Farm-to-School Bill Heads to Full Appropriations Committee

Sen. Daisy Lawler said she was very pleased that her Farm-to-School legislation had passed its first challenge in the legislative process. Senate Bill 1515 won approval by the Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services this week and will next be heard by the full Appropriations Committee.

“We conducted a series of hearings during the interim that convinced us Farm-to-School was a win-win program with benefit for our children, our schools, our local farms and our rural economies. I’m excited we’ve been able to get this concept into bill form and get it moving through the legislature,” said Lawler, D-Comanche.

Lawler, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, explained the idea is to help market locally grown produce to area schools. Children get the benefit of more nutritious foods, while area farmers benefit with a large local consumer base.

“The initial pilot program which helped market Oklahoma-grown watermelons to local schools was a wonderful success. Now we want to expand that success to schools across the state and let their children enjoy a variety of Oklahoma grown produce,” Lawler said.

The program has the support of the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition, the Department of Agriculture and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

If the measure wins approval by the Appropriations Committee, it will then move to
the full Senate for further consideration.