BEDFORD — The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) has announced that, to date, 117 school districts within the Commonwealth are participating in the PA Beef to PA Schools Program (PBPS) for the 2024-2025 school year.

Now in its third year, PBPS connects schools and food service professionals with cattle producers to provide fresh, locally sourced beef to students. The focus of the program is more beef, more often.

The initiative not only supports farmers, but also integrates locally grown food into school lunch menus, connecting students to agriculture and their community through the beef industry.

PBPS ensures that high quality beef is on the menu regularly and works to fight food insecurity while meeting students’ nutritional needs with locally sourced protein. School food service providers focus on creating healthy meals that showcase the power of protein and harness beef’s ten essential nutrients to support and fuel growing bodies.

Throughout the school year, participating school districts will procure beef monthly from local producers. The program covers 70% of the state in 47 counties and will serve more than 217,000 students. This demonstrates substantial growth in the program’s third year, with the number of students served growing by more than 197,000 since 2022.

More than 26 farms will provide over 132,000 pounds of beef to Pennsylvania school students. One pound of beef will feed 5.5 students. Programming aimed at connecting students with farmers and growing their understanding of where their food comes will take place in multiple schools, including the participation of 300 school districts in Local PA Beef Days. Additionally, many schools are planning special programming to teach students about preparing healthy beef recipes and to connect them with the farmers providing their beef.

“Beef has so much to offer including ten essential nutrients that can support a healthy and active lifestyle. We continue to be extremely passionate about fueling young students with beef and connecting the dots between Pennsylvania farm families and beef meals on the lunch tray,” said Nichole Hockenberry, PA Beef Council, Executive Director. “Our desire is to provide more beef, more often in schools which offers sound nutrition and a great eating experience and ultimately grow the next generation of beef consumers.”

The PBPS program is administered through a 50/50 cost share with schools and the PBC with additional funding support from the PA Department of Agriculture and other State Beef Council Partners. Local beef producers have also donated to the program. As farmers, their priority is to aid in feeding the next generation and sharing their passion for farming with students across the Commonwealth.

To learn more about PBPS contact Nichole Hockenberry, PA Beef Council Executive Director at nhockenberry@pabeef.org or 1-888-4BEEFPA.