Utah beef ranchers and tree fruit growers, including those in Davis County, can apply for contracts supplying school cafeterias statewide. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) opened the solicitation, with applications due Friday, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. MDT through utah.bonfirehub.com under reference number USBE-JB26254-RFP.

The program is not new. A previous round launched in 2023 connected six producers with about 135 school food authorities across Utah, generating $1.9 million in local sales, as ABC4 first reported. Every school and producer involved said they would participate again.

The USBE says the program gives students a chance to learn where their food comes from while supporting Utah's agricultural economy.

"Connecting Utah farmers and ranchers with schools strengthens markets for our producers, keeps more food dollars in our state, and gives students access to fresh, nutritious food produced closer to home," Utah Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Kelly Pehrson said.

The stakes are sizable locally. Davis School District serves roughly 28,000 meals a day across 174 school days, totaling nearly 4.9 million meals per school year, according to the Davis Journal. The district ships about 975 truckloads of food annually to its schools. Whether Davis is among the school food authorities participating as buyers in this round has not been confirmed by the district.

Schools with higher free-and-reduced-lunch rates, including campuses in Woods Cross and North Salt Lake, stand to benefit most from programs that bring fresh, locally grown food into cafeterias. Those campuses often lack the PTSA fundraising that supplements nutrition programs at wealthier schools.

Producers with questions can submit them through the portal's Q&A section before Friday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. They can also contact Kate Wheeler, value chain coordinator at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, at [email protected]. The USBE's Farm to School specialist, Dani Perez, can be reached at [email protected] or (801) 538-7872.