The Senate is expected to debate the 2013 Farm Bill this week and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced a critical amendment that will have a transformative impact on our food and farm system. The Amendment to encourage food and agriculture market development, entrepreneurship, and education will be part of the debate this week.
"Senator Brown's amendment makes strategic investments and changes to programs, such as the Value-Added Producer Grant and Farmers Market Promotion Programs, that have a proven record of growing Ohio's sustainable food businesses and family farms, said Carol Goland, Executive Director, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Columbus, Ohio. The Senator's leadership will benefit communities throughout Ohio and the nation by expanding new farming and food business opportunities, bolstering the local economy, and providing increased access to fresh, nutritious food."
If you have shopped at a farmers market lately or noticed more local produce at your local grocery store or restaurant, you already know that local food means local farmers feeding communities and creating jobs. Its a win-win for farmers and for all consumers. The Brown amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill can help create a better future for our nations food & farms.
The Brown amendment increases funding for critical programs that directly help farmers and communities put solutions into action on the ground. These programs make it possible for low-income seniors to access fresh, healthy produce from local farmers. They make it possible for farmers to expand their operations into new products like freezing fresh veggies for schools to use during winter months. They make it possible for communities to build their own food solutions from the ground up like farmer-owned food businesses, food hubs, mobile groceries, urban farms, and youth-led healthy eating programs.
Thanks to the Value-added Producer Grant we received, Lucky Penny Farm has been able to build the infrastructure necessary to launch the production of Cajeta, a product similar to dulche de leche. Said Abbe Turner, Owner, Lucky Penny Farm & Creamery, Kent, OH. Since receiving the grant we have not only grown our own business, but have partnered with seven additional family farmers helping to grow their businesses too. When funding is allocated through programs like VAPG to small food- and farm-based entrepreneurs, it improves the economic well-being of rural and urban communities by creating new products, new markets and new revenue streams where there otherwise might not have been.
Among the hundreds of amendments the Senate will debate in the coming days, this one stands out its got the potential to make a real difference on the ground and in the lives of farmers and communities. This amendment was drawn from the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act. Senator Brown is the lead sponsor of that bill.
Linking Ohio producers with Ohio consumers is common sense, Sen. Brown said. By increasing access to fresh, local foods, we can expand markets for agricultural producers in Ohio and around the country while improving health, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy.
For more information on the Farm Bill process, click here for an easy infographic. For more information on amendments, please see the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition rundown of whats at stake.
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Programs affected by the Brown amendment include:
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