Goehring announces availability of Farm to School equipment grants

BISMARCK - Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced that applications are now being accepted for Farm to School equipment grants.

Farm to School equipment grants will allow eligible recipients to purchase equipment that will further their participation in the Farm to School program, which allows schools to purchase food from local producers for their school lunch menus.

To be eligible for grant funds, an applicant must be a North Dakota producer, North Dakota K-12 school district participating in the National School Lunch Program, or North Dakota Early Childhood Education Center participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

"After holding meetings across the state, schools and producers indicated that they need more equipment to help ease the process of getting local foods to students," Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. "This grant will assist in that process."

North Dakota received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Award for the program. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) will distribute the $204,500 available for grants through a competitive process.

Goehring said an information manual with eligibility criteria, application instructions, scoring criteria and important dates can be found on NDDA's website: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/farm-school-equipment-grant.

Applications must be submitted in electronic form by March 31, 2025. Applications will then be reviewed, scored, ranked and provided to Agriculture Commissioner Goehring for final approval.

Goehring said persons needing more information should contact Jenna Nieters at (701) 328-2659 or [email protected].