Committee backs state Local Food Purchase Assistance bill to help new farmers and food shelves

House File 2102, sponsored by Representative John Lee, would establish a state Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) grant program to purchase and distribute Minnesota‑grown food at no cost to Minnesotans experiencing food insecurity and to create guaranteed market opportunities for new and small farmers. The committee adopted an A1 author's amendment that clarifies that grants should prioritize applicants with demonstrated connections to people facing food insecurity and allows up to 15% of grant funds to be used for administrative or transportation expenses. The bill as amended was laid over for possible inclusion in a future bill.

Testimony emphasized both hunger‑relief and farm‑development benefits. Jane Winsperger, a small farmer and representative of the Minnesota Farmers Union, described how LFPA contracts enabled her to expand production and obtain stable markets after earlier crops went unsold. Arlene Jones of Sprout Food Hub and Amanda Negen Crowley of Village Agriculture Cooperative described LFPA rounds that contracted with many small family farms and supplied food shelves across multiple rural counties; Sprout reported distributing local food to more than 2,500 rural Minnesota families and channeling over $50,000 to more than 100 small farms in recent rounds. Village Agriculture Cooperative said a USDA LFPA contract in 2024 provided $100,000, of which more than $76,000 was used to procure local food; the organization said it is still awaiting reimbursement of roughly $82,000 from the federal program.

Andrea Vawbel, Deputy Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, told the committee the agency values the program and had been planning for roughly $4.7 million in fiscal year 2025 under the LFPA plus program before USDA cooperative agreements were terminated; the department said it could administer a state program depending on appropriations and administrative structure. Committee members framed the bill as a state response to recent federal funding cuts and supported state‑level continuity for the program.

Representative Lee said the program is intended as a "win‑win" to both support new farmers with reliable contracts and ensure food reaches people in need. The committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote and laid HF2102 over for possible inclusion in a later bill.