For More information:
Meriruth Cohenour, Market Development Director
meriruth.cohenour@odaff-staging.kochcomm.dev | 405.522.5652
USDA Local Food Procurement Assistance Program Launches in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma farmers and producers searching for a unique avenue to sell their products are encouraged to apply for the Oklahoma Local Food Procurement Assistance program, created in cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Through LFPA, ODAFF will work to purchase and distribute Oklahoma grown, produced, and processed food to local underserved communities, helping to expand economic development for both the producers and the communities they serve.
“The USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance program provides a unique approach to fighting food insecurity in Oklahoma while also bolstering the state’s economy,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. “We are excited to be a part of this new program and look forward to working with Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers to supply fresh, nutritious food to those who are in need across the state.”
To facilitate the connection between producers and purchasers, ODAFF will maintain a list of qualified producers that wish to sell products to food banks and other entities that target underserved communities. Producers that identify as belonging to a socially disadvantaged group* will receive priority on the list while purchasers must buy products that are grown locally**.
For more information at the about the program and to apply, please visit https://odaff-staging.kochcomm.dev/oklahoma-local-food-procurement-assistance-program/. Questions can be directed to Meriruth Cohenour at meriruth.cohenour@odaff-staging.kochcomm.dev.
*As defined by USDA for this program, a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher is a farmer or rancher who is a member of a Socially Disadvantaged Group. A Socially Disadvantaged Group is a group whose members have been subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.
**within 400 miles of point of distribution
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