The minnesota department of agriculture intends to use local foodpurchase agreement funds to establish a program that allows communitiesto determine for themselves how local food can be procured…

The minnesota department of agriculture intends to use local foodpurchase agreement funds to establish a program that allows communitiesto determine for themselves how local food can be procured anddistributed to underserved individuals. The purpose of this agreement isto purchase and distribute local food targeting purchases from sociallydisadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The minnesota department ofagriculture will issue a call for community procurement and distributionproject proposals in fall 2022. These proposals are expected toencompass a wide range of models for local food procurement anddistribution, knowing that there is no one-size-fits-all model that caneffectively serve the whole state. Procurement and distribution willtake place during 2023 and 2024. Quarterly performance reports will besubmitted to capture the number of producers, socially disadvantagedfarmers and ranchers, distribution sites, and underserved locations aswell as funds expended for each category. Annual reports will providepercentages of new marketing opportunities and purchases distributedbeyond current food distribution networks. A minimum of least $1,950,000OF local food purchase assistance program funding will be invested intofood purchased from local farmers over the course of two years. An estimated seventy percent of those dollars will be spent on purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers. Procurement of food that canbe distributed within the community that IT is produced will beprioritized. An awardee friendly evaluation and grant reporting framework will be developed to assess additional needs for local and regional food systems. The process of public engagement will alsobe evaluated to provide the minnesota department of agriculture insightinto refining continued effective outreach and engagement for programsand policies. The expectation for this program is to work with at LEAST30 organizations to purchase food from an estimated 140 local farms anddistribute that food directly to members of the communities closest tothose farms. These producers will include diversified fruit andvegetable growers, livestock, and dairy farmers, those who haveintegrated specialty crop-livestock operations, and gatherers oftraditional foods such as wild rice. The recipient does not intend tosubaward funds.