Contact Us
AgNet
  • About KDA
      • Office of Commissioner
      • Office of Administrative Services
      • Office of Agricultural Marketing
      • Office of Agricultural Policy
      • Office of Communications
      • Office for Consumer & Environmental Protection
      • Office of Legal Services
      • Office of State Veterinarian
      • Request an Official Appearance
      • International Trade
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
  • LICENSING & LAWS
  • Forms
  • News
      • KDA receives $500,000 grant
      • Western Kentucky Disaster Relief
      • Western Kentucky Disaster Relief
      • Kentucky Agricultural News
      • Press Releases
      • News Archive
      • Ag-Related Resources
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
      • Dicamba Training
      • Hemp Program
      • Licensing and Certification Portal (login required)
      • Livestock Entry Requirements
      • Market News
      • Pesticide Registration and Renewal
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
  • Online Services
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Ag Businesses Directory
      • Ag Ringtones
      • ARD Inspector Search
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Hay for Sale
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • KDA Calendar of Events
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Online Permitting System
      • Pest Control Company Directory
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pollinator Protection Registration System
      • Product Registration and Renewal System
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Service Agency
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Ag Policy
      • KADF Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF)
      • Administrators
      • Applicants
      • Applicant Reporting
      • County Agricultural Development Councils
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Board
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation (KAFC)
      • Application Deadlines
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation Board
      • Lender & Mentor
      • Loan Programs
      • Kentucky Agricultural Policy Publications
      • Annual Report 2019
      • Annual Report 2020
      • Annual Report 2021
  • Animal
      • Animal Control
      • Animal Disposal and Rendering
      • Animal Health
      • Animal Marketing Programs
      • Aquaculture
      • Beekeeping
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Emergency Management
      • Equine
      • Farmed Cervids
      • Livestock
      • Livestock Welfare Complaints
      • Market News
      • Movement and Identification
      • Online Permitting System
      • Poultry
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Spay/Neuter
      • State Veterinarian
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
  • Plant
      • Farmers Markets
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • GAP-Good Agriculture Practices
      • Ginseng
      • Grape and Wine
      • Hemp
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • Horticulture
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Organic
      • Plant Marketing Programs
      • Produce Safety Program
  • Regulatory
      • Aerial Recreational Devices
      • Amusement Ride Inspections
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Egg Licensing
      • Food Programs
      • Grain Licensing and Regulation
      • Grain Licensing Search
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Market News
      • Organic Program
      • Pest Control - Agriculture
      • Pest Control - Structural
      • Pesticide Product Registration
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
      • Public Pest and Recycling Assistance
      • Rendering
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Teen & Tobacco
      • Weights and Measures
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Promotional
      • Ag Businesses
      • Ag Education
      • Agritourism
      • Appalachia Proud
      • Buy Local
      • CSA - Community Supported Agriculture
      • Eat to Win KY
      • Emergency Management
      • Farm License Plate
      • Farm Safety
      • Farm to Campus
      • Farm to Fork
      • Farm to School
      • Farmers Markets Directory
      • Farmland Preservation/PACE
      • Farms Are Fun
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Good Agricultural Practices - GAP
      • Grants
      • Homegrown By Heroes
      • Hunger Initiative
      • International Trade
      • Jobs for Vets
      • Junior Chef
      • Kentucky Proud
      • Kentucky Wine
      • Livestock Tag
      • Market News
      • Mobile Science Activity Center
      • Promotion and Development
      • Shows and Fairs

Division of Food Distribution

The Division of Food Distribution contributes to the nutritional well being of the citizens of Kentucky by distributing USDA commodities to eligible recipient agencies. Food Distribution administers four food programs for USDA.

Child Nutrition Commodity Program

The Division of Food Distribution coordinates the distribution of commodities to more than 1,300 public, private nonprofit schools and residential child care institutions that provide meals to students. The Child Nutrition Commodity Program supports American agricultural producers by providing cash reimbursements for meals served in schools, but also by providing nutritious, USDA-purchased food. USDA Foods valued at over $28 million a year for 195 school systems, serving over 400,000 students daily. Over $3.9 million is used to purchase fresh produce through the Department of Defense to assist in providing fresh fruits and vegetables to Kentucky students and to assist in fighting the obesity issues faced by school children.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a program administered by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for Kentucky residents. The program supplements the diets of participates by providing generous monthly packages of food carefully selected to provide broad nutritious food for a well balanced diet, as well as nutritional education and information to enable our clients to enjoy healthier eating habits and healthier lives. Over $5.5 million of food is made available to approximately 28,300 senior citizens at 110 locations across the state.

Emergency Feeding Assistance Program

Emergency Feeding Assistance Program (EFAP) is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with healthful foods at no cost. Under EFAP, commodity foods are made available to local agencies for distribution to needy households for use in preparing meals for home consumption, or to organizations that prepare and provide meals for the needy. Recipients of food for home use must meet program eligibility criteria set by the State. Over $4.1 million of food is made available to five food banks, which contract with Food Pantries to distribute food to needy household for preparing meals for home consumption or to organizations that prepare and provide meals to the needy.

Farm to School

We at KDA are committed to our farmers and our communities. Our goal is to bring together the freshness and high quality of our Kentucky Proud products and schools. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the youth of Kentucky and feels by supporting the Farm to School program it will allow kids to grow into healthier adults who are educated about local food production and who demand local products.

Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program

The purpose of the Kentucky Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SrFMNP) is to gain market access for farmers as well as improving nutrition of low income families by providing them better access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Funding for Kentucky's program comes from federal and state resources. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) serves as the lead agency for Senior FMNP. The low-income seniors are provided with $28 in checks to purchase fresh, unprocessed, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs at State-approved farmers' markets. The Senior FMNP provides an additional est. $250,000 to Kentucky farmers each year.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. See disclaimer.

Division of Food Distribution

Farm to School
  • Junior Chef
  • National School Lunch Programs
  • National School Lunch Program Login
  • Senior Farmers' Market
    Supplemental Programs

    Newsletter Sign-up

    Food Division Newsletter

    2017

    KDA Video

    Beekeeping 101: A Guide for Beginners

    State Apiarist Tammy Horn Potter tells beginner beekeepers the four essential tools they need to get started.

    Commissioner Quarles asked Facebook to stop rejecting pages that promote hemp

    Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles told legislators about the conflict with a social media giant.

    Commissioner Quarles talks to WHAS11 about Industrial Hemp in Kentucky

    Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles talked to WHAS11's Chris Williams about the enthusiasm for industrial hemp.

    The Kentucky Hemp Comeback

    Kentucky farmers are exploring industrial hemp, a crop that connects Kentucky’s past to its future. Kentucky businesses are taking that raw material and turning it into products.

    ABOUT KDA AGNET CONTACT US REQUEST AN APPEARANCE
    KY Department of Agriculture |Phone: (502) 573-0282 |Fax: (502) 564-2133 |1-800-327-6568 |Disclaimer |Ag links
    • © Kentucky Agriculture Department. All rights reserved.