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H.R. 4782: Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act

The Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act aims to improve access to local food and enhance economic opportunities for local producers. Here's a summary of what the bill entails:

Program Establishment

The Secretary of Agriculture is tasked with creating a new program that provides cooperative agreements to eligible entities, which can include state, local, or Tribal governments. The goal is to:

Support local producers by building and expanding economic opportunities.
Establish partnerships between local producers and the food distribution sector to ensure the distribution of fresh and nutritious foods.
Strengthen local and regional food security and systems.

Use of Funds

Entities receiving funding through cooperative agreements are required to use the funds for several purposes, including:

Purchasing unprocessed or minimally processed local foods, including seafood, meat, dairy products, eggs, produce, and poultry.
Ensuring that at least 25% of total annual purchases are from small and mid-size producers, beginning farmers or ranchers, or veteran farmers or ranchers.
Providing technical assistance to local producers in areas such as food safety training and growing the local agricultural value chain.
Distributing local foods to nonprofits and organizations experienced in food distribution to improve access to healthy food.
Building economic opportunities for local producers.

Limitations on Fund Usage

Entities can only use a portion of the funds for administrative expenses:

No more than 25% of the funds can cover administrative costs or to provide technical assistance.
Of the administrative budget, at least 50% must be allocated for providing technical assistance to producers.

Technical Assistance

The Secretary of Agriculture will provide guidance, technical assistance, and monitoring throughout agreements to ensure successful program implementation.

Allocations for Tribal and State Governments

Funding under this act will allocate:

10% of the total funds to Tribal governments based on a formula determined by the Secretary.
Following the Tribal allocation, 1% of remaining funds to each state.
The rest will be allocated to eligible entities based on a specified formula.

Definitions

Beginning farmer or rancher: Defined as per existing legislation.
Veteran farmer or rancher: Also defined per existing legislation.
Covered producer: Farmers, fishers, and ranchers within defined geographic boundaries.
Small-size producer: One with annual gross cash farm income less than $350,000.
Mid-size producer: One with annual gross cash farm income between $350,000 and $999,999.
Unprocessed or minimally processed local foods: Foods retaining their inherent character, including fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy that are minimally altered.

Funding

The bill ensures mandatory funding of $200 million annually from the Commodity Credit Corporation for the fiscal year 2026 and each year thereafter. Additionally, it authorizes appropriations of $200 million for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.