Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.

Claim Your Spot

Farmers and food‑system groups tell committee Food Security Infrastructure Grants must be sustained

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets · January 13, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Farmers and food‑system groups urged continued funding for the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program in S.2542, warning that without the bond the program would have no FY27 allocation and that prior FSIG awards unlocked production and distribution capacity.

Multiple witnesses described the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program as essential to farmers, fishers and small processors and urged the committee to maintain or increase the FSIG authorization in S.2542.

Susan Murray (Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership) said FSIG awards in FY26 reached 22 projects across Southeastern Massachusetts, enabling walk‑in coolers, processing equipment and other investments that directly improved food safety and market access. Rebecca Miller (Mass Food System Collaborative) and other witnesses noted that FSIG was created five years ago and has been funded from different sources; they argued that the proposed $125 million authorization is critical because the administration's two‑year capital plan does not include FY27 FSIG support without passage of the bond.

Witnesses asked the committee to ensure access for small and culturally specific producers, allow used equipment where appropriate to spread funds farther, and preserve program continuity to avoid interruption to projects already in progress.