In 2007 Iowa Lawmakers passed Farm to School legislation that would establish a program that would:
link elementary, secondary, public and non-public schools with Iowa farmers; provide schools with fresh and
minimally processed Iowa grown food for inclusion in school meals and snacks; and encourage children to
develop healthy eating habits.
By now, you may be aware of some of the initiatives that have emerged from the Farm to School Program,
such as "A is for Apple," "Wrap your Own—Iowa Grown," and the infamous Farm to School Chapter. We
are excited to be offering a new initiative in 2012 "A Garden is the Way to Grow."
As educators you are more aware than anyone that students learn best from hands-on activities. A three-year study at Berkley, California has their Department of Education stating that "Students who participate in school garden projects discover fresh food, make healthier food choices, and are more physically active." It
is our hope that by creating school gardens we will help instill within children at a young, impressionable age
the knowledge and ability to produce healthy food and the impact fruits and vegetables has on their longterm
health.
We are offering 20 schools the opportunity to apply for funding to create your own school garden. Funds of
$350 will be allocated to the approved school districts to buy the supplies necessary to create your garden or
raised beds. In addition to funds, each participating school will receive a garden planner and seeds from
Seed Saver Exchange along with either a nationally-recognized, elementary-level, garden-based curriculum
Growing in the Garden, or a refractometer/sap extractor (jr/sr high).
What garden project would be complete without worms? Not just any worms mind you, red wigglers! A
worm composting bin will not only alleviate scraps from the classroom/school but it will also offer you a
multitude of science experiments utilizing compost. It may even encourage your students to make healthy
food choices just in order to create veggie scraps for their new class pets. Each classroom awarded a
"garden" will also receive a worm bin (with worms and instruction sheet) provided by USDA's National
Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment.
To be considered for this initiative, you must complete the attached application form. Each school will also
be required to complete a before and after survey to measure growth to satisfy our grant request. A final
performance report will also be required. Funds can be used for any material deemed necessary to sustain a
garden and can include tillage, rain barrels, fabric, lumber. We will be limited to no more than 20 gardens.
The garden should be created to meet your schools and students' needs and can be simply raised beds or can
be incorporated into greenhouse projects.
The application is due April 3, 2013. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions relating to
this exciting new initiative.
Tammy Stotts
Farm to Scool Program Coordinatory
515-281-7657
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