The Common Market in the News

Farm to classroom: Marietta students learn — and eat — local

Marietta Daily Journal

Not only does the pilot program provide new lunches for students, but also a big economic upturn for the community.

“Across all three pilot districts, about $150,000 worth of local food has been purchased from local farmers,” Hennessee said. “That equates to a quarter million dollars of economic impact for the surrounding communities.”

The program delivered 67,000 pounds of locally sourced foods across the Marietta, Rockdale and Atlanta areas.

Partnerships That Fill Every Table

United Way for Greater Austin

Every Monday, The Common Market delivers dozens of boxes of fresh, local produce to Neighbors Serving Neighbors pantry. The produce varies depending on what’s in season, but the need for fresh fruits and vegetables remains the same.

“I have one lady who is almost in tears every week because she’s so excited over her produce box,” Stephanie said. “Today, she got watermelon and peaches. She was ecstatic to have two different fruits.”

How The Common Market Supports Small Farmers with Forward Commitments

Food Tank

The Common Market, a nonprofit regional wholesale food distributor based in the United States, is aiming to shift the paradigm of institutional food procurement. By advancing forward purchasing commitments to small and mid-scale farms, the organization hopes to rebuild regional food systems in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas, and the Great Lakes.

Small farms face big losses from cuts to USDA food programs

The Produce News

As federal support for key USDA programs winds down, small-scale Texas farmers warn of the damaging effects on local agriculture, community health and school nutrition across the state.

Jesus Lozano, founder of Triple J Organics in Mission, TX, said these cuts threaten hard-earned progress that has made locally grown produce more accessible to families and students alike.

“It’s frustrating to see fresh, nutritious fruit left behind while families in our communities go hungry,” Lozano said. “We grow high-quality produce, but without the right buyers, it’s wasted — and so is all the work that went into it.”

Hidalgo County (TX) citrus grower reacts to end of program that helped schools serve food from local farmers

KRGV 5 News

Lozano has harvested 10 acres of citrus near Mission since the mid-1990s. Over the years, Lozano has had national chains such as H-E-B and Whole Foods Market buying up his organic oranges. Lozano saw a boost in business thanks to two federal programs.

The Local Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food For Schools Programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allowed Lozano and other small farmers to sell their fruits and vegetables to schools and hospitals, thanks to over $1 billion in federal funding. Those programs are now ending.

Q&A with Bill Green, Executive Director of The Common Market Southeast

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)

Bill explains how the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) positively impacted The Common Market Southeast and its ecosystem of family farmers and community partners. While the programs are ending, they helped catalyze the local food distributor’s mission of building small farmer capacity.

Agnes Scott College earns Farmer Champion Award for commitment to local food and farms

Decaturish

At the annual SOWTH conference, Agnes Scott College earned the 2024 Farmer Champion Award from Georgia Organics for its commitment to strengthening local food systems and supporting sustainable agriculture.

The college was honored with the award after serving students local food and consistently purchasing locally sourced foods in 2024. Agnes Scott committed to purchasing food from local farmers through its local food distributor, The Common Market, and supported 19 regional farmers and producers through their purchases.