Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Receives Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant for Milwaukee Schools
The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) in East Troy, Wisconsin, has been awarded a $440,000 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This grant will fund a new multiyear produce project, the Farm to School initiative, which will be implemented across 20 schools within the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) system. The initiative, set to launch in October, aims to expand the availability of locally grown foods in MPS child nutrition programs by strengthening farm-to-school food pathways and enhancing student agricultural education. MFAI will partner with Fork Farms, a Wisconsin-based food access technology company, to provide hydroponic growing systems called Flex Farms to the recipient schools. These refrigerator-sized units can grow leafy greens and herbs indoors year-round, producing up to 25 pounds of fresh food every 28 days. The schools will also receive growing supplies and hands-on training.
