A federal program that allowed schools to purchase food from area farms brought $40,000 to seven districts across Malheur County in 2024.
As Politico first reported on Monday, March 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture axed the funding that schools were counting on to buy food from nearby farms in 2025.
Gina Freel, Nyssa’s nutrition director, also said the program was used for breakfast and lunch items. She said the grant was “vital” to the district’s food program and allowed Nyssa officials to buy fruit and vegetables.
The program gave school districts grants to buy locally-produced food, according to the Oregon Department of Education website, the state agency responsible for administering the program. The funding was in addition to the federally-funded National School Lunch Program.
The loss of the funding to buy food from nearby farms was part of a $1 billion cut to local food programs across the country. The federal agency also cut another program that helped local food banks purchase locally-produced food.
Marc Siegel, a public relations representative with the Oregon Department of Education, said in a Tuesday, March 11 email that the state learned in 2024 that it would receive $2 million to distribute to school districts in Oregon that participated in the National School Lunch Program.
The Ontario School District received nearly half the county’s allocation in 2024. The state doled out a little more than $19,000 to the district. Nyssa received over $9,000, Vale just over $6,000, Four Rivers got over $3,000, and Adrian took in just over $1,500. Harper and Annex got about $700 and over $500, respectively.
In December, the federal Department of Agriculture announced the program would expand by over $600 million. Friday’s move slashed the funding.
Pam Suyematsu, director of nutrition services with the Ontario School District, said she was “disappointed” the funding was cut. With the grant funding, the district purchased fruit, vegetables and milk. The money was used for breakfast and lunch, she said.
The grant allowed the district to buy products in an area up to 400 miles outside the state. With Ontario on the Oregon-Idaho border, that meant the district could extend its reach to farmers in Idaho, Suyematsu said. She said the district worked with Oregon farmers, but the funding expanded what the district could purchase.
“The beauty of this grant for our school is that it expanded the definition of “local,” she said. She also noted that getting products from the west side of Oregon can be challenging and costly.
“This grant was a great way to bring local fresh fruits and vegetables into our program,” she said.
Andrea Cantu-Schomus, director of communications with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said the state would lose $5 million it intended to distribute to school districts and over $1 million for child day care centers and Head Start programs.
The state had until the end of April to submit its spending plan to the federal agriculture agency before the food programs were canceled. State officials had yet to approve a spending plan to be able to allocate funds to any schools or day cares.
“All funds were terminated,” she said.
Meantime, Malheur County’s child poverty rate is among the worst in Oregon. The child poverty rate, measured by the state, hovers over 30%.
Thousands of children in the county go without basic necessities, including sufficient housing and food.
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