The New York State Senate this week passed the "Buy from the Backyard" Act to promote the purchase of locally grown and produced food.

The bill requires state agencies to allocate 20% of their total contracts for food from within New York state. According to State Senator Tom Libous, if everyone spent just $15 per week on local food, $5.5 billion dollars would be pumped into the state economy.

The bill has been sent to the assembly.

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