U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet announced Tuesday, Dec. 2 that the Mancos Conservation District has won a $97,683 Farm to School Grant from the Department of Agriculture's Farm to School Program.

The grant will be used for hiring school staff to cultivate a farm plot on school district property, increase students' access to local foods, engage students in farming and gardening activities and support the development of a producer cooperative and distribution system.

Sarah Syverson, director of the Montezuma School to Farm project, said half the grant will go to the Montezuma School to Farm project and half to the Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative, a local company that distributes local food.

"The main focus for the Montezuma School to Farm project for this grant is the development of the Cortez production plot at the Cortez Middle School and teaching classes at the Cortez School District," Syverson said.

Syverson said the money will allow the group to add an additional 75 heritage fruit trees and rows of annual crops.

Last year, the farm produced 4,000 pounds of food for the schools.

In addition, the grant money will allow the Montezuma School to Farm Project to go into the elementary schools in Cortez to teach nutrition.

A small portion of the grant will also go to Dolores, Syverson.

"But our main focus will be on expanding Cortez," she said.

"The money will help develop the system to get local food into the elementary schools," she said.

"Innovative projects like Local Foods4Local Schools ensure that kids have access to fresh, healthy foods, while supporting local producers and local economies," Bennet said. "These types of grants are part of a larger efforts to combat childhood hunger and obesity and improve nutrition in schools. "

More than $5 million in grants were awarded to 82 projects nationwide.