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Senator says legislation will help farmers grow business, boost rural economy

A U.S. Senator has introduced a bill that he says will help farmers grow their businesses and boost the rural economy.

Sherrod Brown of Ohio says the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act, will help farmers sell products directly to consumers.

“This bill will have a value-added producer grant to provide resources for farmers to expand in new markets and create new products,” he says. “It will also have a local food promotion program to invest in farmers working to establish local food businesses and a farmers market promotion program.”

He tells Brownfield there needs to more investment in rural America, especially when farm prices are lower.

“There’s just simply not enough dollars coming in to rural America,” he says.

Brown has been hosting farm bill listening sessions around the state and he says a concern that keeps coming up is the need for an updated rural development program. He says this legislation would help meet that need by putting money back into rural communities.

The FARMS Act would increase the annual funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion program from $30 million to at least $40 million. The Value-Added Producer Grants program would provide at least $20 million in mandatory funding per year and the Local and Regional Food Systems Value Chain Coordination program would provide $10 million per year.

Audio: U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio