DES MOINES, Iowa—Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced 33 schools or school districts have received grants to participate in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program for Schools. The one-year pilot program connects Iowa schools with Choose Iowa members to encourage school food service programs to purchase and serve more ingredients and products sourced from local farmers and small businesses.
The pilot program was authorized during the 2024 legislative session and is an initiative of Choose Iowa, the state’s branding and marketing program that identifies and promotes Iowa grown, made, and raised food, beverages and ag products.
“This Choose Iowa pilot program is yet another way we’re connecting Iowa farmers and small businesses with schools to provide fresh, local, and nutritious food to our students. This one-year pilot program saw strong demand from interested schools that far exceeded the available program budget,” said Secretary Naig. “As Choose Iowa continues to expand, we will work to open even more opportunities to connect local producers and school food programs. Choose Iowa’s membership is growing quickly and is already demonstrating how it can be a powerful tool for strengthening and growing our rural communities.”
The school pilot program has a total budget of $70,000, and each school was eligible to apply for up to $1,000 per school building. Both public and private schools were encouraged to apply. Selected schools are required to provide a minimum one-to-one (1:1) financial match. For example, a school receiving $1,000 must provide at least $1,000 from other sources for a total of $2,000 spent on local foods through the pilot program. Choose Iowa received applications from 61 schools or school districts totaling $158,249, an overall request far exceeding available funding.
The following schools, listed in alphabetical order by county of location, received grants:
Appanoose: Moulton-Udell Community School District
Benton: Belle Plaine Community School District
Black Hawk: Bosco Catholic School System
Boone: Boone Community School District
Cass: Griswold Community School District
Clayton: MFL MarMac Community School District
Dallas: Waukee Community School District
Dubuque: Holy Family Catholic Schools
Franklin: Hampton-Dumont Community School District
Grundy: Dike-New Hartford Community School District
Hamilton: Webster City School District
Harrison: Missouri Valley Community School District
Howard: Riceville Community School District
Ida: OABCIG Community School District
Jefferson: Fairfield Community School District
Johnson: Lone Tree Community School District
Lee: Central Lee Community School District
Linn: Center Point-Urbana Community School District
Linn: Xavier Catholic Schools
Marion: Pella Community School District
Mitchell: Osage Community School District
O’Brien: Sheldon Community School District
Page: Clarinda Community School District
Plymouth: Hinton Community School District
Polk: Bondurant-Farrar Community School District
Pottawattamie: Council Bluffs Community School District
Poweshiek: Montezuma Community School District
Ringgold: Diagonal Community School District
Scott: Pleasant Valley Community School District
Sioux: West Sioux Community School District
Winneshiek: Decorah Community School District
Winneshiek: St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School
Woodbury: Westwood Community School District
Eligible products that can be purchased include meat and poultry, dairy products (other than milk), eggs, honey and produce. Funding for milk is available through a different federal program. To be eligible for funding through the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program, schools must purchase food from a Choose Iowa member. If selected schools wish to purchase from specific Iowa farmers, they should encourage those farmers or businesses to apply to become a Choose Iowa member. Food hubs that are Choose Iowa members are also eligible for food purchases within the program. Products purchased through food hubs must come from Iowa producers.
Additional details on the school pilot program can be found on the Choose Iowa website. The school program accompanies the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Choose Iowa’s Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Food Banks, which launched last summer to connect food banks with Choose Iowa members to help alleviate hunger within our communities.
About Choose Iowa
Choose Iowa is the state’s signature branding and marketing program for Iowa grown, made, and raised food, beverages, and ag products. The Choose Iowa program was initiated by Secretary Mike Naig and is administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Iowans can connect with Choose Iowa through Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and the Choose Iowa website, which includes several user-friendly features for both members and consumers. Questions about Choose Iowa and its member benefits, grants and programs can be emailed to ChooseIowa@IowaAgriculture.gov.
(contributed press release)
