This week, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and Kenduskeag Kitchen agreed to dismiss litigation against the State of Maine Health and Human Services because we got what we wanted: changes to the Maine Food Sovereignty Act. The law now explicitly empowers communities to decide whether preparation of meals from a home kitchen with local ingredients is lawful […]
Why is a family-owned livestock feed provider being persecuted?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/15/2025 Contact: Alexia Kulwiec, Executive Director [email protected] 773.490.4063 What Happened Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is troubled by actions involving Keely Farms Dairy in Florida. Keely Farms Dairy is licensed as a livestock feed provider by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Yet the Florida Department of Health, not the […]
You Spoke, We Listened: Member Survey Results Revealed
FTCLDF’s mission is to serve our members, who include farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and consumers invested in building resilient food systems. As a member-led organization, our actions and priorities are shaped by their input. Together, we empower producers and expand opportunities for local food across the U.S. Besides working hand-in-hand with our members year-round, we […]
Help Us Protect Local Food: FTCLDF’s Summer Fundraiser!
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund seeks support to meet the growing legal needs of independent farms, ranches, and local artisan and cottage food producers. To improve and increase our services to these producers, we are holding a summer fundraiser. By donating to FTCLDF, you are helping to ensure that . . . Someone picks up […]
Legislative Update: Progress on Food Freedom Bills
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund monitors, advises, and works to influence hundreds of food freedom bills and policies across the country that align with our mission. We’ve been tracking their progress and engaging with legislators and our members to lend our support to those efforts that seek to expand food freedom. Join us for important policy […]
FTCLDF’s State-by-State Policy Tracker
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund regularly tracks federal, state and local laws and regulations, as it works to change laws to support rather than hinder the ability of smaller, independent producers to grow, produce, and sell food locally in their communities. The current system of food regulation in the United States sorely needs more scale-appropriate regulation. […]
Hotline Blotter & Legal Roundup: April-June 2025
Our Emergency Hotline consistently ranks as the benefit our members value most. It’s available 24 hours for surprise inspections or short-notice regulatory interruptions of a member’s farm, ranch, or business. Our on-call attorneys can be available by phone during a stressful, unexpected farm inspection or even seizure of product. We provide a Hotline Blotter […]
Podcast: Nutritional Therapy and Wellness
“Why is it so hard for me to get real food for my family?” If you’ve asked this question or also find yourself doing “egg deals in parking lots,” check out this episode of the Nutritional Therapy and Wellness podcast for our own Alexia Kulwiec’s food sourcing strategies. In our highly consolidated and regulated food […]
The Unconstitutional Chicken Ordinance
In October of 2024, one of our members reached out for help with a zoning notice she’d received from her Michigan city. The notice claimed she’d been raising chickens without a permit, violating the city’s chicken ordinance. The notice called for Kathy to remove her chickens from her property. The thing is, Kathy had a […]
Podcast: Homestead Education
We all know that our food system is tailored for industrial ag corporations, not family farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders. In May of 2025, our own Alexia Kulwiec was invited to the Homestead Education podcast. Tune in to hear her chat with host Kody Hanner about legal challenges faced by small-scale food producers — and how […]