The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it had improved and expanded its Farm to School Grant program and would invest up to $18 million to connect locally grown food to child nutrition programs. “Putting America’s Farmers First starts with putting our children first.”According to USDA’s latest Farm to School Census, more than 440 Iowa school food authorities, the entities that manage school food service, have participated in the program. According to the census, nearly 50% of Iowa school food authorities had classroom programs and slightly more than 15% of Iowa school food authorities had edible gardens. According to USDA, Farm to School Grant awards totaled $100 million since 2013. These programs, Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance, were canceled in March after USDA announced in October 2024 over a $1 billion in funds to continue the programs across the country.