FUNDING SOURCE

American Rescue Plan Act

partner organization

Wisconsin Farmers Union

He’s a member of a co-op known as Greenbush Growing, a “small scale” farm that stretches across 40 acres in the rural Wisconsin city of Plymouth. The members of the co-op grow organic vegetables, placing them in rare company in that part of the country, which is near the city of Sheboygan and isn’t far from the shores of Lake Michigan. 

“In this little area, there’s really not a lot of farms like this,” Gent said of the co-op, which has been running for about four years. “Our business is owned by the people who are members. We live together. We have 40 acres to manage. There’s a lot of different little enterprises here.”

One of the farm’s newer enterprises involves being part of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, also known as the LFPA. The program was created by the USDA with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law in early 2021 by the Biden-Harris administration to support the country’s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Wisconsin, the LFPA program is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in collaboration with several partners, including Marbleseed, the Wisconsin Farmers Union and the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative.

Greenbush Growing received a $10,000 contract with the LFPA for the 2024 season. That contract benefits not only the farm, but it also benefits the community. And most importantly for Gent, the program aligns with the values that those living and working at Greenbush embrace.

“We believe that anyone, regardless of how much money they have, should be able to eat food from a farm like this,” Gent said. “This food has been grown nearby so it’s fresh and it’s relatively high quality, mostly because it’s fresh. There’s this divide with the really high quality food only going to rich people. And this program is a way around that.”

The contract between Greenbush and the LFPA means that the co-op has a new marketplace for its produce, whether they plan for it or not, beyond its CSA, its relationships with local grocers and restaurants, and its presence at local markets. 

So, when a restaurant client doesn’t need as many tomatoes or as many heads of lettuce as Greenbush had expected, those vegetables can be purchased by the LFPA and redistributed to individuals and families who need food support. It’s not a loss, or extra leg work for the farm, and the vegetables offer healthy alternatives for individuals who aren’t able to purchase them at a store because they’re priced beyond their budget.

“The problem that this is solving is not a problem that farmers have, because many farmers have places where they can sell stuff. And the system with the restaurants, it does work. And the CSA, it works too. Markets work for a lot of farmers,” Gent said. “To me, the more important thing is that food is getting to people who don’t have access to it otherwise.”

The American Rescue Plan Act was a stimulus package passed by the 117th U.S. Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was signed into law in March of 2021 by the Biden-Harris administration to aid in the country’s economic recovery.