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Bill to replace cancelled federal local food purchasing program wins local farmer backing
Summary
Senate File 2430 would create a state Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program to buy Minnesota-grown food from small and emerging farmers and distribute it to underserved communities; the committee adopted an A‑1 amendment and laid the file over for possible inclusion.
Sen. Kunish presented Senate File 2430 to establish a state‑administered Local Food Purchasing Assistance program to replace a canceled federal program. The A‑1 amendment adopted in committee clarifies that dollars must go to Minnesota farms and allows grant payments to include administrative and transportation expenses. The file was laid over for possible inclusion.
Testifiers included farmers and program operators who said LFPA grants provide reliable markets and help emerging and limited‑access farmers build production capacity. Jane Winsperger (Farmer) said the program helped her go from a quarter-acre to larger acreage and provided essential contracts. Amanda Negen Crowley, executive director of the Village Agricultural Cooperative in Rochester, said her LFPA contract (a USDA award in 2024) allowed procurement of $76,000 in product from 14 participating emerging farming families and that the program supplied culturally specific crops and tens of thousands of pounds of produce to food‑insecure households.
Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vavalo said the Department of Agriculture was supportive and disappointed the federal program did not continue; the agency welcomed a state-level replacement. Committee members discussed oversight questions raised by a member who reported anecdotal instances of food donated to a food shelf being diverted and sold elsewhere; the department said the current federal LFPA grants required substantial documentation and the agency had not seen evidence of widespread diversion.
Ending: The committee adopted the A‑1 amendment and laid SF 2430 over for possible inclusion; testifiers urged an appropriation sufficient to replace lost federal funds and sustain procurement contracts for emerging farmers.
