Coming Together for Infrastructure
Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program, and
supported by other partners including First 5 Santa Clara
County. If the pilot program is successful, the goal is
to implement it statewide.
Preserving the Farm Bill
“As a representative of this area, it’s up to me to make sure the
appropriate funding is in the Farm Bill,” Panetta said. “I let
people know that the strawberries, lettuce, broccoli, arti-
chokes, brussels sprouts, and raspberries that America enjoys
are grown in my district. And we’re able to grow these crops
because of the research that’s funded by the Farm Bill.”
The 2008 Farm Bill authorized funding for the FINI
program and is credited with providing effective support for
economic gains in rural America. Among the bill’s provisions:
disaster relief for farmers and ranchers; expanded access to
rural credit; funding for critical research; establishment of
public-private conservation partnerships; and development of
new markets for rural-made products.
“Of course, when it comes to getting federal funding, I get
to hear from other representatives from the Midwest who talk
about commodity crops grown in their regions. We have an
incentive to fight for each other’s funding. It gives me hope,
seeing members of our Agriculture Committee come together
to reach an agreement on the Farm Bill and push back against
damaging federal budget cuts.”
Ag and Immigration
“When I talk to people in our agriculture industry, their
number one concern is the labor shortage,” Panetta said. “And
the root cause of that co