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Bob Wirch ( KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY )

Wirch aims to aid state agriculture

Lawmaker: Agencies should buy goods here

Published

BY JOE POTENTE

jpotente@kenoshanews.com

A Kenosha-area lawmaker is proposing legislation that would require state agencies that serve food to purchase more of their grub from in-state farmers.

A bill that Wirch began circulating for support in the Capitol last week would impose this requirement and create a local food, farms and jobs council to enforce it.

Wirch said it’s intended as a jobs bill for local farmers that also can have positive effects on the environment. The language is based largely on a law that has been enacted in Illinois.

“The ag people love it because it uses markets within the state,” Wirch said. “The environmental people loved it in Illinois because it cuts the carbon footprint.”

Wirch said his bill would force the state government to work under the guideline immediately, while creating a benchmark for school districts and other local agencies to aim toward. It would apply to state entities that spend more than $25,000 on food purchases annually.

“It’s job creation through keeping more money in the state,” Wirch said.

The bill allows state purchasing agents to exceed the lowest bid for a contract by up to 10 percent in order to award the bid to a local food products supplier. Local food products are defined as those grown, processed, packaged and distributed in the state.

Parkside alreadycomplying

UW-Parkside spokesman Dave Buchanan said the Somers campus would likely have no problem meeting the 10 percent local threshold today.

“There is an effort made by Sodexo, which is our food service, to buy locally when they can and when it’s possible to do that,” Buchanan said. “We would be pretty well in compliance with what Sen. Wirch is looking for.”

Buchanan said a Sodexo employee is stationed on campus full time, monitoring purchases. Bakery goods, milk and cheese are all sourced locally, he said.

Enforcement through council

Representatives from various state agencies would make up part of the council that Wirch’s bill envisions to enforce the guidelines and help to identify markets for local goods.

Other delegates would include farmers, food processors and distributors, a retailer, a consumer and a chef specializing in the preparation of local food products, among others.

The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection would oversee the council.

A staffer in Wirch’s office said the bill had picked up several co-sponsors as of Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Phil Garthwaite, D-Dickeyville, has agreed to introduce the bill’s Assembly companion, the staffer said.

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