Go Giants: Mesabi East only district to get USDA Farm to School grant

The students at Mesabi East had a good growing season, and are now starting to pick the fruits of their labor.

Senior Brody Heinen was taking cucumbers out of the garden beds on Wednesday, and even found a U-shaped one! Some of the produce heads to the school cafeteria, and is eaten at lunch or snack time.

They’ll be able to grow even more, thanks to a nearly $100,000 grant from the USDA.

According to their Farm2School Coordinator Rachel Doherty, they are the only ones in the state to get the award.

“When I saw the email, I was shocked,” she told us. “Then, when we learned we were the only ones, it was kind of overwhelming.”

The grant will help them expand in several ways. They’ll be able to build a regional network to grow farm to school across Northeast Minnesota, along with identifying and connecting local producers and growers.

Also, they’ll be incorporating more farm to school into business and art classes, and creating new curriculum.