Thursday, February 6, 2025
News for Wisconsin School Food Authorities
Funding Opportunities!
National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant
Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
The NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant is now open! Schools or districts can request a maximum of $15,000 for up to two pieces of equipment. Consider applying for equipment that will help you with processing of local foods and/or scratch cooking. Equipment ideas include a commercial food processor, tilt skillet, or industrial blender.
All authorized representatives (ARs) and food service directors (FSDs) received applications through individualized Qualtrics links on January 17, 2025. Applications are due on February 28, 2025, at midnight CT. The USDA NSLP Equipment Grant Webpage contains additional resources to assist SFAs with the application process.
Whole Kids Garden Grant
Application Deadline: March 5, 2025
The Whole Kids Garden Grant provides a $3,500 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at a K-12 School in the U.S. or Canada. To be eligible, the garden must be located at a charter or public school including tribally controlled and Bureau of Indian Education schools or a non-profit private school, engage at least ten K-12 children on a regular basis in garden programming, and be growing edible plants in the garden.
Learn more and apply at the Whole Kids Foundation.
2025 School Nutrition Foundation Equipment Grants
Deadline: March 12, 2024
The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is awarding over $600,000 worth of equipment to school districts with 2025 Equipment Grants. Applicants must be current director-level members of SNA. Visit the Equipment Grants page for more eligibility details. Apply Today!
Free Milkweeds for Schools & Non-Profits
Deadline: February 2025 (while supplies last)
If your school or non-profit educational organization is interested in pollinator conservation, Monarch Watch can help you create a habitat for monarchs and pollinators. Qualifying organizations can receive a free flat of 32 milkweed plugs as well as guidance on how to create a new habitat or enhance an existing garden.
Learn more on how to bring back the monarchs on their Website!
Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) Competition
The Wisconsin Beef Council is hosting a Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) competition for Wisconsin High Schools with the opportunity to win a beef gift certificate for your classroom.
MBA is a free, virtual, self-guided course that provides the tools and resources to answer tough questions about beef and raising cattle. The full program takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete and includes five sessions that address environmental sustainability, beef nutrition, animal welfare, and beef safety while taking participants through the beef lifecycle.
How to Enter: Every Wisconsin high school instructor who has at least five students complete the MBA will be entered into a drawing to earn the beef gift certificate for a classroom cookout. Email the list of students who completed the program to kriley@beeftips.com by March 15, 2025.
Enroll Today! If you are interested, there is also an MBA Classroom Kit. This kit helps you teach MBA in a classroom or group setting. The guide helps get students enrolled, includes grab, and go activities, and more.
Celebrate Wisconsin Chili Lunch!
Wisconsin Chili Lunch Day is Thursday, February 27, 2025, but schools and organizations are encouraged to celebrate any day during the month. This is an opportunity for K-12 schools, early care and education programs, hospitals, colleges and more to cook and serve a chili recipe featuring local foods.
Prepare your chili with locally grown and produced ingredients such as local meat, vegetables, cheese, sour cream, and yogurt. Download the 2025 Wisconsin Chili Lunch Guide for ideas to help highlight the amazing local foods available in our state! Use the Wisconsin Local Foods Database (LFD) to find local ingredients for your chili! Producers who offer ingredients for chili are highlighted in the LFD with the Chili Lunch icon.
The DPI Farm to School (F2S) team also has a brand new resource called, “Cooking with Dried Beans In a Nutshell” Learn how Wisconsin grown beans can be prepared and added to your favorite chili recipe. Register Here for this Farm to School Event!
National School Breakfast Week
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. This year’s NSBW will take place March 3-7, 2025, with the theme of “Clue In to School Breakfast”.
There are many delicious ways to implement Farm to School into your breakfast program! Consider trying a few of the following ideas.
- Muffins made with frost-sweetened spinach or frozen local berries.
- Add school grown or locally purchased herbs such as cilantro and basil to savory breakfast dishes like eggs, breakfast pizza, and tacos.
- Give local eggs a try! Locally purchased eggs are allowable in child nutrition programs. See the USDA Memo for additional information on using shell eggs in child nutrition programs and the Selling to School: Licensing Requirements in a Nutshell detailing regulations for buying and receiving local eggs.
- New Recipe! Substitute a locally roasted diced potato for frozen hashbrowns.
Article adapted from the Ohio Farm to School team!
New Resource Available!
Food Service Directors’ Guide to Local Grains
This guide is for food service directors at various institutions and includes school-specific resources to help directors purchase local grains and incorporate them into their food service programs. The resource is part of the Grains to Trays Initiative, a collaborative project between the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and the Artisan Grain Collaborative (AGC).
Interested in learning more? Check out the Project Website or email Cathryn Herlihey, Farm to Institution Specialist, at cherlihey@wisc.edu.
Ask Your Gardening Question: Live Events!
The UW-Madison Division of Extension Horticulture Program is excited to announce their FREE 2025 web series, Ask Your Gardening Question: LIVE—designed especially for Wisconsin gardeners and plant lovers alike. Join monthly on Mondays at 1:30 PM for an opportunity to connect directly with plant health experts from the UW-Madison Division of Extension.
Hear advice on a wide range of topics, including tree and shrub care, growing fruits and vegetables, lawn maintenance, plant diseases, insect pests, and so much more. There is no cost to attend, but advanced registration is required.
You can attend one session or all twelve! Do not miss this opportunity to connect with horticulture professionals and grow your knowledge!
Save the Date: Upcoming F2S Conferences!
2025 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
Dates: June 3-6, 2025
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Hosted by the National Farm to School Network, the Cafeteria Conference will convene hundreds of movement leaders working to source local food for institutional cafeterias.
Cultivating Connections: A Wellness and F2S Summit
Dates: August 5-6, 2025
Location: Wisconsin Dells, WI
Join the first Wisconsin statewide gathering of Farm to School and wellness advocates including school wellness leaders, school nutrition staff, farmers, and educators. This two-day summit will provide innovative strategies that promote student health and knowledge of local food systems through educator engagement, policy implementation, and partnership opportunities. Registration will open in March 2025.