By Carmen Ensinger
Greenfield is one of the few school districts in the area that actually raises a portion of the food that it feeds its students.
Not only is it more healthy – free of the preservatives of processed meat – but it is also much cheaper. Or at least it was last year thanks to the district’s receiving a $20,000 Farm to School Grant.
Unfortunately, that grant is not being offered this year and the district is looking for ways to offset the costs associated with raising the livestock to be processed from its FFA Farm that will eventually be served to its students.
“We are still looking at all the numbers, but the FFA Farm was a significant contributor to the Food Service Program’s profitability during the 2025-26 school year,” Greenfield Superintendent Andy Stumpf said. “Both the elementary and high school have qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2026-27 school year, allowing all students at those schools to receive free meals.”
Stumpf said both he and ag teacher and FFA Advisor Beth Burrow feel, even with the loss of the Farm to School Grant, that the program can be profitable, with a little help.
“Our biggest expense is corn to feed the livestock,” Stumpf said. “So Mrs. Burrow is working with Hog Inc. to put together some sort of grain bank so if someone wants to donate 10, 20, 50 or 100 bushels of corn, Hog Inc. will keep that corn for us and when we go to them to purchase feed for the livestock that will save us a big portion of our bill.”
Stumpf said they are hoping that will offset some, if not all, of the loss of the grant.
“Then, hopefully, next year, the grant will come back,” he said. “But, right now, that is only wishful thinking.”
On the upside, Stumpf said they bought a couple of heifers last year to help make the program sustainable and one of them had one calf and the other one had twins.
“So, we ended up with three calves out of the two heifers,” he said. “So, that is a good thing for the farm.”
