The Utah State Board of Education on Wednesday approved staffs request to partner with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to apply for a FY2026 Patrick Leahy Farm-to-School grant and to commit a 25% in‑kind match, after debate about procurement, contracting and how local farmers would participate.

Child Nutrition Program Director Kim Loveland told the board the grant would focus on building supply chains between school food-service programs and Utah fruit growers, beginning with cherries, peaches and apples. She said the application would support regional hubs, technical assistance for procurement and would build contracting channels so small, local farms could sell produce to schools.

"This would focus on fresh fruit and build supply chain and methodologies so we have a supply chain and processes in place," Loveland said. She said the agency has previously distributed $250,000 for local beef purchases and separately set aside $260,000 for local fruit purchases this school year; the new grant would be an expansion into fruit.

Board members asked how many farms or ranchers had benefited from previous local purchasing and whether contracts would require producers to change operations or meet specific agriculture standards. Loveland said the department has worked with small producers and assessed capacity in prior beef work and would model that approach for fruit. She said procurement requirements vary by LEA and that schools already provide procurement documentation for small purchases.

After discussion about timing and whether draft contracts should be presented before the board authorized the application, the board voted 13–2 to approve USBE staff partnering on the Farm-to-School grant and committing a $125,000 in‑kind match contribution. Members voting "no" were Member Green and Member Boggess.

What it means: If awarded, the federal grant would be administered in partnership between USBE and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, with USBE providing staff time and local support to set up contracting and distribution systems to increase local fresh fruit purchases by schools.

Vote: 13 in favor, 2 opposed (Member Green, Member Boggess).