Poughkeepsie Farm Project gives people access to fresh food from its 15-acre farm, especially for locals that can't afford it. But the group's farm director says it can get overlooked when it comes to serving big businesses or groups.

To help out the smaller-scale farms like in the Hudson Valley, some lawmakers are introducing the Local FARMS Act. They say it would help farmers produce more for their community, and in turn, people would have more access to locally grown, fresh food.

The Local FARMS Act would also promote programs like the Poughkeepsie Farm Project's food production education.

"We have school children coming to the farm to learn about healthy eating. And they learn about farms and where food comes from, and they then help to create some of the demand for purchasing,"said Poughkeepsie Farm Project Eduction Director Jamie Levato.

The act would also give farmers a central place to look for grants and other resources that organizations like Poughkeepsie Farm Project could use to strengthen their community outreach.