Update: Good news! Thanks to everyone who contacted Congress in support of the Local FARMS Act, one important piece of that bill—the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)—was included in the Senate version of the Farm Bill. Please use the form on this page to send a follow-up email to your members of Congress asking them to keep up the campaign for local food in the Farm Bill!
Demand for locally grown food is on the rise, as consumers take more interest in how their food is produced, and how food production affects their own health, and the health of their communities.
That’s a positive trend. But if consumers want more local food, we have to help ensure the economic success of the independent farmers who grow that food.
TAKE ACTION: Tell your members of Congress to support the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (Local FARMS) Act.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 160,000 U.S. farmers sold $8.7 billion worth of local food to consumers, retailers, institutions and local distributors in 2015. That figure is considerably lower than the one reported by the food industry research firm, Packaged Facts, which according to Business Insider, says local food sales in the U.S. grew from $5 billion to $12 billion between 2008 and 2014.
Either way, consumers are buying more local food, as are restaurants, schools and other institutions. And yet, our $90-billion Farm Bill is written largely to favor the corporations that produce factory farm meat and highly processed GMO junk foods.
The Farm Bill does little to help build markets and infrastructure that local independent farms need in order to succeed. The Local Food and Regional Market Supply (Local FARMS) Act aims to change that.
The bill, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), and Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), would support the continued expansion of new market opportunities for American family farmers by:
• Helping farmers reach new markets through outreach, cost-share, and technical assistance programs
• Increasing access to fresh, healthy, local food among low-income groups and communities in need
• Developing new and strengthening existing infrastructure that connects producers to consumers
The Local FARMS Act recognizes the vast, untapped potential in our farming and food-producing communities, and offers ways to transform that potential into economic prosperity. It means opportunity for our family farmers, as well as increased access to fresh, healthy foods for American families.
Let’s tell Congress what we want: local farms that use regenerative organic farming techniques to provide the cleanest, most nutrient-dense food possible!
TAKE ACTION: Tell your members of Congress to support the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (Local FARMS) Act.
