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Farmers Union applauds new federal food procurement bill

New federal legislation would fund USDA cooperative agreements to purchase food from local producers. Strengthening Local Food Security Act of 2025 was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week by West Virginia Republican Jim Justice and Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed and would fund and distribute food to hunger relief organizations and schools.

Michelle Ramirez-White with Wisconsin Farmers Union says if passed, this would help consumers and farmers. She tells Brownfield, “It would work to really strengthen our nation’s food supply and food chains and by bolstering our economic opportunities for local farmers and providing new opportunity for food shelters and food pantries to offer fresh and nutritious products.”

Ramirez-White says this is new legislation that supports local food efforts Farmers Union previously supported. “When we can make that fresh and nutritious product available to those that are going to their local hunger relief organizations, our members would love to see that. They want their products to be enjoyed by everybody.”

Some USDA food programs have been impacted by budget cuts including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.  Wisconsin Farmers Union has reached out to Wisconsin Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, urging them to support the bill.