Logan » The federal government, known for handing out subsidies to the nation's largest farms, is breaking new ground to support small, local operations.

Agriculture Department Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, told an audience at Utah State University on Thursday that locally produced food is affordable and nutritious. And it keeps wealth in surrounding communities, she said, speaking while on a tour of northern Utah.

In the past, the USDA has had piecemeal schemes to help local farms, many of them small fruit-and-vegetable operations that typically haven't qualified for government subsidies.

Last fall, however, the USDA combined programs under the initiative, Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food. The program promotes healthy eating, and provides loans, grants and support to connect consumers with local farmers.

"The Obama Administration wants to build on existing programs and engage in new strategies to support and establish local and regional food systems," Merrigan told more than 200 USU faculty and students. Among the initiative's goals: "to bring new understanding of the importance of healthy eating and provide enhanced access to fresh foods."

The healthy eating kickoff began last spring when Michelle Obama dug up a patch of the south lawn of the White House to plant a vegetable garden. It was the first there since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II.

The USDA, with its $149 billion budget, "is a big tent that supports large, medium and small operations," said Merrigan. But more consumers are understanding the nutritional value of locally grown food, much of it grown by both organic and small farmers.

"We expect consumer demand for locally grown food in the U.S. to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012," she said.

State Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham said he supports USDA programs that tout local products. But he added that large farming operations have brought Americans "affordable, abundant foods."

"Growing a garden, and supporting small farmers is a wise decision; it connects us with the Earth," he said. "It's not the entire picture of agriculture, but it's an important piece."

USU Extension agents Marion Murray said the USDA's emphasis on healthy eating is a vital addition to the agency's programs.

For her part, Merrigan said farmers can get involved by providing locally-produced products for school cafeterias.

Last fall, Utah became one of the last three states to put together a Farm to School program, which helps local farmers sell fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products to area schools. Although Utah farmers provide products for grocery stores, producers have not yet broken into the school market.

Nationwide, 2,000 school districts serve fresh, local food for lunch or breakfast, according to Southwest Marketing Network, the lead agency for five states that include Utah for the national Farm to School program.

dawn@sltrib.com