Producers seeking additional markets for their products and schools wanting to offer healthy, locally grown foods can make partnering up easier when they use the Farm to School directory.

State legislation in 2007 created the Farm to School Network and a directory was established shortly thereafter to help match up schools and farmers.

“Schools were not always considered a prime market as prices paid were not always as competitive, but this is starting to change,” said Don McDowell, communications director for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Iowa Secretary Mike Naig said that leaders will continue to build awareness about the directory and the possibilities that await producers, schools and care centers.

“Schools have a big job providing healthy nutritious meals for kids every single day. They often don’t have a lot of help due to labor shortages and then they try to source some of their food locally,” Naig said. “It takes time to learn about it, to follow through with it, but by providing resources like how to go through the procurement process, we hope to make it easier for schools and early care centers to participate.”

The directory includes a link that schools can use to create an informal bid request. Farmers are required to update their information each year to ensure it is current.

“We have producers who are interested in building new markets and institutional buyers, schools and early care centers are a great opportunity for them. So farmers need to understand what the institutions and centers are looking for, what are the quantities needed, how it needs to arrive, like are apples sliced or whole. There’s a knowledge gap between the two but a ton of interest, and that’s exciting,” Naig said.

There are no requirements for a farm to sell to schools, although schools must follow their procurement requirements. Farmers are encouraged to have a food safety plan in place and schools can contact them directly or create a quote request, McDowell said.

“Farm to School and Early Care can serve as a financial opportunity for farmers, food processors and food manufacturers by opening doors to a sizable institutional market. Buying from local producers and processors creates new jobs and strengthens the local economy, too,” McDowell said.

The other component to the Farm to School Network is the educational opportunities that exist for growers and teachers to educate students and care center kids about where their food comes from. Grants also are available to help producers provide the products schools and centers want and need.

“The Dairy Innovation Grant for example has supported a dairy farm to equip itself with processing so it can sell yogurt cups to schools and deliver significant quantities on a regular basis,” Naig said. “There’s also a grant for small meat lockers where farmers sell direct to schools but the meat products are processed locally.”

According to the Iowa Farm to School local purchase report, which includes information provided voluntarily from growers, the amount of locally produced dairy products sold to schools and early care centers increased in 2022-2023 from the previous year. Apples are popular among the produce sold by farmers to institutions, as are cantaloupe, carrots, onions, potatoes, peppers, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.

As far as dairy products, popular items bought by schools and centers include cottage cheese, cheese curds, milk, butter and yogurt. Chicken dominates the meat sales to schools and centers by farmers, followed by pork, then beef and turkey.

Choose Iowa, another grant program, helps add value to agricultural products, enable new technologies and support alternative marketing strategies.

“There are so many initiatives and programs going on right now,” Naig said. “There are some really cool things happening.”