Fallon receives funding to increase access to locally grown food

Fallon is among 26 selected nationally for a federal program intended to spur economic development by increasing access to healthy fruits and vegetables grown locally.

The White House Rural Council announced Thursday the Churchill Economic Development Authority in Fallon has qualified for the “Local Foods, Local Places Initiative.

The 26 communities will share up to $800,000 in federal technical assistance over the next two years.

Churchill County officials hope to create a local foods hub in an abandoned grocery store in downtown Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno.

The program offers help from six federal agencies, with experts in agriculture, transportation, public health and the environment.

Fallon is home to the annual Hearts O’ Gold Cantaloupe Festival, the longest running food-oriented event in the state.