Programming note: Civil Eats will be on vacation the week of August 4; our publishing schedule will probably be much slower for this week, and we will catch up on the news starting on August 11.
August 1, 2025 – Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) introduced legislation yesterday that would create a new, permanent program for states and tribal governments to purchase local food from small and mid-sized farms for distribution to community organizations such as food banks.
In a press release, Pingree said the Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act is intended to make up for Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ cancellation of more than $1 billion in funding that helped food banks and schools source local food from small farms. Earlier this year, Rollins said she cut the funding because it was meant to be a COVID-era program. By authorizing $200 million in annual, mandatory funding, Pingree’s bill could create a program with more staying power.
States and tribal governments would enter into cooperative agreements with the USDA to purchase minimally processed food from farms within their state (or tribal boundary) or less than 400 miles away. Eligible farms within that radius would have to meet certain criteria, for example be small- or mid-size, or be operated by beginning or veteran farmers. “It’s a practical, community-driven solution that invests in our nation’s farmers, builds regional resilience, and fights hunger,” Pingree said.
At a time of partisan division, the bill has a significant amount of support from both parties in the House, with Representatives Rob Bresnahan (R-Pennsylvania), David Valadao (R-California), and Josh Riley (D-New York) co-sponsoring the introduction. The bill has also been endorsed by a long list of leading hunger and farm groups, including Feeding America, the National Farmers Union, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).
“This program strengthens local economies by creating stable markets for regional producers, while ensuring that nutritious food reaches families in need. It’s a commonsense investment,” Hannah Smith-Brubaker, executive director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, said in an NSAC press release. Pasa has been hit hard by USDA funding cuts over the last several months.
Despite support for the Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act, its fate is uncertain. The bill is one of several introduced in the last few weeks that would theoretically be attached to an upcoming farm bill, including other Pingree bills introduced this week on food date labeling and biochar.
Republicans have said they want to pass a slimmed-down version of a farm bill this fall. However, the bipartisan coalition of groups needed to pass the wide-ranging legislation has been fractured since Republicans passed their recent budget bill, which incorporated some staples of farm bill policy such as increased commodity spending and major cuts to food aid. (Link to this post.)
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