2025 WA Food System and Food Policy Forum Highlights by Piper Casey https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights Looking back on this year, what moment or aspect of your work created the greatest positive impact on people, communities, or systems and what made it meaningful for you? en-us 2025-12-03 18:56:19 UTC 2025-12-10 20:20:12 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/8.0/svg/1f350.svg Instructions / How to Use Padlet pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709059628

  • Share something you are proud of from this year on a new card: Click the "+" sign in the bottom right corner. Type your response then click "publish"

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    • ]]>     2025-12-03 19:02:18 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709059628     October 2025 Report to the Legislature pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709072347 2025-12-03 19:12:57 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709072347 Forum's multi-phase work planning process (April - October 2025) pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709074334 Member survey, topical opt-in calls, & priority setting discussions

    ]]>     2025-12-03 19:14:33 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709074334     June Forum "State of the State" Presentations pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709075944 2025-12-03 19:15:44 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709075944 Webinar for Connecting Local Food Policy Entities pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709105778 2025-12-03 19:41:08 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709105778 Forum Membership Bios pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709143085 2025-12-03 20:18:11 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709143085 Climate, Water, Food Recommendations (Feb 2025) pcasey26 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709146849 2025-12-03 20:21:47 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3709146849 Clark County formed a Agricultural Commission for the first time https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920320 2025-12-04 22:11:45 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920320 Ongoing state-funded local food system infrastructure grants! https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920443 2025-12-04 22:11:58 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920443 Skagit County's Cairnsping Mills is building it's second mill https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920814 2025-12-04 22:12:45 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920814 SNAP advocacy with Congress - it wasn't successful, but there was a LOT of hard work with our Members of Congress to protect SNAP https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920898 2025-12-04 22:12:56 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920898 UW Food Systems team awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study food systems infrastructure https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920923 2025-12-04 22:13:00 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710920923 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921240 AFT, The Nature Conservancy, WSU, and UC Santa Barbara published research on feasibility of agrivoltaics in Washington

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:13:31 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921240     King County and King Conservation completed an update to the Local Food Initiative - a 10 year road map for increasing food system resiliency https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921387 2025-12-04 22:13:48 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921387 WAFOOD team (UW + WSU) published a scientific article on food security and food assistance use, based on data from WAFOOD Waves 1-4 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921558 2025-12-04 22:14:08 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921558 100 School Districts and Childcares are increasing farm-direct purchases with WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grants https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921606 2025-12-04 22:14:13 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921606 Summer EBT reached more than half a million low income kids across WA! and those families spent their benefits at farmers markets & grocery stores all summer https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921769 2025-12-04 22:14:23 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921769 KCD created a new Climate Special Projects Coordinator to address climate resiliency for local agriculture. https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921845 2025-12-04 22:14:34 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921845 WSU EFNEP Program https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921871 Has taught low-income families how to stretch their food dollars, improve diet quality, and ensure food safety. We are only in 3 Washington counties (Spokane, Clark, Pierce)

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921871     $550,000 in grant funds distributed to farmers through the Washington State Organic and Sustainable Ag Fund https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921897 2025-12-04 22:14:40 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710921897 House Ag Work Session https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922093 The invitation to present before the House Ag Committee feels like an important turning point for the Forum.

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:15:05 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922093     Washington SNAP-Ed Program https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922108 Despite the loss of funding, SNAP-Ed was able to reach 5,356 youth and 502 adults through nutrition education and increase healthy food access for 749,424 individuals through 1,015 policy, system, and environmental changes.

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:15:07 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922108     https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922111 $4 M more for FPLA!

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:15:07 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922111     Federal Government Shutdown -Washington benefit recipients received full food benefits with little delay https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922192 2025-12-04 22:15:18 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922192 Community Farmland Trust received 501c3 status https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922208 A new community farmland trust, Coastal Farmland Trust, was created in 2024, but received 501c3 status this month, and looks to support land access for farmers in the North Sound region - first project planned for 2026.

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:15:19 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922208     Consider how remarkable it is that this diverse group of people came to consensus on water recommendations - a topic so controversial there is rarely ever consensus. https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922615 2025-12-04 22:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710922615 EFNEP annual report highlights https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923069 2025-12-04 22:16:29 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923069 Puget Sound Food Hub is approaching $10M in revenue, making it one of the most successful regional food hubs in the nation https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923176 2025-12-04 22:16:42 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923176 WA legislature made historic investments in funding hunger relief grants through WSDA Food Assistance https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923285 2025-12-04 22:16:50 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923285 WSDA Local Food System Infrastructure Grants continued to support investments in our local food system that help Washington producers make and deliver products to marketplaces in Washington. https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923487 2025-12-04 22:17:16 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923487 6 WA universities & community colleges are wrapping up a 3-year pilot project to address food insecurity on college campuses (funded by Senate Bill 5702, and UW is leading evaluation efforts) https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923590 2025-12-04 22:17:31 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923590 https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923642 Roughly $6 million in SNAP-Ed funds were directed toward farm-to-school and farm-to-early care initiatives, including classroom nutrition education, school gardens, and support for local purchasing.

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:17:38 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923642     https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923966 Watershed launched Georgetown Healthy Food Initiative, received food equity grant, started grocery store initiative and received support from City of Seattle for this

    ]]>     2025-12-04 22:18:11 UTC https://padlet.com/pcasey26/foodpolicyforum2025highlights/wish/3710923966