U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced federal legislation Wednesday to make it easier for Ohio's small farmers to sell their products locally. The bill, called the Local Farms and Food Act, builds on previous legislation the senator has passed.
Three-quarters of the bigger omnibus Farm Bill, which is a massive bill passed by Congress every five years, funds food nutrition programs that serve food banks, low-income families and seniors. It also contains provisions for agricultural subsidies and research.
The bill would allow people to use their SNAP food assistance to buy locally grown produce at farmers markets. It would also increase funding for programs like Ohio's Produce Perks that provide SNAP participants with matching dollars to spend on fresh, locally grown produce.
Kristy Buskirk, owner of Clay Hill Produce and Flowers in Tiffin, said being able to accept food assistance programs at her local farmers market has been an important step in growing her operation.
"A lot of community members, you know, can come out and afford our stuff. But that doesn't mean that everybody in our community can,” Buskirk said. “We went through the process of being able to accept SNAP at our farmers market. Individual farms cannot accept that, but the markets can apply. And that was a really big step for us.”
The bill would also create more regional food hubs that buy produce from small and midsize farms and then sell it to institutional buyers like hospitals, schools or restaurants.
Brown — who’s on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the bill would make small and midsize farms more competitive and financially viable.
“It's clear that a big part of the inflation that we're experiencing is because the supply chains were so disrupted during the pandemic,” Brown said. “Our bill will expand and improve USDA local and regional food system grant programs to keep money where it belongs.”
The Farm Bill is expected to be renewed by Congress by the September deadline, hearings for the bill have already started.
Alejandro Figueroa is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
