The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) will meet in-person and virtually Oct. 8, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET and Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria’s Local Food Purchasing Agreement (LFPA) Program is designed to provide Mechoopda tribal members with consistent, high quality, locally grown and produced food. The Mechoopda Indian tribe currently collaborates with the Center for Healthy Communities to access local vendors for fresh, perishable prepared foods and to provide insight on addressing any programmatic barriers in our food procurement process. Our current food assistance programs rely solely on food donations and is inconsistent.

CONCISE OUTLINE OF PROJECT’S PURPOSE: We are requesting cooperative agreement funds for 24 months to purchase buffalo meat and cow meat, each animal will be taken to the local butcher shop for packaging into hamburger, stew meat, and roast. Locally grown produce, and locally produced dairy products all within a 400-mile radius of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and within the State of Montana.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a virtual meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. Agenda items may include, but are not limited to, administrative matters and consideration of recommendations pertaining to labor and production, food safety, infrastructure and sustainability, consumption and nutrition, and data reporting and analysis.

Docket Number: AMS-NOP-24-0023
Dates: An in-person meeting will be held October 22-24, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. Pacific time (PT) each day, and we plan to include a virtual broadcast.

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