Governor Meyer to Sign Bill Backing Delaware Farmers

State of DE - Governor Matt Meyer will travel to Bennett Orchards in Frankford this week to sign Senate Bill 53 into law. The bill creates the Delaware Farm to Community Program in state law.

Senator Gerald Hocker and Representative Bill Carson sponsored the legislation. It supports a program that links local farmers with community organizations that buy and distribute fresh food to Delaware residents.

The program is designed to help two groups at the same time. It builds stronger markets for Delaware farmers while making fresh, healthy food easier to reach in communities across the state.

The signing ceremony is set for Wednesday, September 16, from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. It will be held at Bennett Orchards, located at 31442 Peachtree Lane in Frankford, Delaware.

Governor Meyer and Senator Hocker are both expected to attend the event. Henry Bennett, owner and operator of Bennett Orchards, will also be there to host the signing.

Members of the Delaware Farm & Food Council are scheduled to attend as well. Delaware farmers and other partners in the Farm to Community program are expected to join the group.

The Delaware Farm to Community Program has been operating in the state, but SB 53 puts it into official state law. That change is meant to give the program a more lasting place in how Delaware supports local agriculture and food access.

Farmers who take part in the program get a dependable outlet for their crops through community organizations. Those organizations then take the fresh food and get it into the hands of Delawareans who need it.

The bill signing brings together state lawmakers, a local farm owner, and food council members in one event. It marks a formal step in connecting Delaware's farms with the communities they serve.

More details on the program and its impact are expected to come out of Wednesday's event at Bennett Orchards.