Reps. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., and Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., on Monday introduced the Small Farm to School Act, bipartisan legislation to create an eight-state pilot program for local public schools to be reimbursed at a higher rate for sourcing school lunches from small farmers under the National School Lunch Program.

“As our small farmers continue to grapple with both a challenging farm economy and the COVID-19 pandemic, this legislation will help form new partnerships that both assist our small farmers and the health of our young people,” Delgado said.

“The Small Farm to School Act creates opportunities for farmers to get locally sourced food into the hands of school systems in their communities. Supporting small farms and keeping good food local is a boon to local economies and communities,” Sensenbrenner said.

The bill was endorsed by the New York Farm Bureau, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the National Farm to School Network and the National Young Farmers Coalition.