Overview:
A new bill in Massachusetts proposes a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 for farmers who donate their extra produce and cosmetic rejects to food banks and pantries. The legislation aims to address food insecurity and food waste, with one in three households in the state reporting food insecurity and food waste contributing to one-fifth of the state's total trash. The tax credit would incentivize more donations to food banks and pantries, providing financial support to farmers and helping feed individuals in need of healthy, local produce while reducing food waste.
A new bill aims to reward and incentivize farmers across the state who decide to send their extra produce and cosmetic rejects to help neighbors who are facing food insecurity.
The legislation (H.5033) proposes a new refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 in Gov. Maura Healey’s supplemental budget for fiscal year 2026 that would benefit farms that donate produce and other products to food banks and pantries. The House of Representatives and Senate have not yet passed the bill.
“It’s a win-win-win,” said Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who has filed the policy as legislation (S.1043/H.4373) over the past four legislative sessions in collaboration with Rep. Hannah Kane, R-Shrewsbury.
Alongside the tax credit proposal, Comerford also praised the governor’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, which includes a record $29.7 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) and a record $55 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP). Comerford said these are “two of the most critical anti-hunger and pro-farm food programs” in the state. Plus, in Healey’s FY27 budget, she earmarked $5 million for the tax credit to farmers.
According to Comerford, one in three households in the state report food insecurity, while food waste contributes to one-fifth of the state’s total trash. For eight years, Comerford has been brainstorming a policy that addresses both these concerns while supporting farmers. The impact of the proposed tax credit would grow beyond the financial boost to farmers, a community that has been negatively impacted by federal cuts, and help feed individuals in need of healthy, local produce while reducing food waste, Comerford said.
“Farmers are part of the solution. They are already generous in their donations and we need the food. We especially need their food, which is nutritious and local and fresh,” Comerford said. “In this time of federal withdrawal from helping farmers and from food security, this answered both of those calls.”
Claire Morenon, communications manager at the South Deerfield-based Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), said CISA and other advocacy organizations worked with Comerford to discuss ideas for addressing farmers’ growing financial strains, food insecurity and food waste. She hopes the tax credit might incentivize more donations to food banks and pantries by providing financial support that would allow farmers to harvest produce they would otherwise leave on the ground without the right resources.
Morenon described local farmers as “active allies in the fight against hunger.” According to Comerford, countless farms across Franklin, Hampshire and Worcester counties have stepped up during times of crisis, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and donated produce.
“This is just a way for us to say [to farmers], ‘We recognize that there’s a cost to doing business, and we recognize that you’re doing this and the work that you’re doing is substantially helpful to the very people you’re trying to help,'” Comerford said.
At Red Fire Farm, which has locations in Montague and Granby, co-owners Ryan and Sarah Voiland donate anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 pounds of produce every year to organizations like the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Project Soup in Somerville and Spoonfuls Food Recovery in Newton.
“It’s part of the mission of our farm to grow and get food to people who need it and try to improve health in general,” Ryan Voiland said.
“As farmers, we want to feed people and we want our food to reach people who need it,” Sarah Voiland echoed.
When the farmers spot a fruit or vegetable in their crops with a look outside the norm, they either leave it in the field, compost it or donate it.
“A program like this where we could improve our tax situation could potentially make it worthwhile to actually pick certain things that would otherwise be left in the field and not even be harvested in the first place,” Ryan Voiland said.
Ben Clark, a fourth-generation farmer who owns Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield, described the proposed tax credit as “a great thing.” If the legislation passes, he hopes it will encourage other farms to join the fight against food insecurity, especially smaller farms that are just starting out and could use the financial support to make donating a possibility.
At Clarkdale Fruit Farms, more than 10,000 apples end up at food banks and pantries each year, according to Clark. Most years, the farm grows more apples than the business needs and sends the excess, along with the “ugly fruit,” sporting blemishes or marks from insects, to local food banks and pantries. He described expanding access to fresh, healthy, local food as a priority at the farm and a responsibility he feels as a farmer.
“We don’t want our food to go to waste and if we have an excess,” Clark said, “we definitely want to see that put to use in the community and go to folks who need it.”