USDA Funding Cuts Leave Local Farms and School Meal Programs Struggling

The USDA recently slashed $1 billion in funding for programs that helped schools and food banks purchase food from local farms. As a result, school meal programs, children who rely on these meals for essential nutrition, and farmers who depend on these partnerships to support their small businesses are all facing significant challenges.

According to the School Nutrition Association, approximately $660 million in funding that schools had planned to use in 2025 to purchase food from local farms through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program has been canceled. 

Farmers who supplied food to schools and food banks through these programs say the cuts are a major setback for everyone involved. 

“This USDA program was one of the better programs that the government was involved in. Cutting it is going to be detrimental to a lot of people,” said Shad Swanson, a farmer.

Rosman Family Farms echoed this concern, stating, “It’s disappointing that something that wasn’t broken had to be broken.”

Farmers now face the challenge of handling surplus crops with no clear buyers. “There is no individual customer that is going to take 50,000 pounds of apples,” said farmer Emma Johnson.

Without these contracts, many farms lose a crucial source of income—and will be saddled with excess product without means to sell it. At the same time, schools and food banks will struggle to provide nutritious, locally grown produce to children and families in need, ultimately hurting both local agriculture and community nutrition.