USDA’s end of diversity efforts in farm programs will mean ‘less food for the community’
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer take a farmer’s race or gender into consideration for many of its loans and benefit programs.
Tag: USDA
USDA ended its local food programs. A look at how farmers, schools and food banks are coping
Thousands of schools, farmers and food pantries in the Midwest and Great Plains planned on federal dollars over the next year to support local food purchases. And then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut the programs.
Rural communities rely on this USDA agency. Trump’s cuts threaten that
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has provided billions of dollars each year to small towns, farmers and businesses.
An alternative to the USDA Organic label could be more accessible for farmers. Can it stick?
Certified Naturally Grown offers farmers a cheaper and less time-consuming option to communicate how they produce their food. But terms like “natural” on food labels can be confusing for consumers.
USDA ends programs that help schools and food banks buy locally-grown food
The cancellation of two programs will affect more than $1 billion in expected funding this year. Food advocates worry the cuts are coming when other federal food programs are at risk.
Midwest farmers worry about the impacts of tariffs on exported crops and imported fertilizer
The Trump administration’s tariff announcements this week are bringing uncertainty to farmers going into planting season. Farm groups warn that retaliatory tariffs will add an additional “burden” to U.S. producers.
A Midwest farmer was promised money for a new delivery truck. Then Trump froze the funds
Farmers, nonprofits and state agencies received almost $3 billion in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. But recent federal funding freezes have recipients concerned they won’t end up receiving money.
Some farmers left in limbo after Missouri’s state budget limits funding for a USDA grant
Missouri’s 2025 state budget includes less than a third of the federal funding the state received for Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grants. More than a dozen producers with selected projects are without funding for now. The day Emily Wright expected to hear whether her vegetable and flower farm in mid-Missouri would receive grant funding
Immigrant farmers often can’t get federal grants to start businesses. These nonprofits are helping
Documentation status, language barriers and lack of information can all create barriers for immigrants to access federal grants. Now a number of organizations are stepping in to provide direct support.
New USDA ‘climate-friendly’ farming and ranching practices have yet to be proven, report says
An environmental activist group charges that many “climate smart” farming practices recently added to a list for U.S. Department of Agriculture funding are not yet proven. The Environmental Working Group says funding from the Inflation Reduction Act should not be used to pay farmers for using the practices, until there is more evidence that they work.
Tornado and drought damaged areas in Illinois will receive disaster funds
Farmers can apply for emergency loans after tornadoes and drought last spring.
GMO food labeling has been required in the U.S. for a year. Have consumers noticed?
Take a look at the back of the cans and boxes in your cupboards and you’re likely to see some that say “contains bioengineered food ingredients.” A year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began mandating labeling for foods that are genetically modified or contain GMO ingredients. The national standard was endorsed by some farm
SNAP-Ed pays workers so little that some qualify for food benefits themselves
CHAMPAIGN — Del Jacobs likes almost everything about her job. As a SNAP-Ed community worker in Illinois, she likes getting to know the regulars at local food pantries and teaching them about healthy eating on a budget. She likes working with children, especially since she doesn’t have any kids of her own. What she doesn’t
White House’s upcoming hunger conference could have huge policy implications for food security
WASHINGTON D.C. — For the first time since the Nixon administration, the White House will hold a conference on hunger, nutrition and health, bringing together advocates, lawmakers and experts to come up with strategies to tackle food insecurity and diet-related health issues. The conference comes after a spike in food insecurity rates across the country
LGBTQ farmers often go unnoticed. But their perspective may help reshape agriculture
There aren’t any definite numbers about how many farmers belong to the LGBTQ community in the U.S, but many are making a point to become more visible in their rural communities. COGGON, Iowa — Growing up on her family’s farm in Coggon, Iowa, Shae Pesek couldn’t envision being able to have the life she wanted