skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Lebanese children have been displaced; hospital facility fees have cost Colorado patients $13 billion; and a Wyoming county without a hospital is finally getting one.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas warns about false claims affecting FEMA's hurricane relief, Vice President Harris prepares for a Fox News interview, and local Democrats want more election funds in key states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Helene devastated the Appalachians and some rural towns worry larger communities could get more attention, ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month gets mixed reviews, and New York farmers are earning extra money feeding school kids.

$1.5 million in grants support WA local food infrastructure

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 10, 2024   

Washington state has allocated nearly $1.5 million in grants to support local food systems and supply chains. The Washington State Department of Agriculture distributed the funds to 40 projects, supporting farmers, food and meat processors, and distributors.

Galen Van Horn, local food system and supply chain specialist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture directed distribution of the funds and said there has been consolidation in the large-scale market that small and mid-sized operations can combat.

"We've just seen a clear need for investment to support those small and mid-sized operations and make sure the infrastructure is scaled to meet their needs, and that we don't just have very, very large food system infrastructure - like processing facilities and aggregation points - that are only really scaled for very large farms and food businesses," he explained.

The seeds of the program began in 2021, when the Washington Legislature distributed federal COVID-19 recovery funds to support local food infrastructure because of the pandemic's impact on supply chains. Since 2023, the Local Food System Infrastructure Grant program has distributed $8 million in state funds.

Van Horn said the program is popular and received nearly $19 million in requests - well over what it could provide. One project selected in 2022 was the nonprofit Columbia Community Creamery, which received more than $450,000.

"They got a large grant to get the equipment necessary to receive bulk milk deliveries, and then process that into jars and have it ready to be consumed. A lot of food safety involved there," he continued.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture expects to start the next application round in the summer or fall of next year. Van Horn said the agency looks for proposals that impact the regional food system, are achievable and ask for a reasonable amount of money.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Florida Association of Community Health Centers has a Disaster Relief Fund, which raises money to assist health center staff and their families in recovering from the devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton. (Pixabay)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Following Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton left a trail of destruction across the Sunshine State and the combination has pushed some Community …


Social Issues

play sound

OutNebraska's Prairie Pride Film Festival returns for its 14th year this week. Johnny Redd, communications manager for OutNebraska, said the …

Health and Wellness

play sound

"Facility fees" originally meant to help struggling hospitals keep emergency room doors open 24 hours a day are now being applied to outpatient servic…


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Sarah Jane Tribble for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Wyoming News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News…

Though a Marist poll found 81% of New York City residents do not want Mayor Eric Adams to run again, campaign finance data show he has the most spending capital of all 2025 mayoral candidates. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New York City election integrity is under added scrutiny after Mayor Eric Adams' indictment. Part of the indictment alleges Adams broke campaign …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Providence Health and Services could close an at-home program enabling communication by people with diseases making it hard or impossible to speak…

Social Issues

play sound

Pennsylvania's landscape is undergoing a transformation, paid for with billions in federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021