The Shadow
WASHINGTON—As hunger rates climb across the country, federal funding cuts are hitting Virginia farmers who produce food for nutrition programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the cancellation of two programs that provided more than $1 billion nationally for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers.
About $600 million would have been distributed to schools and child care centers across the country this year through the Local Foods for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program also has been cut; it previously funded food banks and other feeding programs that reach underserved communities. USDA unfroze that program’s funds for current sub-grantees but cancelled the second round of funding for 2025.
Virginia has received over $13.6 million for LFPA and LFPA Plus programs to date and will lose about $7.6 million for LFPA 2025 and potentially $13 million for LFS, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The cancellation of the local food purchase program and the local foods for schools program does not affect current sub-grantees. VDACS will fully fulfill its obligations under the existing LFPA and LFPA Plus agreements, which remain in effect through July 15.
The Southside Virginia Fruit and Vegetable Producers Association in Charlotte County has sold about $150,000 worth of fresh fruit and vegetables to food banks statewide through the local food purchase program. Those sales have helped the group of around 22 member farmers expand their businesses and recruit more members, including young and beginning producers.
“It’s helped keep our farms alive and growing,” remarked Brick Goldman, SVFVPA president.
The group is cutting back on planting this spring as they scramble for replacement markets.
“It might be a tough year for us, but we just keep looking for other opportunities,” Goldman added. “The sad thing is the food banks are going to lose the fresh fruit and vegetables they were really excited about getting.”
The Federation of Virginia Food Banks benefits from $250,000 in LFPA funds monthly under the current round—a valuable support system as rising food prices strain consumers and food banks alike. Traffic across the seven regional food banks and their network of 1,150 pantry partners rose 20% on average from 2023 to 2024, and the food banks spent nearly five times more on food than in 2019, according to the federation.
About 964,000, or 1 in 9, Virginians were facing hunger in 2022—around 37% more than the year before, according to Feeding America.
“We are really dependent on any sort of initiatives that we can find like the LFPA, and we particularly are grateful when they can benefit Virginia’s ag economy and local farmers,” remarked Eddie Oliver, Federation of Virginia Food Banks executive director.
The federation works to strengthen partnerships with Virginia farmers through initiatives like Farms to Food Banks, which includes The Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program. Farmers are paid the fixed costs associated with donating excess produce.
Nearly 2 million pounds of food were sourced from 65 local agricultural partners through the Farms to Food Banks initiative last year.
“We feel like the work of the LFPA and other grants to connect local farmers with the food bank network has been a tremendous success in Virginia,” Oliver noted. “We just didn’t expect the rug to be pulled out from under us this quickly, and we are scrambling a little bit to replace product.”
Additionally, USDA paused $500 million in funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, a core nutrition program that purchases U.S. commodities for emergency food providers. That program makes up about 30% of the federation’s inventories.
“We’re going to need a lot of support from the community, and we’re hoping the state can help provide some additional support to offset the impacts of the federal cuts,” Oliver added. “But we appreciate our partners in Washington and Richmond, and we’re going to forge ahead as best we can.”
