'Why us, why now?': Farmers paying stiff price as Trump’s USDA cuts slam food banks and schools

25 March

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is among the many federal government agencies being targeted for mass layoffs by the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire SpaceX/Tesla/X.com leader Elon Musk.

The USDA cuts are affecting schools and food banks, and according to Baltimore Banner reporter Matti Gellman, they are also having a negative effect on farmers.

In an article published on March 25, Gellman explains, "At the end of this program's cycle in April, school districts will stop receiving the federal funding used to place large, bulk orders with local farms, including Moon Valley in Frederick County, (Maryland). The termination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement program comes amid a flurry of federal orders intent on cutting government waste and unnecessary spending. The Local Food Purchase Assistance program, for food banks to buy from local farmers, also was canceled for the upcoming cycle that begins in December. Without these programs, the small farms that make up the majority of Maryland's agricultural industry stand to lose some of their largest customers."

Meg Kimmel, chief operating officer for the Maryland Food Bank, told the Banner that she relied on the Local Food Purchase Assistance program to sustain a network of 1200 soup kitchens and food pantries in Maryland.

"In its last two years," Gellman reports, "the program has allowed the food bank to purchase local food at an average of $0.65 per pound — a fraction of the cost at grocers — allowing them to circumvent rising food prices while growing local farms, according to an impact evaluation report by the group. In its absence, Maryland Food Bank leaders worry about having to purchase less food, especially when it comes to fresh produce and meats, Kimmel said."

The Maryland Food Bank COO told the Banner, "It's the opposite of waste."

Jacob Lovett of the Lovett Farm in Dorchester County, Maryland told the Banner that Lovett would not be in business if the Maryland Food Bank weren't buying its potatoes.

Gellman told the Banner, "Once they realized this was going to affect the people growing the food, I expected (President Donald Trump), as a Christian, to say: slow down here. Why us, why now?"

Read the Baltimore Banner's full article at this link.

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