Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation

Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation, doing business as Iowa Farmers Union, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Nevada, Iowa, that receives federal grants for agricultural education, local food systems development, and food safety outreach — operating as a prime grant recipient and as a sub-recipient on food safety and producer education programs.

The organization's federal footprint is small and grant-focused. As a prime recipient, Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation received a $371,955 project grant from the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (CFDA 10.175) on September 30, 2021, running through September 29, 2024. That award supported the continued development, coordination, and expansion of local and regional food systems in Iowa through research, support programs, education, policy advocacy, and partnerships with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and other core partners. The foundation operates as a sub-recipient on two federal grants issued by the National Farmers Union Foundation, both supporting food safety education and producer outreach. The first, dated October 1, 2023, funds education and outreach to small and medium-size vegetable growers regarding the produce safety rule and food safety, including listening session focus groups, field days for fruit and vegetable farms and food processing facilities, training for Spanish-speaking farm workers, farm-scale food processing equipment development and access, and food safety educational materials distribution at regional events. The second sub-award, dated October 1, 2024, carries the same food safety compliance and producer education scope. Together, the three awards account for $444 thousand in combined federal dollars obligated. Activity is light and episodic — one award in 2021, one in 2023, and one in 2024 — with two distinct customer agencies: the Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration (2 awards) and the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (1 award). The organization does not hold federal contracts, IDIQs, or GWACs; its federal engagement is exclusively grant-based, concentrated in agricultural education and food safety compliance for small and mid-size producers in the Midwest.