SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce the recipients of the Farm to School Producer Equipment and Infrastructure (F2S EI) Grants. The F2S EI Grant is the first state-funded grant program to help producers and processors overcome financial barriers to entering or expanding into the school marketplace. In addition to considering representation of diverse industries and regions of the state, ODA considered applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, federally recognized Tribes, and veterans.
ODA received approximately $900,000 in requested funds from 24 qualified applicants. Of the six projects selected for funding – three are growers, one is an aggregator, and one is a processor. ODA revised the scope of some applications to award as many projects as possible. Grantees provided more than $90,000 in matching funds towards the state’s investment.
Grant Awardees:
- Deck Family Farm (Junction City)- $20,000
- Fry Family Farm (Medford)- $48,609
- Good Rain Farm (Gresham)- $39,033
- Gorge Farmer Collective (Mosier)- $31,786
- Quackenbush Farm (Eagle Creek)- $53,843
- Sweet Union Farm (Klamath Falls)- $6,729
The goal of this competitive grant program is to provide financial resources for Oregon producers (farmers, ranchers, seafood harvesters and processors) with specific equipment and infrastructure needs, and who intend to sell food produced or processed in Oregon to any of the following food sponsors:
- A school district participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP);
- A provider of center-based programs for children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP); and
- An entity that provides meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
The Oregon Department of Education’s Farm to School Grant Program funded the grants through an Interagency Agreement. $200,000 was available for the 2021-2023 biennium.
For more information about the Oregon Farm to School Program please visit ODA’s Farm to School webpage.
— ODA