USDA Announces Its Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement with Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Wisconsin under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

“USDA is excited to partner with Wisconsin to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.”

With the LFPA funds DATCP will partner with the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) and the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative (WFHC) to bring together producers, distributors, community organizations, food security partners and tribal governments to establish local food system connections and a pipeline in which underserved producers can secure markets and provide local food to underserved communities.

“Wisconsin looks forward to strategically investing the funds allotted by the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program to deepen our established relationships, build new connections, and further strengthen the food supply chain across the state and the Tribal Nations,” said Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski. “The LFPA provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with our partners to build new market opportunities for producers and provide additional local foods to underserved communities.”

The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through this program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.

AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.

More information about the program is available on AMS’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.