“Chaos and panic” as US slashes funds for small farmers and food assistance
Farmers and food assistance groups around the country were reeling this week amid a series of moves by the Trump administration to cut funding for programs that support small and disadvantaged farmers and provide food for low-income families.
The loss of funding, which totals more than $1 billion, was
sending shock waves through a system set up to provide reliable markets and
consistent income for farmers who supply healthy, unprocessed, locally grown
fruits and vegetables and other foods to hunger assistance organizations and
public schools.
Funding was spread through every US state but some of the
largest amounts of program money were earmarked for farmers in California,
Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Georgia.
“This is a huge deal for small farmers,” said Ellee Igoe,
co-owner of Solidarity Farm in southern California
and director of operations for Foodshed, a San Diego County network of
regenerative and organic farms supplying food to families in need. “We’re
growing healthy food and providing it to local communities. And they are
cancelling contracts without real reason. Out here, it feels like it is very
politically motivated.”
Igoe said she and others believe the cuts are related in part to President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate programs that carry “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) objectives because when applying for program funding under the Biden administration, applicants were asked to list how the funding would help minority/disadvantaged farmers.
Many of the farmers and families who benefit are
disadvantaged and people of color, including Native American populations living
on Tribal lands. Some of the programs help provide culturally specific crops
for various communities, such as specific types of corn for Latino families or
specific squash varieties for Asian communities.
“Chaos and panic”
The government announcements of funding cuts have been
inconsistent, with the announcement of a freeze on one tranche of federal
funding reversed within days, only to be followed by a termination notice for
another tranche of federal funding.
A termination notice from
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivered to California’s Department of
Social Services on March 7, for instance, gave the state a 60 day-notice that
previously approved funding pledged for 2025-2026 was being eliminated. The
same notice, however, told the state agency that funding that had recently been
frozen for current obligations would be resumed.
It has been “chaos and panic” for farmers, said Matthew
Martin, a farmer in northern California who grows carrots, broccoli, cabbage
and other produce and leads a small, local food network that supplies 70
families in the area with fresh food. Now farmers are left uncertain if they
can even count on continuing funds for the next few months, despite the
government decision to unfreeze current funding. The removal of long-term
funding could push many small farmers out of business, he said.
“That is the most difficult thing right now, the
uncertainty,” said Martin.
One of the key programs slashed is the Local Food Purchase Assistance
Cooperative Agreement program (LFPA), and the funding cuts
include the “LFPA 25” tranche, budgeted at $421.5 million.
Another impacted program is the Local Food for Schools
Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), which is similarly in
turmoil after the USDA said it was canceling more than $600 million that was
allocated under the Biden administration to help schools and child care
facilities obtain locally supplied foods from farmers in their communities.
When asked about the cuts, the USDA said that the LFPA and
LFS “will now be sunsetted … marking a return to long-term, fiscally
responsible initiatives.”
Overall, the USDA said that going forward it is
“prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact.” Citing 16
“robust nutrition programs in place,” the USDA said it “remains focused on its
core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and
ensuring access to nutritious food.”
Other funding under review
Funding for other related programs are under review now, to
make sure they “align with the Department’s goals and priorities,” including
the Local Food Promotion Program, which
supports local and regional food businesses that process and distribute locally
grown foods, the USDA said. Another, which incentivizes farmers to make
climate-friendly changes to their practices, is also in jeopardy.
The USDA said it recognizes that “farmers and ranchers and
other grant-funded entities that serve them,” have made decisions reliant on
the funding, and are awaiting payments. Determinations about the funding will
be made “as quickly as possible,” the USDA said.
“There is a high degree of uncertainty for nearly anyone who
receives federal money,” said Paul Towers, who leads the Community Alliance
with Family Farmers that represents 8,000 small- and mid-sized farmers in
California committed to sustainable agriculture. “We will continue to lose
more farms in California at a time when food banks are seeing increased numbers
of hungry families and at a time when rural communities are struggling
financially.”
