Last month, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced the state's proposed 2023 agriculture budget. The budget contains several elements that are key to building a more resilient, just farm and food system in Minnesota. For example, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) of Minneapolis reported it was thrilled that the proposed budget includes early care providers as eligible applicants for the extremely popular Farm to School grants for the first time.
Demand to participate in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Farm to School Grant program is high. A new report from IATP and University of Minnesota Extension demonstrates that demand for Farm to School continues to grow and right now exceeds the current level of funding.
In 2021, MDA Farm to School Grants received requests for more than $400,000, significantly more than the $292,407 funding amount they were budgeted to award for local food purchases. Local purchases, combined with schools' match dollars and economic ripple effects, have created an estimated nearly $1.2 million in economic impact on Minnesota's economy so far.
In 2022, with additional one-time USDA funding, MDA received requests for more than $4.5 million dollars. As this temporary federal funding expires after this year, the grant funding will revert to the $800,000 allocated in the proposed state budget. Imagine the economic impact Farm to School would have on our local economy if demand for Farm to School was met.
Until now, early care providers have not been eligible to apply for the grant, but we know that providers are interested in participating. Pilot funding for early cares through Minnesota's Farm to Early Care Network received requests for more than $274,000, with $22,500 in funding available. In 2020, the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) and IATP launched a Farm to In-home Early Care initiative on the east side of St. Paul. We connected a cohort of Hmong early care providers and the children they care for with fresh vegetables from HAFA's farm. In a new case study, Planting the Seeds: A Farm to in-home Early Care Pilot Case Study, learn more about the benefits of Farm to Early Care and the success of our pilot program.
This year, IATP is calling on Minnesota to increase funding for Farm to School and Farm to Early Care so that demand can be met and the program can continue to contribute to building vibrant local food economies in Minnesota.
Categories: Minnesota, Business, General