Griswold CSD Awarded Iowa Farm to School Grant
Earlier this year, the Griswold Community School District was awarded an $11,407 grant through the Iowa Farm to School program, providing new opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning while increasing access to fresh, locally grown produce. The grant is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Patrick Leahy Farm to School State Agency Formula Grant and awarded by the Iowa Department of Education!
Griswold CSD was one of just seven Iowa schools selected to receive funding through this grant cycle. Other recipients included Charles City Community School District, Clear Lake Community School District, Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District, Davenport Community School District, Spencer Sacred Heart School, and Waukee Community School District.
The Iowa Farm to School program is designed to connect students with local food systems through three core components: education, school gardens, and local food procurement. The goal is to help students better understand where food comes from while increasing access to fresh, healthy foods in school meal programs.
The funding will support the expansion of the district's Farm to School efforts through the purchase of hydroponic systems, the installation of a refrigerated salad bar, and implementation of nutrition education activities.
The project uniquely combines all three Farm to School elements. Students will learn about agriculture and plant science in the classroom, gain hands-on experience growing produce through hydroponic systems and grow towers, and ultimately see that produce incorporated into school meals.
Elementary classrooms will utilize tabletop hydroponic systems to help students understand the life cycle of plants from seed to harvest. Students will participate in planting, monitoring growth, and harvesting produce while learning about nutrition, sustainability, and food systems. Agriculture, Science, and Culinary Arts classes will also play a role in supporting the program and expanding learning opportunities across grade levels.
Students are already seeing the benefits of Farm to School learning. One example occurred this spring, when some of our Food and Consumer Sciences students prepared a lesson and then visited a first-grade classroom to teach students how hydroponic systems work and how plants grow without soil. The first graders then got to sample fresh mint and romaine lettuce grown right here in our building.
Throughout the 2025-26 school year, lettuce grown in our hydroponic systems has been featured on our new refrigerated salad bar in our school cafeteria, while herbs grown by students have been used in Food and Consumer Sciences classes for cooking and recipe preparation.
The initiative aligns closely with Griswold CSD’s strategic plan, which emphasizes hands-on, real-world learning experiences that help students connect classroom lessons to practical applications.
Fresh. Growing. Moving forward.
That’s Griswold!