A loss for Illinois farmers and food banks | News

The decision to eliminate federal funding for programs that support farmers and food banks goes against the Trump administration’s commitment to “Make America Healthy Again” according to advocates for local producers and nonprofit hunger abatement organizations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in February cut two federal programs, the Local Food for Schools program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, that collectively received about $1 billion in funding nationwide. The LFPA buys fresh products from farmers at a fair market value, then distributes the food to communities through local food pantries. The USDA has since decided to let the remaining 2024 LFPA contract be spent but has canceled the LFPA contract for July 1 through June 30, 2026.

The LFPA funds are administered by the Illinois-EATS (Equitable Access Towards Sustainable Systems) program in this state, which so far has helped 176 farmers to supply fresh meats and produce to 883 locations in Illinois.

The fact that the current LFPA funds have been “unfrozen” is good news, but after June 30 hardships will be felt by both farmers and food banks, according to Liz Stelk, executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, a farmer advocacy organization.

“If you want fresh, local, healthy food in the summer, you have to plan for that in the winter. So farmers all across Illinois made investments in seed and infrastructure this winter to participate in the program,” Stelk said. “But most local food is harvested in Illinois during the summer and fall, so the cancellation of the program on June 30, before the crops can be harvested and sold, is a tremendous harm to local farmers all over the state.”

Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello recently testified in an Illinois General Assembly hearing about the effect the LFPA cancellation will have in this state.

“Cutting the funding leaves farmers on the hook for expenses they incurred believing they would be reimbursed and leaves our most vulnerable, food-insecure communities without meat, fresh produce and other nutritious donations they were promised,” Costello said. “The federal government broke its promise and the people of Illinois are paying the price.”

The USDA approved $43 million for Illinois to administer the LFPA program for several years but the state is still owed $14.7 million, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Last fall, before the appropriations were frozen, Gov. JB Pritzker announced grants to a number of Illinois organizations, including one to the Springfield-based Central Illinois Food Bank, that were being paid through the LFPA program. The LFPA funds for those grants are part of the batch that was unfrozen so those who were awarded grants through the state should receive them.

U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both from Illinois, joined their Democratic Senate colleague Cory Booker to sponsor the Honor Farmers Contract Act of 2025. The legislation requires the USDA to honor the contracts made with farmers like the LFPA program. As of press time the bill is awaiting action in the Senate.

Because of Trump administration cuts, Illinois has also not received $6.5 million in federal funds for the Resilient Food Infrastructure Program, which provides grants to farmers for supply chain infrastructure like cold storage trucks to deliver food from the farm to food banks or consumers’ tables.

USDA data shows that 13.5% of Americans struggled with food insecurity in 2023, the highest rate in nearly a decade. In rural areas that figure is 15.4%. Central Illinois food banks and the farmers that have provided them with fresh, nutritious food are dealing with, as the Stewardship Alliance’s Stelk puts it, “having the rug pulled out from under them.”

“Get nutritious food to people.”

The Local Food Purchase Assistance program helped a small Springfield-based operation to become larger and get more of its nutritionally-supercharged products into the hands of people who needed them the most.

“The LFPA was really critical for the growth of our business, especially its first year,” said Jessica Hicks, who co-owns Itty Bitty Micro Farm along with her husband, Mike. “It was a really great influx of cash that we were able to use for automation and equipment, and it’s gotten us really close to maxing out our space.”

Itty Bitty Micro Farm recently purchased a new freeze dryer and the farm’s goal is to have the capability to freeze dry and preserve the microgreens they grow, enhancing their shelf life from a maximum of three weeks to possibly years of freshness.

Itty Bitty Micro Farm is located entirely indoors in a 4,000-square-foot building on Springfield’s southwest side. Trays with growing microgreens are stacked vertically on shelves underneath timed growing lights to mimic the natural conditions outdoors.

“Microgreens are basically in between a sprout and a baby green, and they are up to 40 times more nutrient-dense, so they are really nutritious foods,” Hicks said. “It’s a very important part of the effort that food banks make to try and get actually nutritious food to people.”

The Hickses had planned to use promised LFPA funds in the coming year to expand their distribution to more food banks throughout the Midwest. Itty Bitty Micro Farm’s current year LFPA allotment has already been spent with the Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield and the funds to allow the St. Louis Area Food Bank to purchase microgreens are nearly exhausted.

“We were fortunate enough that we are a year-round grower, so most of our annual spend has already been shipped,” Hicks said. “We were just prepping for June or July for the next fiscal year, but we made contingency plans from the beginning, knowing that with most government programs there’s no guarantee that it will continue forever.”

Despite being prepared for the eventual loss of LFPA funds, Hicks was surprised by the speed and manner in which the appropriation was ended.

“I feel it was a quick decision, but at the same time, I understand that sometimes they hit the brakes and have to rethink what they’re doing,” Hicks said. “I think it’s an excellent program and has some valid points, but at the same time I understand that with the government, everything changes.”

Meanwhile, Itty Bitty Micro Farm will continue to grow, federal funding or not, just not as quickly as they had hoped.

“We won’t be able to put as much into our infrastructure as fast as we would like, so it will slow our growth,” Hicks said. “It also means that fewer people will be able to access these nutrient-dense products at their local food banks.”

Thirteenth District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, a Democrat who represents part of the Springfield area, is concerned that the LFPA cuts will do much more harm than good.

“This administration claims to be eliminating waste, but in reality, they are cutting vital programs that vulnerable Americans depend on – programs that feed hungry schoolchildren, help families access groceries and strengthen agricultural supply chain resilience,” Budzinski said. “There is no justifiable reason to cancel these programs. I’ve signed a letter to the USDA to express my concerns and demand answers. Instead of dismantling these essential services, we should be strengthening them.”

Fifteenth District U.S. Representative Mary Miller and 16th District U.S. Representative Darin LaHood, both Republicans who represent portions of central Illinois, did not respond to requests for their comments on this topic.

“I’m not sure I understand the chaos.” Wolf Creek Farm co-owner Deb Flannery wants the federal and state governments to make the Illinois-EATS program a permanent appropriation. That would avoid the disruption and hardship that the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again decisions have caused.

“I’m not sure I understand the chaos going up the ladder in politics, why there is a problem. It almost seems like hissy fits to me, and that hurts,” Flannery said. “Making the program permanent would raise the quality of the region and state socially, economically and sustainably, maintain fair market value pricing and assist food banks and small farmers to succeed.”

Flannery and her partner, Roger Bock, grow green beans, kohlrabi, sweet peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, radishes and broccoli on 15 acres between Williamsville and Elkhart. The Central Illinois Foodbank has used LFPA funds to purchase fresh produce from Wolf Creek Farm, and Flannery expects all will continue to go well until the funds expire on June 30.

“This is a fresh pick operation, you can’t just call and come in within half an hour. Last year food bank pickups were half of what we were putting out each day,” Flannery said. “We are overqualified where food safety is concerned, so we are the easiest farm they work with. This stuff is sometimes picked right off of the farm, put into their trucks and then delivered to Jacksonville or Springfield.”

That freshness is ideal for food bank patrons who often don’t have access to, or can’t afford, fresh, nutritious food.

“Getting the freshest food is preferred over food that is in bags from the grocery store that is already three or four days old,” Flannery said. “We are getting it off to people as fast as possible. I’m hard-pressed to see the negatives in this program.”

Central Illinois Foodbank executive director Pam Molitoris agreed that the LFPA program has no downside, and she’s baffled why the Trump administration wants to end it.

“The products are coming straight from the fields or from the lockers. Any way to get those fresh products in the hands of people who need them is a good thing,” Molitoris said. “What I appreciate about this program is it helps smaller farmers, especially the startups. Having a consistent market is a good thing, and we’ve really enjoyed working with the farmers.”

The Central Illinois Foodbank serves Cass, Greene, Logan, Menard, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon and Schuyler Counties with products purchased through the Illinois-EATS program. The food is often distributed directly to the consumer, rather than requiring a visit to a food pantry, and getting it from farm to table as quickly as possible is a priority.

“People that don’t have enough food on their table tell us they want more fresh produce, and any program that can provide nutritious products is something we are going to be interested in,” Molitoris said. “We are not the nutrition police; we are just giving people access to things they’re asking for.”

Molitoris said that in 2007, Central Illinois Foodbank had only 14,000 pounds of fresh produce in its building, and now more than two and a half million pounds runs through the operation annually. That is certain to slow down once LFPA funding ends.

“There is more than one government program, but LFPA is important to many people,” Molitoris said. “Green foods, or those we say are not processed and are closest to the earth, are what we’re trying to bring in most of the time when we’re spending government or privately donated funds.”

“Difficult decisions to make.”

The Local Food Purchase Assistance program represents 30% of the business handled by Bland Family Farm in Jacksonville, and when the program ends on June 30 something will have to give.

“Those are difficult decisions to make involving real jobs and real people, but to lose 30% of our business means we have to cut costs,” said farm owner and operator Clint Bland. “LFPA has been huge. It has helped us grow from three full-time employees to six, and it’s allowed us to market products from a lot of growers to food banks, where those products were going out into communities that really appreciate it.”

Bland Family Farm raises root crops such as onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips and radishes plus grass-finished beef, chickens and 2,000 egg laying hens. None of the crops in the ground will be harvested by June 30, which means Bland must figure out what to do with them.

“Some of the onions that we planted will be sold as bunches so people can plant them, and we are doing the same with potatoes, putting them in five-pound seed bags,” Bland said. “The onions were purchased in November and the potatoes in January, so we had already spent the money anticipating that the LFPA funds would be there to help sell our products to food banks.”

Bland recently purchased a 5,800-square-foot warehouse that he has been remodeling to increase the amount of food the farm can produce, store and ship throughout the region. That expansion project is now in question, one of the farm’s six employees is gone, and Bland Family Farm will not be able to afford a second delivery vehicle to move fresh products to area food banks.

“It’s unfortunate that such a great program as LFPA is going away,” Bland said. “We had a lot of excitement going into this year and we felt things were finally going to change for farmers, especially those that operate on a small scale. A lot of farm folks are disappointed.”

Melissa Hall, the administrator of the Jacksonville Area Community Food Center, understands that “people need to be held accountable” when government money is spent, “but you can’t just throw it out there and say, ‘OK, as of June 1 we’re going to stop this.’ They don’t see that we give lunches every day to the homeless,” she said.

“I have a disabled child and I always say that whoever is making decisions for the government, whether it’s about food, children or health care, should have to get to know a person that their decisions will affect,” Hall said. “They would see things differently. It’s great to say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this and that,’ or to make blanket statements, but you really shouldn’t do that.”

Hall said policymakers, regardless of political affiliation, should not make assumptions about the people who use food banks.

“There a lot of people who say that hey, they can get a job. Well, maybe they can and maybe they can’t. You don’t know their circumstances,” Hall said. “We don’t judge. If you’re a working family and you have a car break down or your water heater goes out, maybe you’re faced with being able to buy food or medicine, but not both. One in three people are income insecure and need assistance.”

The Jacksonville Area Community Food Center provides essential foods to low-income and non-working families in Morgan County. The center gets products, either through government-funded purchases or donations, from area farmers, gardeners, local stores, the community, schools and churches.

“The end of (federal government) funding hasn’t hurt us yet, and we have a little bit of extra time to spend it,” Hall said. “We remain hopeful that it will stay intact. It offers a variety of fresh food that people can get instead of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs.”

“The communities are going to suffer.”

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, and its administration through Illinois EATS, has been a godsend for rural Cass County farmer Mitch Cave.

“It’s been huge, being able to sell 100% of your product throughout the year has been really good and has helped us out enormously,” Cave said. “With the Illinois-EATS program we’ve been able to sell 100% with zero waste.”

Cave operates Four Lees Farm just north of Virginia where he raises grass-finished beef, pastured pork, pastured poultry and two acres of garlic and seed potatoes.

“When Gov. Pritzker announced back in the fall of 2024 that we were getting continued Illinois-EATS money, we bought bulk seed and really ramped things up. We went ahead with our processing dates and everything for the entire year plus part of next year,” Cave said. “Now I’m kind of stuck. The one food bank that we supply, the cutoff date is May 15. So we’re trying to get as much in there as we can before the funding runs out.”

Cave will downsize his production and will have to depend on online orders, which he delivers to area communities, plus sales at area farmers markets to make up for the funding shortfall.

“In the past, we’ve done the downtown farmers markets but if you’ve got a rainy day or it’s too hot or too cold, you might be taking all of your products back home with you at a loss,” Cave said. “We will be scrambling. It’s unfortunate, because Illinois-EATS helped people get nutritious food versus ultra-processed food.”

Cave said the federal Local Food for Schools program will help him to sell some of his products to area school districts, but not nearly in the volume that the LFPA program paid for. Plus, the Local Food for Schools program will also not be funded again once the current appropriation runs out.

“It’s almost like starting back at year one. We’ve been doing full-time farming now for 11 years, and it’s taken us to this point to actually be profitable,” Cave said. “It’s sad. Small farmers are going to suffer. The communities are going to suffer.

“We live in Cass County, one of the poorest counties in the state, and some people who live here are not going to be able to get our food,” Cave added. “It’s kind of a kick in the shins.”

“Illinois farmers should be able
to feed Illinois.”

The state of Illinois has its own farm-to-food bank initiative, the Local Food Infrastructure Grant program. It invested $2 million toward the program in 2023 and 2024, although the 2024 grants have yet to be awarded.

The Illinois Stewardship Alliance held an April 8 Food and Farm Advocacy Day at the Illinois Statehouse to urge lawmakers to renew the $2 million Local Food Infrastructure Grants, among other issues that the Stewardship Alliance supports.

“It’s not going to make up for the loss of federal dollars, but it makes it even more urgent for Illinois to continue to make investments like that,” said Stelk, the Stewardship Alliance executive director. “We have 23 million acres of production agriculture in Illinois, and yet we import 95% of the food we eat. Illinois farmers should be able to feed Illinois, and these types of programs are helping us to move in that direction.”

Stelk said that federal funds through the Local Food Purchase Assistance program are specifically targeted to small, new farmers who are filling a void not addressed by traditional corn and soybean producers, and that is crucial given the Illinois farmer demographic.

“This is coming at a time when the average age of farmers is 58,” Stelk said. “There’s a tremendous need to think about the next generation of farmers and to diversify what we grow and do it in a more sustainable way.”

“One-third of the farmers participating in this program have been in business less than three years, and having the rug pulled out from under them would be devastating,” Stelk added. “We need the kind of programs that are supporting the folks who are doing these kinds of things.”