USDA Announces Its Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement with Tennessee

Sep 28, 2022

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Tennessee under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

“USDA is excited to partner with Tennessee to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.”

With the LFPA funding, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) will partner with Tennessee’s Feeding America Food Banks to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages produced by underserved farmers. These healthy and nutritious produce and beverages, that are unique to Tennessee’s geographical region, will be distributed to insecure population in the state’s underserved communities.

“There is nothing quite like eating a delicious and healthy meal made with fresh, local ingredients,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, said. “The LFPA will not only increase access to those ingredients for our neighbors in need. It will also benefit our farmers who contribute to the safest, most nutritious food system in the world. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is proud to take part in this program.”

The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through this program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.

AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.