New Ulm Catholic Schools recently received $4,030 in Farm to School grants from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Most of the funding was $3,000 in a Full Tray food grant, which is awarded for school districts that have some Farm to School experience and want to grow their Farm to School programming and expand local procurement from Minnesota producers.

The amount of funding each school district is eligible for is based on the number of reimbursable lunches and breakfasts served in the district.

Projects must enhance and expand existing procurement and consumption of Minnesota grown and raised foods, including:

• Trialing new Minnesota grown products on the menu through taste tests

• Diversifying the products sourced from a Minnesota farm

• Increasing the number of times a Minnesota item or meal repeats on the menu

• Adding Minnesota Thursday as monthly feature to the menu

• Expanding the number of featured meals and/or items during Farm to School Month

• Introducing local sourcing into Summer Meal Programs through meals and snacks

In addition to the Full Tray Grant, New Ulm Catholic Schools received $1,630 for equipment purchases that fund the cost of equipment, shipping, and associated installation costs and support Farm to School initiatives.

“We’ve expanded our investment in new markets that directly benefit both farmers and children through our Farm to School programs,” said MDA assistant commissioner Patrice Bailey. “That means more schools participating for the first time, and longtime participants expanding their offering of healthy, nutritious, local foods for students.”

Funding for this program is made available through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota.

The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.

Grant recipients receive technical assistance to successfully implement their farm to school procurement activities from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop block grant.