U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) held a roundtable discussion on rural job creation, support for family farms, and investments in local and regional food economies.
“By helping local growers and farmers get their food to market, we can create jobs and give Ohio consumers access to locally-grown food,” said Brown. “Investing in local food economies not only benefits Ohioans who can eat nutritious, fresh foods – it also boosts our agriculture sector and grows our economy.”
Brown discussed his bill, the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act, which was successfully passed in the 2014 Farm Bill. Brown’s bill helps Ohio farmers and ranchers sell their products directly to consumers and creates jobs by addressing production, aggregation, and marketing and distribution needs. It also ensures that consumers have better access to nutritious, locally-grown food.
Brown was joined by partners from the Farmer’s Panty and Community Kitchen and local officials working on a project secured through a Rural Business Enterprise Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant will give Perry County the ability to grow its tourism and local food sectors by assisting local entrepreneurs.
Brown is Ohio’s first senator to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years and was a member of the 2014 Farm Bill conference committee. He supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to encourage economic development and increased infrastructure investment in rural communities.
Source:senate.gov