A cut in federal funding from the United States Department of Agriculture affects public schools and food pantries throughout the Great Plains. Two federally funded programs, which provided farm fresh produce to schools and food pantries from local farmers, have been canceled by the USDA. The two programs that are now canceled are the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA).
Previously, LFS awarded funds to states to aid in the purchasing of local foods, to be dispersed to schools and childcare centers. According to USDA, “This program will strengthen the food system for schools and childcare institutions by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors.” With the cancellation of both of these programs, school administrators, along with parents and children, are wondering what the provided school meals will look like in the future. Will children have access to farm fresh foods?
The LFPA provided funding to state, tribal, and territorial governments, to assist in the purchasing of foods that are produced within the state or no more than 400 miles of the place of delivery. USDA states, “The cooperative agreements allow the states, tribes, and territories to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, unique to their geographic areas and that meet the needs of the population.” Those who are affected by the cancellation of LFPA are those who seek out food pantries in the time of need.
FOOD INSECURITY
Some of us may not realize it, but food insecurity is an issue throughout the United States. According to
USDA, “13.5 percent (18 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023.” With inflation driving up living costs, food insecurity continues to affect numerous households in the U.S. Access to quality food products from food pantries allows members of these households to provide meals for their families during hard times. The funding cut is sure to affect the quality and quantity of food available in various food pantries, making it harder for those who utilize the resource to have consistent access to good food products.
In October 2024, it was stated by USDA that both LFS and LFPA would be extended throughout the next three years, investing a total of about $1.2 billion toward the programs. However, the new administration decided to do away with the programs in March of this year. Notifications have been sent out to past and prospective recipients of the funds from both programs regarding the cancellations, and that program agreements are due to be terminated about two months after the notification was sent. The promised funding from the previous year will continue to be dispersed to states throughout the year, but the timeline depends on the individual state. For Nebraska, funds from LFPA will end in August and LFS funds will end in December. These will be the last allocations of funds from these programs. The two programs were first executed in 2022, with the goal of aiding the local markets for producers. Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, however, claims that the programs were designated to be utilized during COVID and are now non-essential. In the efforts to reduce government spending, these programs are unfortunate targets.
Grace Liss, the director of Food Services at Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, states, “The loss of LFS funding will significantly impact the Shawnee Mission School District. Without these funds, we will likely need to reduce, or possibly eliminate, our use of local food items in school meals. Our program already operates on a tight budget, and we strive to break even while still delivering high-quality, nutritious meals to our students. The LFS funding allowed us to bridge that gap and bring fresher, locally sourced foods into our cafeterias.”
MORE THAN FOOD
According to Liss, the LFS funds wasn’t just about the food, it was about more. Growth, education, and pride. The funds allowed for training on safe food handling methods along with allowing staff to improve their culinary skills, while working with higher-quality foods. In addition to staff training, students were taught about food origins and nutrition.
“I see school cafeterias as living classrooms, where food safety and nutrition come together. Losing LFS
support closes off one more valuable educational opportunity,” Liss said.
For Fiscal Year 2025, the state of Nebraska expected about $7 million from the two programs, while Kansas expected over $10 million. Not only are children and public consumers throughout the country being negatively affected by the canceled programs, American farmers are now put in a place of uncertainty. Many farmers have already planned their growing seasons based around the proposed funding. Producers who sold either vegetables, dairy, meat, or other farm fresh products to schools or food pantries participating in the programs, are now planning on losing a significant portion of their income, due to the unlikelihood of the organizations being able to afford purchasing products directly from them. These producers are now on the hunt for other clients or markets for their goods.
Schools are also looking into their budget and determining if they can afford to continue supporting any of their local farmers, while also supplying healthy food choices to students. Directors of food pantries are also seeking alternative ways to supply fresh food products to the public in need.
The cancellation of funding for the Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance programs will impact states within the Great Plains considerably. This is a time of great uncertainty for many, but those affected are already focusing on being adaptable and moving forward with the resources that they do have available.
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