The 2025 Golden Root Award winners were recognized at the inaugural Farm & Food Celebration in Grinnell earlier this month. Sponsored by the Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition, the Golden Root Awards honor Iowa schools, early care providers and residential child care institutes for their use and promotion of healthy local foods.
This year, the winners of the 2025 Golden Root Outstanding Awards included Hampton-Dumont Community School District’s South Side Elementary as the 2025 School of the Year and Drake University Head Start as the 2025 Farm to Early Care and Education Program of the Year. The Golden Root Outstanding Award winners are recognized for excellence in farm to school and early care and education initiatives.
“It’s important to recognize and celebrate the growing number of schools and early care providers that are helping to increase access to locally grown food and food education for Iowa students and young learners,” said Meg Collins, nutrition education consultant at the Iowa Department of Education. “Farm to school and early care programs can help link children and their families to their communities and lifelong healthy habits.”
Winners of the 2025 Golden Root Outstanding Awards received free registration to the Farm & Food Celebration event, a framed certificate and honors during the celebration’s community dinner and program. They will also be recognized by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at the Iowa State Fair in August.
The 2025 Golden Root Awards also recognized gold, silver and bronze level winners in K-12 schools and early care and education programs through a point-based system of 10 categories. Twelve Iowa schools and eight early care and education programs were awarded a gold, silver or bronze award this year and received a certificate and virtual badge.
Along with the Golden Root Awards, the bi-annual Farm and Food Celebration featured farm tours, local foods and honored Iowa’s food systems. Hosted by ISU Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition, the full-day event provided opportunities for engagement with local farmers and food businesses and connections with food system practitioners, early care providers and other organizations.
For more information on the Iowa Farm to School program and local food resources, visit the Department’s Farm to School webpage.