1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

As you mark up the farm bill ahead of the September 30 deadline, make sure it includes real, guaranteed funding and staffing for both LFPA and SNAP, not just a legislative framework. The Local Farmers Feeding Communities Act gives Congress the bones of a program, but without committed dollars it means nothing to the small farms that depend on LFPA. This program worked. It moved 23 million pounds of locally grown food to food banks, generated over $60 million in purchases, and paid farmers full market prices — $3 a bunch for kale instead of the $1 they'd get through conventional supply chains. That price stability let small farmers sign leases, expand acreage, and transition to organic practices. When the Trump administration killed it mid-season, farmers had already bought their seeds. Some have already walked away from farming entirely. Production costs — fertilizer, fuel, labor — keep climbing, and small family farms have no margin for error. Food banks lose access to fresh, high-quality produce and go back to standard staples. Congress has the chance to fix this in the farm bill. Fund LFPA and protect SNAP fully. Small farmers and the families they feed cannot wait another season.