KSDE highlights Farm-to-Plate grants, Harvest of the Month and school-run bakeries in statewide update

Kansas State Department of Education officials and local operators told the State Board of Education on Oct. 14 that farm-to-school activity and local-food procurement have expanded in the state, driven by grants, coaching and new partnerships with producers.

Kelly Chaney, KSDE Director of Child Nutrition & Wellness, recognized five Kansans Can Best Practice award recipients for work that connected school meals programs and local food education. The winners included USD 445 Coffeyville (farm-to-plate initiatives and a greenhouse/hydroponics program), JC Family Home Association (home-daycare garden projects), Lake Mary Center (school-to-ranch learning on an on-campus farm), USD 258 Humboldt (meal-debt relief and emergency meal outreach) and USD 386 Madison (wellness and farm-to-school work). Chaney said the awards recognize both menu and educational innovations in child nutrition programs.

Chaney and CNW staff described KSDE''s Farm-to-Plate activities, which include grant funding, farm tours and technical assistance. Erin Davis, CNW, summarized results from federal and state grants: KSDE has used USDA and state funding to buy local meat for school meals, awarded subgrants to support local procurement and farm-education projects, and contracted farm-to-plate coaches to work with sponsors during administrative reviews. Davis said a recent local-food-for-schools grant allowed KSDE to purchase locally raised meats for school nutrition programs in 2023''4, involving 216 sponsors and 243 Kansas meat producers.

Selected district and nonprofit presentations illustrated how grants are being used: Lawrence Public Schools described a new district bakery, funded in part by a Kansas Department of Agriculture resilient food infrastructure grant, that produces scratch-baked products for school meals using locally milled wheat; Julie Henry, Lawrence''s nutrition director, said the bakery has produced tens of thousands of items in its first months and can adjust recipes and portion sizes to meet meal-pattern and nutrition goals.

Janet Dozier described JC Family Home Association''s work with 22 home-daycare providers to install raised beds, distribute soil and set up gardening projects with small children; the program used a KSDE subgrant and focused on early-childhood learning, food exposure and parent engagement. Lake Mary Center in Paola described an on-campus ''ranch'' program used for vocational activities, animal care and gardening, including composting and harvests used in the residential program. USD 445 Coffeyville detailed a 40-foot hydroponic container farm and greenhouse that supplies lettuce and herbs to school kitchens and supports in-class food education.

KSDE officials said farm-to-plate work also targets early childhood through Harvest of the Month pre-K curriculum and through outreach to child-care sponsors. Chaney said KSDE will continue industry outreach, provide technical assistance to operators, and prioritize grants that build teams (food-service staff, classroom teachers, administrators/community partners) so projects are sustainable if personnel change.

Board members and attendees asked about scaling and sustaining projects, meal-budget impacts and whether federal procurement rules limit buy-local policy. KSDE staff said most grants were one-time or short-term grant funding that districts use to buy equipment or begin farm-to-plate activities; Chaney said the agency also works to build procurement relationships so districts can continue local purchases after grant funds expire.

No board action was taken; KSDE said the agency will provide additional detail and post program materials and subgrant lists to the department website.