Legislation designed to help Kentucky farmers more easily share their products in students’ meals advanced to the Senate floor, after winning approval from the Senate Agriculture Committee. 

Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, the sponsor of Senate Bill 5, considered one of that chamber’s priority measures due to its low number, said one of the prime goals is to put more locally grown produce into schools to benefit students’ nutrition, among other things. 

“I think this opens the door to expanding out this arena and having more and more of our local produce be able to go, not just into schools and hospitals, but to be able to develop and push into the mainstream market,” Howell said.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell testified to the panel that the legislation would start the process of decentralizing the current procurement system in schools so that farmers’ access to school markets can be bolstered. 

SB 5 seeks to break barriers and overcome procurement challenges created by large conglomerates, he said. 

“A lot of it’s federal. Some of it’s state, but it’s all-around procurement,” Shell said. “It’s all-around sourcing. It’s all-around guidelines and programs that they’ve put in place in policy that really have created barriers to limit access for locally grown food.”

Shell said there’s a larger plan to market farmers’ products besides legislation, and many stakeholders are currently working on these efforts. 

“Senate Bill 5 is the next natural step in making Kentucky-grown foods more accessible to students. It helps integrate local agriculture into both their education and their daily meals, while supporting the farmers and crops that feed Kentucky families,” Shell said. “Coming from a family with deep roots in Kentucky farming, I’m committed to strengthening our agricultural ecosystem. By connecting kids to where their food comes from, we’re investing in a healthier future for everyone.”

School nutritionists have procured locally grown foods during agriculture week and taught students the origins of food, he said. 

SB 5 now heads to the Senate floor.

 

Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, left, and Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, testify about the farm-to-school bill that cleared a committee. It advances to the Senate floor. (LRC photo)

Hargis David Michael