The Chillicothe R-II School District will receive $12,000 through the USDA’s Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program to expand local food options in the district’s school lunch program during the 2026–2027 school year.
This funding will support one Friday each month of school meals featuring locally grown produce from Table Top Farms and beef purchased from Reeter Farms, helping connect students with nutritious foods produced in the region while strengthening partnerships with local producers.
The LFS funding is part of a larger cooperative agreement recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). USDA signed a cooperative agreement with the State of Missouri for more than $1.2 million to increase purchases of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs across the state. Through the program, the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) will purchase and distribute local and regional foods and beverages for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
“This cooperative agreement supporting Missouri schools is another example of how USDA is working to build a more resilient food system rooted in local and regional production,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program provides an opportunity for states to strengthen ties between local farmers, ranchers, food businesses, and schools and gives students access to nutritious foods unique to the area they live in, building stronger connections across local communities.”