools grants are out for this year and a number of northwest Iowa schools are among those receiving grants.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provided $2,000 grants to 137 participating school districts or schools to purchase meat, eggs, produce, dairy and other local foods from area farmers in the 2024-25 school year. Launched in 2022, Local Food for Schools (LFS) pairs school lunch programs with a local food hub to connect to area farmers.
This latest and final round of Iowa LFS runs from August through December of 2024. Through the first two rounds, more than $1.7 million has been awarded to 162 Iowa schools, and more than 110 farms and food businesses have sold products to schools through the program. The state ag department tells us 64 percent of producers identified as socially disadvantaged or beginning farmers. The economic multiplier for this project was 1.94, meaning for every dollar spent on local purchases, there was 94 cents of additional economic activity generated in the state.
Area schools receiving grants this time were Inwood Christian School, Netherlands Reformed Christian School, the Rock Valley Community School District, Sheldon Christian School, and the Sheldon Community School District.
Other nearby districts receiving grants were Clay Central Everly and Spencer.
