Ask Your Lawmakers to Help Virginia's Farmers

We are asking you to help pass a bill (PDF) being introduced in the Virginia General Assembly by Delegate Kaye Kory. If passed, this bill will change procurement procedures to make it easier for school systems to buy directly from local farmers. A form of this bill was first introduced last year by State Senator Matt Lohr, but it was shot down in subcommittee with no discussion and unfortunately no factual underpinning or experience-based input.

Smart Markets has been working with Delegate Kory to have the bill reintroduced this session with even more attention given to the details of the procurement process. Our intention was to utilize the great Farmers Market Manager network and other resources to make sure that the bill received a fair and knowledgeable hearing. However, we have been dealt a stealth blow already, though probably not intentionally, by the possibility that the bill will be heard by its assigned subcommittee Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 5pm. And we will not know for sure until the 18th whether that is the case.

You can help by writing a short, persuasive e-mail to the subcommittee members as soon as you can. You may mention how buying directly from farmers is critical to making Farm-to-School work for all by raising prices for farmers and lowering prices for school systems by eliminating the middleman. And you could mention the boon to the local economy in the rural parts of our state if farmers are selling more at higher prices rather than the pittance they receive when they sell wholesale. This is the kind of language that the delegates will listen to.

Passing this bill does not have to place any financial burden on a school system. We have enough evidence that local produce can considerably enhance the nutritional content of school lunches at minimal if any additional cost. And this bill is designed to streamline the procurement process for schools who wish to do this so it should not require additional time and resources of the school systems.

Let’s see what we can do — whatever it is will be more than was done last year. If we can demonstrate a level of interest from across the state and from a variety of consumers and activists, it could make a difference. We will at least have the delegates considering how much support there is and how important this might be to their own constituents.

Thank you so much!

Text of proposed legislation (PDF)

Delegates’ e-mail addresses

• Del. Iaquinto — delsiaqunito@house.virginia.gov
• Wright — deltwright@house.virginia.gov
• Gilbert — deltgilbert@house.virginia.gov
• Peace — delcpeace@house.virginia.gov
• Anderson — delranderson@house.virginia.gov
• Greasom — deltgreasom@house.virginia.gov
• Phillips — delcphillips@house.virginia.gov
• James — delmjames@house.virginia.gov

Additional resources

• “Annual Community Food Dollars Generated If Each Household in Northern Virginia Spent $10/Week of Their Total Food Budget on Fresh Local Food & Farm-Based Virginia Products.” (PDF)
  • Similar data for the entire state (PDF)
• Local Food System Assessment for Northern Virginia (PDF)
• “Putting a Face on Our Food: How State and Local Food Policies Can Promote the New Agriculture,” by Neil D. Hamilton, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (PDF)
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Virginia Farm to School Program