Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Announcements from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Bureau of School Nutrition
- Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Now Open: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Farm to School (F2S) Grant Program Request for Applications
USDA Food and Nutrition Service is pleased to announce the release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Farm to School (F2S) Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA)!
This competitive grant will fund innovative Farm to School projects ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 for a total of up to $18 million. Eligible entities include state and local agencies, Tribes, child nutrition program operators, small to medium-sized agriculture producers, groups of agricultural producers, and nonprofits.
Each grant will support Farm to School programming that increases local foods in school meals and connects children with agriculture, helping expand markets for producers and inspire the next generation of farmers. The grant program builds on USDA’s commitments to connect local farmers and producers to Child Nutrition Programs and strengthen strategies that encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families.
If you are interested in this grant opportunity, please read the full RFA before applying. Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) on Friday, December 5, 2025.
To complete the application process, applicants must Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), register in the System for Award Management, and then Register Here. Applicants are encouraged to begin this process as early as possible, as it can take multiple weeks to complete every step.
For more information, the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program will host a webinar on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 1-2:00 PM Central Time (CT). You can Register for the Webinar Here, and Additional Details are available as well for grant applicants if you have more questions.
Farm to School Stickers for Farm to School Month
Farm to School stickers are still available and Farm to School Month is right around the corner! USDA will consider all requests for stickers, as long as supplies last.
Requests will be accepted from the following entities:
- Child nutrition program operators
- Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program
- Childcare institutions and facilities that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
- Summer meal sites that participate in the Summer Food Service Program
- State agencies administering child nutrition programs
- State Departments of Agriculture
Order Stickers Here: At the bottom of the page, there are instructions on how to log into the Government Printing Office (GPO) ordering website as well as log in credentials.
Order Limit: Eligible entities can order up to 2,000 stickers (10 rolls). They can also make a special request if they need additional stickers. (The current website is outdated and displays a 600 (3 roll) limit.)
Process: GPO has five (5) business days to process an order, including shipping, once it is received via the Sticker Website. In most cases, they process the order before this timeframe. GPO ships the stickers via USPS, using the most cost-efficient means, which means it takes 2- 8 business days for the package to get to the recipient.
If your SFA is in need the stickers by Wednesday, October 1, you are encouraged to order this week, preferably sooner rather than later. If they have activities happening later in the month, there is more flexibility.
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Unveils Sweeping Strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again
The Make America Healthy Again Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. The strategy outlines targeted executive actions to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration.
The Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases.
Key Focus Areas of the Strategy
Restoring Science and Research: Expanding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and agency research into chronic disease prevention, nutrition and metabolic health, food quality, environmental exposures, autism, gut microbiome, precision agriculture, rural and tribal health, vaccine injury, and mental health.
Historic Executive Actions: Reforming dietary guidelines; defining ultra-processed foods; improving food labeling; closing the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) loophole; raising infant formula standards; removing harmful chemicals from the food supply; increasing oversight and enforcement of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising laws; improving food served in schools, hospitals, and to veterans; and reforming Medicaid quality metrics to measure health outcomes.
Process Reform and Deregulation: Streamlining organic certification; easing barriers to Farm to School programs and direct-to-consumer sales; restoring whole milk in schools; supporting mobile grocery and processing units; modernizing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug and device approval; and accelerating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approvals for innovative agricultural products.
Public Awareness and Education: Launching school-based nutrition and fitness campaigns, Surgeon General initiatives on screen time, prioritizing pediatric mental health, and expanding access to reliable nutrition and health information for parents.
Private Sector Collaboration: Promoting awareness of healthier meals at restaurants, soil health and land stewardship, and community-led initiatives, and scaling innovative solutions to address root causes of chronic disease.