A total of $130 million in supplemental American Rescue Plan Act funding will help local and regional food producers sell to institutions such as universities, hospitals and governmental settings.
The additional funding will go through the Local Agriculture Market Program and will be divided into $65 million each for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a March 1 release.
“Through these grant programs we are able to maximize opportunities for economic growth and ingenuity in the local and regional food system,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “This year, we are excited to further develop market opportunities for producers by focusing on farm to institution. Expanded access to local food purchasing within institutional markets could be a major boon for small and mid-sized producers located throughout the country.”
Food producers will get help in selling to institutions thanks to $130 million in supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
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The program will receive $97 million for 2022, composed of the first $65 million of supplemental American Rescue Plan funding plus $32 million from the 2018 Farm Bill. These funds will "help local and regional food entities develop, coordinate and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and local food enterprises,” the department said in the release.
