Moline – October 13, 2026 -- The John Deere Foundation has committed $18.5 million over multiple years to a Farm-to-Plate strategy that channels surplus farm output to food banks, with more than $13 million earmarked for Iowa.
The package is anchored by a $17 million, three-year commitment to Feeding America and a $1.5 million, three-year partnership with The Farmlink Project. Funds will go toward recovering surplus produce, building direct farmer-to-food-bank channels and mobilizing John Deere employees for local hunger relief.
Iowa initiative targets 100+ farmers across three food banks
A new "Farm to Food Bank" initiative will help three Iowa food banks expand existing partnerships with farmers, lifting participation to more than 100 producers. The program is designed to open new market outlets for farmers while routing more locally grown food to families facing hunger.
Feeding America funding expands sourcing across a 60,000-partner network
Multi-year funding will increase food sourcing capacity and strengthen distribution across Feeding America's network of 250+ food banks, 20+ statewide food bank associations, 10+ regional co-ops and 60,000+ agency partners, food pantries and meal programs.
The commitment also funds an annual employee volunteer initiative. From 2026 to 2029, roughly 22,000 John Deere employees are projected to pack 1.8 million meals during paid working hours.
Deanna Kovar, President of Worldwide Ag & Turf Division for Production and Precision Ag at John Deere, said the strategy builds on the company's decades of food bank support and gives producers a larger role in addressing hunger.
Farmlink grant targets 6.4 million pounds of rescued produce
Over the three-year grant, The Farmlink Project is projected to deliver:
- 6.4 million pounds of rescued fresh produce
- 5.3 million meals, using the USDA equivalent of 1.2 pounds per meal
- Increased access to fresh food for more than 273,000 individuals
- Support for 30 to 60 farming operations across multiple states
Farmlink CEO Eliza Blank said the grant will help build a more resilient supply chain that supports farmers when markets fail. Feeding America CEO Denis McDonough said the Iowa investment will help food banks build more direct relationships with farmers.
The Foundation said the strategy focuses on on-farm food recovery, direct farmer-to-food-bank relationships and local community engagement to reduce barriers between surplus food and people who need it.