advocacy, federal policy, on the menu, state policy
August 2026 Food Advocacy Update
By Rachel Lord, Advocacy and Policy Director, AFPC
August flew by with all the trappings of an Alaskan summer. The Primary Election is behind us with an impressive 27% voter turnout, the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill markup stalled out, and SB 208 officially became law. Looking ahead, the federal SNAP administrative cost shift takes effect October 1, and the voter registration deadline for the General Election is October 4. Our working groups got back in session this month, and we’re glad to be digging in with you again.
We’re just a month out from AFPC’s 2026 Food Festival & Conference, October 16–18 at the Westmark in downtown Fairbanks. Registration is open now, and we can’t wait to see you there!
Upcoming Action Opportunities
Voter Registration: Check your voter registration status here with the Division of Elections!
Register to vote here – it’s easy!
The deadline for the regular election is October 4. Early voting begins October 19, and Election Day is November 3. If you won’t be voting in person, request an absentee ballot early.
Submit your grocery prices! Our grassroots Grocery Basket Prices survey collects on-the-ground data on grocery costs from communities across Alaska, to demonstrate the true cost of feeding a family here. Check out grocery prices from fall 2025. Participate in our annual advocacy effort to raise awareness of food prices in Alaska. Head to your local grocery store, and put in your cart the cheapest you can find of: 3 apples, 1 head of lettuce, 1 loaf of bread, 1 gallon of milk, appx. 1 lb of ground beef, a dozen eggs, and a tin of infant formula. Ring it up to see how much it would cost to buy, send us your community, the total cost, and a photo to be included! You can also use this form. Target deadline: November 30
Submit your grocery prices! Our grassroots Grocery Basket Prices survey collects on-the-ground data on grocery costs from communities across Alaska, to demonstrate the true cost of feeding a family here. Check out grocery prices from fall 2025. Participate in our annual advocacy effort to raise awareness of food prices in Alaska. Head to your local grocery store, and put in your cart the cheapest you can find of: 3 apples, 1 head of lettuce, 1 loaf of bread, 1 gallon of milk, appx. 1 lb of ground beef, a dozen eggs, and a tin of infant formula. Ring it up to see how much it would cost to buy, send us your community, the total cost, and a photo to be included! You can also use this form. Target deadline: November 30
State Happenings
Budget & Bills
SB 208 (ag land leases, cabbage as the state vegetable, and hemp bill) passed into law, and was recognized by the Governor with a celebration at the Alaska State Fair. Read more about the agricultural land leasing challenges that helped precipitate this bill, and revel in the cabbage fairies as you settle in to knowing the giant cabbage is our new official state vegetable.
Farm Family of the Year
Robbi and Rachel made it to the Alaska State Fair to celebrate the Division of Agriculture’s 2026 Farm Family of the Year award for Al Poindexter and his family from Anchor Point. There were a number of Alaska legislators in attendance. It was a beautiful day, and a great kick-off to the Fair!
Your Food Your Vote!
The Primary is over, and the top four candidates in each race advance to the November 3 General Election, which uses ranked choice voting. Now the real fun begins! We sent our candidate survey to every candidate running for office in Alaska. Questions cover hunger, school meals and local foods in schools, state food systems priorities, access to the lands and waters we harvest from, and (of course) everyone’s favorite local food.
Responses will be posted verbatim on akfoodvote.org as they come in. As always, AFPC takes no positions on candidates or ballot measures. Read our full August Get Out the Vote Update for key dates and how to make a plan to vote.
Meanwhile, in D.C….
Farm Bill
On August 6, the Senate Agriculture Committee marked up the Agricultural Act of 2026 (“Farm Bill 2.0”), but the bill failed to advance on a 10–11 vote. Chairman Boozman recessed the markup rather than adjourning it, which means the committee can pick it back up without starting over and is planning to do so in mid-September. The sticking point was the timing of the new state cost-share for SNAP benefits. The bill offered a one-year delay and would let states use the lower of their 2026 or 2027 error rates. Democrats pushed for a two-year delay; that amendment failed along party lines. The committee did adopt several amendments, including allowing SNAP purchases of hot rotisserie chickens, moving Food for Peace permanently to USDA, and reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.
We still support a full repeal the SNAP cost shifts, and at minimum, give every state the full two-year delay. We’re also still pushing for our Alaska priorities, including mandatory funding for the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment program (RTCP), mandatory funding for local food purchasing, restored conservation funding, and stronger Tribal sovereignty provisions. For a great play-by-play, read this markup recap from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
SNAP Administrative Cost Shift
Separate from the Farm Bill debate, last year’s budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) cuts the federal share of SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 25% starting October 1. USDA released a proposed rule to put this into regulation, and extended the comment period to September 8. USDA’s analysis estimates this will cost Alaska about $8.1 million a year. The state’s FY27 budget includes $7.991 million for the shift, but that only covers October through June. You can read our letter here, outlining our significant concerns with the USDA’s Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA).
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We are so thankful for you spending a minute with us to stay up to date on food policy impacting Alaska. Let us know if there are issues you’re interested in, have questions on, or information about!
Till next month ~ Rachel
RL photo - okay to use