Tennessee schools still miss farm-to-school grant eliminated in 2025 as USDA rolls out new programs

By: Cassandra Stephenson

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: September 22, 2026

Words: 1,049

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 3 days ago

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School Nutrition Director Vickie Dunaway has spent years transitioning the Milan Special School District in West Tennessee toward scratch-made cooking.

She used grant funding to purchase equipment needed to process whole foods in school kitchens, and she bought fresh corn, squash, tomatoes and local beef from farmers for student meals.

But in March 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled the Local Food for Schools program that helped her …

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