US Senators Propose Permanent Farm Bill Funding

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Jim Justice have introduced a bill to establish a permanent grant program for local food purchases, aiming to replace two previous programs (Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program) that were initiated by the Biden administration and later terminated by the Trump administration's United States — United States Department of Agriculture. This new program, which is being considered as part of the United States farm bill, seeks to provide stable funding for states and tribal governments to buy local foods from regional producers for hunger relief programs and schools, with 10% of the funding specifically allocated for tribes. Farmers like Dawn Spears and Cassius Spears of Ashawaug Farm, along with organizations like the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, advocate for mandatory funding to ensure the program's long-term success and support for Indigenous agriculture and food sovereignty.