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MAFRAC CONNECTS &
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THE MID-ATLANTIC FOOD SYSTEM

News and Updates

Farmers say federal cuts threaten local food systems

Two federal programs supplying food banks, schools were axed
By Meredith Ogilvie-Thompson Contributing Writer

Local farmer Eugene Triplett is one of many local farmers who supplied food for local schools and food pantries through a federal program that was recently cut. Photo by Doug Stroud

On a fifth-generation family farm in Culpeper County, Eugene Triplett raises cows and grows vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, onions, cucumbers, kale and collards — much as his father and grandfather did before him.

But, like many small farmers across Virginia, his plans for this growing season have been upended by the sudden elimination of two federal programs that help provide locally grown foods to local schools and food banks.

“As a farmer, I’ve lost a guaranteed market for the stuff that I grow,” Triplett said. "I've been increasing my scale because I was going to participate in the farm to school program, but now I don't have a market for it. It's kind of like if you're working and you thought your paycheck was $1,000 per week and now it's only $25."

Local Food for Schools program, or LFS, a COVID-era effort that had been expanded before being axed by the USDA earlier this month, provided some $660 million to states to purchase locally grown food for schools and childcare facilities. The Local Food Purchase Assistance program, or LFPA, offered another $500 million to food banks and other organizations working with some of the country's most at-risk populations.

Together, elimination of the two programs represent what Carla Cash, executive director of Mid Atlantic Food Resilience and Access Coalition, calls "a devastating blow" that has left the organization with a $2 million shortfall and threatens to unravel years of community building.

The coalition was born during the COVID pandemic to bring together farmers, businesses, nonprofits and logistics experts to “rebuild the frayed food system” to be more local in mid-Atlantic states.

“There was food insecurity well before COVID — it’d been going on for years,” Cash said. “We set out to build a sustainable food pipeline. I was looking at it from the perspective that, if we keep our dollars within our communities and circulate our dollars within our communities, we would have healthy, thriving communities.”

MORE FEDERAL CUTS: Former Shenandoah National Park rangers raise alarm about federal cuts"

Cash has made it the coalition’s mission to connect faith-based and community-based organizations with local farmers and producers throughout Northern Virginia.

With support from local philanthropies, the coalition allocated more than $1 million in grants throughout its initial project phase. Federal funding from LFPA soon followed via a grant from 4P Foods, a Vint Hill-based food distributor and delivery company.

For Tom McDougall, co-founder of the coalition and founder of 4P Foods, building a local, regenerative and equitable food system is a strong scaffolding that benefits everyone. It should be something everyone can support, he said. “The Trump administration got this started,” McDougall said.

Trump Cuts Could Squeeze Small Farmers and Food Banks

Promising a return to “fiscally responsible initiatives,” the Agriculture Department ended two Biden-era programs that paid farmers to provide food to schools and low-income families.
By By Julie Creswell and Linda Qiu Contributing Writer

Local farmer Eugene Triplett is one of many local farmers who supplied food for local schools and food pantries through a federal program that was recently cut.
Photo by Doug Stroud

“These programs are not handouts,” said Tom McDougall,
chief executive of 4P Foods.
Caroline Gutman for The New York Times

“These were programs that had Republican support in many states,” said Katie Nixon, board president for the Kansas City Food Hub, an organization that connected local farmers like Ms. Graznak with community programs and schools. Last week, the group set up outside a diner in Stockton, Mo., and distributed free boxes of fresh food and produce. About half of the recipients were elderly, and would most likely find it difficult to trek to a larger city for access to a food bank, according to the food hub."

At Happy Hollow Farm, a small, 16-acre operation in central Missouri, Liz Graznak grows a variety of vegetables, including organic carrots, Swiss chard, radishes and beets.

Some of those vegetables go to local distributors where they are placed in boxes, alongside meat and dairy items also produced in the state, and delivered to low-income people. Other vegetables are sent to school districts that would normally not have the budget to serve students fresh, locally grown produce.

For Ms. Graznak, about $240,000, or roughly a quarter of her farm’s annual revenue, came from the two federal programs that supported these efforts.

Former Shenandoah National Park rangers raise alarm about federal cuts"

This week, she learned that the Agriculture Department had abruptly eliminated the programs. In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Brooke L. Rollins, the agriculture secretary, called the programs “nonessential” and “an effort by the left to continue spending taxpayer dollars that was not necessary.”

Now, Ms. Graznak fears that her small farm is at risk. Like many farmers, she relies on loans, and she worries about how to make payments on the $750,000 she owes.

“My farm production has more than doubled in size in the last two and a half to three years because of these programs and this income,” Ms. Graznak said. “That money was supporting the growth of my farm. I’m leveraged so high, it’s scary. I’m struggling with that right now.”

The Biden administration created the two programs during the coronavirus pandemic to strengthen local supply chains. They had provided $1 billion in grants to states, which then made money available to school districts, food banks and distribution hubs to buy produce, meat, fish, dairy and other minimally processed foods from over 8,000 local farmers.

In December, the Agriculture Department announced another tranche of $1.1 billion in funding for the programs: the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and the Local Foods for Schools program. But the Trump administration notified recipients last week that it had decided to terminate both.

Money for the programs came through the department’s Commodity Credit Corporation, a pot of money replenished annually. The agriculture secretary has broad discretion to revoke that funding and use it for purposes aligned with the administration’s aims. The first Trump administration used the funds to pay farmers hurt by his trade war with China, while the Biden administration spent it on promoting climate-friendly farming practices and local food systems.

A spokesperson for the agency said in a statement that the sunsetting of the programs marked “a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives” and that “the Covid era is over.”

Some participants, however, expressed surprise that the programs were suddenly scrapped, saying they seemed to intersect with many of the Trump administration’s priorities. The administration has vowed to support farmers and to encourage Americans to eat healthier foods, and to empower states to oversee and distribute the funds.

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USDA:

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Feel extra financial pressure as
USDA cuts grant program

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RESOURCE. CONNECT. EMPOWER.

MAFRAC stood up to address the food crisis triggered by the pandemic in March 2020 and continues to resource,
and empower farmers, producers, and food organizations -- our stakeholders -- throughout the region.

Mid Atlantic Food Resilience and Access Coalition

The Mid Atlantic Food Resilience and Access Coalition (MAFRAC) is a catalyst for transformative change in the local food system. We are a dynamic network of farmers, producers, health advocates, and community leaders committed to cultivating a future where food is a bridge to health, equity, and sustainability. Our vision is rooted in the belief that every individual deserves access to fresh, nutritious food and that thriving local food systems are essential to the well-being of our communities and the environment.

By prioritizing health from the farm forward, MAFRAC envisions a food system that uplifts underserved populations, strengthens the economic viability of local farmers, and preserves our natural resources for future generations. We are not just addressing food insecurity but reimagining how food is grown, shared, and valued. Through innovation, collaboration, and an unwavering focus on equity, MAFRAC is building a resilient food future—where vibrant communities, sustainable agriculture, and environmental stewardship intersect. This is who we are, and this is the legacy we are cultivating for the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Through our four program areas - Sustainable Agriculture, Food Access, Farm and Nutrition Education, and Hunger Relief Organizations capacity building. We work to improve access to affordable, sustainably grown food for people of all income levels; raise awareness about healthy food and its resources; and establish innovative connections between local, sustainable farms and consumers at all income levels.

We host MAFRAC’s Friday Stakeholder Calls are a collaborative platform bringing together a diverse group of partners, including local farmers, producers, hunger relief organizations, health centers, educators, and community leaders. Held the 2nd & 4th Friday of each month, these calls serve as a hub for sharing updates, discussing challenges, and fostering collaboration to address food insecurity, promote health equity, and build sustainable food systems. Participants exchange best practices, align efforts on current projects like the "Fueling Healthy Futures" program, and identify opportunities for partnership and resource sharing. The calls strengthen MAFRAC’s network, ensuring coordinated, impactful responses to the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

Partner Resources

MAFRAC has an array of resources available for our stakeholders

MAFRAC is always seeking to partner with stakeholders & funders that can help us better serve our neighbors throughout the Mid-Atlantic Area. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a MAFRAC stakeholder, click below!

Let’s do this:
Please fill out this Matching Local Food Grant Application to apply for this opportunity.

If you don’t have existing relationships with local farmers and producers or HROs, please reach out to us at kenessa@mafrac.com so we can help you make those connections.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact kenessa@mafrac.com

 

Benefits of Partnership

The MAFRAC’s Stakeholders receive access to food, training, and more in support of their work. Stakeholders receive food and health education materials from MAFRAC and distribute them through the Mid-Atlantic area to help create access to good, healthy food in every community. There are all types of food assistance stakeholders. 

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