TOLEDO, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined local farmers, a restaurant owner, and students at a Toledo school to outline new jobs legislation, the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act, that would expand markets for local farmers and producers while improving school lunches through the addition of more locally-grown fruits and vegetables. 

“Linking Ohio producers with Ohio consumers like schools and children is common sense,” said Brown. “By increasing access to fresh, local foods, we can expand markets for Ohio’s agricultural producers while improving health, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy.” 

With students eating at their school cafeteria, Brown outlined how his bill would support ongoing Farm-to-School efforts and increase access to healthy foods with programs like “Double-up Food Bucks,” which is offered at two Toledo farmers’ markets. It provides funding to help farmers build the infrastructure—like community kitchens—to process and sell their food locally, breaks down barriers so that schools can purchase local food more easily, and provides schools with a local school credit to purchase local foods.

The event was held at the Toledo Public School for the Arts (TSA) whose administration supports increasing farm-to-school activities. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Farm-to-School program helps schools connect with local producers and teaches kids where their food comes from. Brown’s bill would improve Farm-to-School efforts and would allow school districts to spend a portion of federal funds for free and reduced school lunches on locally-grown fruits and vegetables, rather than USDA commodities.

Participating in the press conference was Andy Keil, owner of the Andy Keil Greenhouse in Swanton, who sells local produce to Marty Lahey, owner of Manhattan’s Restaurant in Toledo. When it is available, Lahey uses the fresh, local produce in the lunches he supplies to the students of TSA.     

“Kids in school need to eat healthier and fresher local fruits and vegetables without all the preservatives that are applied for shipping,” Keil said.

“My family business has strived to source as much locally-produced food into our restaurant and school catering operations as possible,” Lahey said. “So far, this has worked best when we are able to deal directly with local producers, such as Keil Farms and Witt Orchards.”

Brown and the students were also joined by Liz Bergman, owner of Sage Organics in Genoa, who explained how Brown’s bill would help Ohio farmers sell their products directly to consumers and create jobs by assisting farmers engaged in local and regional agriculture by addressing production, aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution needs.    

“The next step to help build a vibrant food economy in Northwest Ohio is to develop large wholesale options for our farmers, Bergman said. “Streamlining the process to sell to local school, universities and other institutions would dramatically help our farmers. Senator Brown's initiative would allow more schools to purchase local produce which will help both our farmers and our children.”

Brown, the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than four decades, first introduced the bill in 2011 and successfully fought to have key provisions included in the Senate-passed 2012 farm bill.  


###