DeLauro Joins Farmers, Food System Experts to Call for Reform, Renewed Support for Farmers in Connecticut and the Northeast
NORTHFORD, CT — House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today met with local farmers and food system advocates at Cecarelli's Harrison Hill Farm to discuss how the federal government can better support agriculture and family farmers in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast. DeLauro was joined by Cecarelli's Harrison Hill Farm owner and operator Will DellaCamera, Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt, University of Connecticut's Extension Educators Bonnie Burr and Jiff Martin, President of Connecticut Farmland Trust's Board of Directors Lisa Bassani, New England Policy Manager of American Farmland Trust Chelsea Gazillo, and the Food System Policy Director for the City of New Haven Latha Swamy.
The group discussed ways to focus assistance to build and support local food systems, as well as expand conservation programs and farm-to-school opportunities. Additionally, they highlighted reforms needed to prioritize local food production, address hunger and nutrition security, and promote regenerative agriculture practices as a solution to the climate crisis.
This conversation follows Tuesday's contract award announcement by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Fresh Produce Initiative. While DellaCamera applied to this program, he did not receive a contract. Instead, the contracts for supplying boxes in Connecticut were given to a web-based aggregator business in California.
"I am grateful for everyone's openness and willingness to participate at today's roundtable," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I was surprised by USDA's elimination of Farmers to Families and disappointed to see how the TEFAP Produce contracts were awarded. It just does not make much sense. Not only does this new program fail to meet the existing need for healthy and fresh foods, but it also does not prioritize purchases from local farmers in local food systems. I strongly believe we must reimagine USDA's food purchasing, abandon its low-cost model, and leverage it as a powerful tool to drive change by investing in the family farmers and local producers who feed their communities. For quite some time, we have known that we must better target and focus the resources of the federal government to support farms here in Connecticut and throughout New England. Reform is desperately needed to prioritize local food production, address hunger and nutrition security across our communities, and promote the type of regenerative agriculture practices that can be a solution to the climate crisis."
"It was a very positive meeting, not only because it was the first time we were able to meet unmasked but because we were able to bring our ideas to Congresswoman DeLauro," said Cecarelli's Harrison Hill Farm owner and operator Will DellaCamera. "We need a USDA that is transparent and more responsive. These programs need to work for every American. They need to be creative in the process on a local and regional level. What works in one part of the country may not work in another. This is felt in AMS, FSA, NRCS, and many other USDA offices. There is no better time than now to address and resolve these issues."
"We all recognize the importance to provide food for families in need, but we should use the produce boxes to lift communities by engaging local farms, contracting with local businesses, and recognizing the investment that could be made into these communities," said CT Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt. "It is important for us to have conversations like these to recognize how federal programs impact our state and economy and where the programs could be improved."
"We are grateful for Congresswoman DeLauro's steadfast commitment to our local farm families in Connecticut and her willingness to push for needed reforms at the USDA," said President of Connecticut Farmland Trust's Board of Directors Lisa Bassani. "This is critical so that the suite of programs USDA offers are prioritizing the needs of farms like Cecarelli's Farm and the smaller farms throughout our state and region. Protecting our farmland in Connecticut is also vital to ensuring we have a thriving agricultural sector, and that includes further work to ensure that USDA's conservation programs align well with the on-the-ground realities of agriculture in Connecticut, both now and in the future. Congresswoman DeLauro continues to be such an important ally on these issues, and we look forward to working with her in the months ahead to advance these efforts."
"Congresswoman DeLauro has been devoted to the local food and agriculture sector since she went to Congress," said Assistant Director and Department Head of the UConn Department of Extension College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (UConn Extension) Bonnie Burr. "She has been ahead of her time, and her knowledge of how to assist farmers in navigating federal Farm Bill programs has been a great benefit as CT expands its channels between the urban and rural agricultural sectors. She fully understands the need to have a vibrant farm, food, and horticultural related economy."
"It was a thrill to have an opportunity to speak directly with Congresswoman DeLauro about the opportunities for Congress to meaningfully support small farms in our state by enacting policy that would make it easier for schools to purchase from local farms and advancing equity in our schools through universal meals and increased meal reimbursement rates," said Associate Extension Educator in Sustainable Food Systems of the UConn Extension Jiff Martin.
"As the Biden Administration looks toward tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad, committing the nation to conserving at least 30% of the nation's land and oceans by 2030, we know that protecting our farmlands (both large and small) will be key to the administration achieving its goal," said American Farmland Trust New England Policy Manager Chelsea Gazillo. "This is because protected farmlands are more likely to stay in agricultural production and have the potential to sequester and store large amounts of carbon, reduce flood threats, protect water resources, and the food they can produce reduces rates of food insecurity. Increasing funding for the current suite of conservation programs offered by USDA - NRCS (e.g., EQIP, CSP, ACEP) is critical to increasing adoption of regenerative agricultural practices."
"Urban farms and gardens are recognized for their many benefits, including not only their contributions to meeting local food needs and access to healthy food, but also their role in increasing communities' self-determination through opportunities for workforce development, education, social integration, economic development, environmental improvement, and more," said New Haven Food System Policy Director Latha Swamy. "However, many urban agriculture programs lack secure tenure or access to sufficient land for their constituents' needs. This insecurity often limits their ability to make physical improvements and puts many at risk of losing not just access to the land itself, but also investments made in building relationships, improving soils, and installing infrastructure. The issue of long-term tenure may be the crux of the future success of urban agriculture, and to further bridging economic opportunities across urban, peri-urban, and rural working lands."
"I am looking forward to working with Secretary Vilsack on advancing these priorities," Congresswoman DeLauro continued. "Agriculture and our food system were not spared by the pandemic. I believe we are in a moment where we must rethink and reinvent the ways in which USDA programs and resources support local producers who grow the fresh and nutritious foods our communities need. There is more to agriculture than just large-scale, industrial farms and corporate ownership of livestock in confinement. For too long, programs at the federal level have disproportionately favored those operations and that must change."
