“We have grave concerns that the cancellation…poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country. At a time of uncertainty in farm country, farmers need every opportunity to be able to expand market access for their products.”
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and a group of her colleagues are demanding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) immediately reverse the cancellation of local food purchase programs that allow states, territories, and Tribes, including Wisconsin, to purchase food from Wisconsin farmers to be used by local emergency food providers, schools, and childcare centers. Specifically, Baldwin is calling on the administration to reverse course on the cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS). Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced earlier this month that the Trump Administration had reneged on contracts with the state that support Wisconsin farmers and food banks through the LFPA program.
“We ask that you reverse the cancellation,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We have grave concerns that the cancellation…poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country. At a time of uncertainty in farm country, farmers need every opportunity to be able to expand market access for their products.”
In their letter, the lawmakers warned of the harmful impacts this move by the Trump Administration will have on American farmers and families. According to Governor Evers’ Office, as of the end of 2024, nearly 300 Wisconsin farmers had participated in the Wisconsin LFPA Program, which distributed more than $4 million in food and served all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties. More than half of the participating farmers—55 percent—were new or beginning farmers. The program was set to enter its third year in just a few weeks based on Wisconsin’s contractual agreement with the federal government. USDA also told school nutritionists that it would end a companion program that connects farmers with local schools. The loss of the two programs is estimated to cut off farmers nationwide from more than $1 billion in support and would cut Wisconsin’s promised funding by nearly $6 million.
