It’s official! The 2026 Golden Root Awards have been announced, recognizing Iowa schools, early child care providers and residential child care institutions for their use and promotion of healthy local foods.
Sponsored by the Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition, this year’s Golden Root Award winners included Decorah Community School District as the 2026 School of the Year and Tri-County Head Start as the 2026 Farm to Early Child Care and Education (ECE) Program of the Year.
“Congratulations to both Decorah and Tri-County for their Golden Root Awards,” said Meg Collins, section chief for the Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services at the Iowa Department of Education. “These two awardees are well deserving and have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting local foods and connecting with farmers and vendors in their community.”
Decorah was recognized for its work to connect local foods and the school nutrition program to their classes, such as gardening and health. This year, the health class students shucked 1,400 ears of corn and set a new school record of peeling 100 pounds of garlic cloves during one class period. Their gardening crew also harvested hundreds of pounds of peppers that were used on their salad bar and in several school lunch items. For Iowa Local Food Day, Decorah celebrated with homemade breakfast pizza made with all local products including cheddar cheese, ground turkey, heavy cream, wheat and eggs. It was served with local apples and pears.
Tri-County was honored for its commitment to their Farm to ECE mission, “Improve Nutrition One Bite at a Time.” Their approach is rooted in the core elements of farm to school, beginning with hands-on garden experiences. Children engaged in year-long gardening activities, including a planting party on Iowa Kids Garden Day. They also tie in nutrition education into their program with Tasty Tuesdays, which features a focus food that often uses local sources. Children also receive books on healthy foods and a hands-on classroom recipe each month, which encourages the exploration of new foods. In many of their activities, Tri-County often partners with local vendors, strengthening ties to the community.
The Golden Root Award is presented annually to schools and organizations that work to grow and share their love of local food and community. To be considered, applicants were required to answer 10 multiple choice questions and provide a detailed narrative of their farm to school initiatives. All eligible schools and organizations must be an active participant in a USDA Child Nutrition Program and be in good standing.
The Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition’s mission is to increase access to locally grown food and food education for children and families by building cross-sector partnerships to advance programs and policies in schools, early care setting and the food system. The Iowa Department of Education is an active stakeholder for the coalition.
For more information on the Department’s initiatives with local foods, visit the Iowa Farm to School webpage.