A federal grant will help the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), the Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas State Research and Extension work together to bring more fresh, local foods into schools.

KSDE was notified Monday, June 29, that it was awarded $96,648. This will allow KSDE to award subgrants through a competitive application process. The funds will support farm-to-CNP programming that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts. Priority will be given to CNPs that serve at least 40% of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

The grant is a two-year project that will include program years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.

The funds also will allow KSDE to enhance its traveling educational exhibit, Body Venture, by adding an agricultural education component.

The United States Department of Agriculture this year awarded $12.1 million in Farm to School Grants, which is the most awarded since the grant’s inception in 2013. More than $52 million has been awarded to support 719 projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, according to a USDA news release. The projects are reaching nearly 21 million students in 47,000 schools.

There are 159 grantees this year, including KSDE and two other Kansas organizations. The Fresh Farm HQ Cooperative Association received a planning grant of $47,216, and the Kansas Rural Center received a $99,863 implementation grant.