Local Food and Farm Support Act

Bill: 110-hr-2364
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]
Introduced: 2007-05-17 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agribusiness
Agricultural credit
Agricultural subsidies
Commerce
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Families
Family farms
Farmers
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Food stamps
Fruit
Gardening
Government lending
Housing and Community Development
Marketing of farm produce
Minorities
Minority business enterprises
Produce trade
Rural economic development
School lunch program
Small business
Social Welfare
Urban affairs
Urban areas
Vegetables
WIC program
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: 
Local Food and Farm Support Act - Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to support value-added agricultural products which shall include a socially disadvantaged farmer and rancher component and may include a small and individual producer grant component.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a Family Rancher and Rancher Viability and Innovation Fund.
 
Amends the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary, through the Agricultural Marketing Service, to: (1) establish a grant program for eligible entities to conduct enterprise feasibility studies, including studies of consumer preference; and (2) provide loans and loan guarantees to eligible entities and individual producers to develop processing, distribution, and information infrastructure for locally or regionally produced food.
 
Amends the Farmers-to-Consumers Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to carry out a direct to consumer marketing assistance program to make grants to eligible entities for projects to establish, expand, and promote farmers' markets and other farmer to consumer direct marketing opportunities.
 
Extends: (1) the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) farmers' market nutrition program; (2) the senior farmers' market nutrition program; (3) the food stamp community food project program; and (4) the farm-to cafeteria program.
 
Establishes: (1) the food stamp fruit and vegetable incentive program; and (2) the urban agriculture production program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-07-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H6012)
action_date: 2007-05-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5535)
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1078)
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Introduced in House