Small farmers in the North Bay are celebrating a tentative agreement reached by California legislators this week to revive a canceled federal program that helped food banks purchase produce from local farms.
The state legislative budget approved June 15 contains $15 million, pending the governor’s signature, to partially fund a new program and replace what farm advocates say was a lifeline for producers and local food banks.
Farmers across the country were rocked mid-season last year by the news that the Trump administration through the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture had canceled contracts between local food aggregators, food banks and farmers. Since 2022, California has utilized more than $88.5 million in USDA funds to help local food banks purchase produce from farms across the state and distribute nutritious food to their communities. But the federal government terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, including California’s $47 million share, which ended contracts including at Sonoma County’s Redwood Empire Food Bank…