Local produce farmers and others are scrambling to find new buyers for their products after the Trump administration abruptly canceled programs that provided food to school children and food pantries.
That includes about 50,000 pounds of apples from Buffalo Ridge Orchard near Central City.
The programs were created by the Biden administration as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic and the flaws it exposed in the nation's food supply chains.
They were meant to bolster the availability of locally grown foods and the number of farmers growing them.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in October it would extend the programs for three more years and would provide about $11 million for Iowa.
But the department — under new leadership — terminated those agreements with participating states this week, including Iowa. President Donald Trump has sought vast cuts to federal spending.
Local farmers who sold into the recently cut programs had anticipated contributing their products at an even higher rate this year as schools have grown more adept at adding them to their menus, and some farmers had already bought seed and equipment to meet that demand.
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The growing season draws near.
"This is kind of the worst timing for this to happen," said Mari Hunt Wassink, a beginning Cedar Rapids vegetable farmer. "Now it's time to begin the season, and all of a sudden we don't know what's going to happen."
Hunt Wassink's problems are compounded because she was planning to greatly expand her relatively new Black Earth Gardens, which specializes in produce for culturally Black and African diaspora cuisine, such as okra and uncommon peppers.
She is nearing the end of her time with a Feed Iowa First program that has provided a half acre of land to build her business. She had planned to buy up to 20 acres this fall, but she needs to show strong profits to increase her chances of getting a loan for the land, she said.
Hunt Wassink fears her sales will regress this year.
"It's definitely a question that keeps me up at night," she said. "The next months are crucial."
That includes about 50,000 pounds of apples from Buffalo Ridge Orchard near Central City.
The programs were created by the Biden administration as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic and the flaws it exposed in the nation's food supply chains.
They were meant to bolster the availability of locally grown foods and the number of farmers growing them.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in October it would extend the programs for three more years and would provide about $11 million for Iowa.
But the department — under new leadership — terminated those agreements with participating states this week, including Iowa. President Donald Trump has sought vast cuts to federal spending.
Local farmers who sold into the recently cut programs had anticipated contributing their products at an even higher rate this year as schools have grown more adept at adding them to their menus, and some farmers had already bought seed and equipment to meet that demand.
ADVERTISING
The growing season draws near.
"This is kind of the worst timing for this to happen," said Mari Hunt Wassink, a beginning Cedar Rapids vegetable farmer. "Now it's time to begin the season, and all of a sudden we don't know what's going to happen."
Hunt Wassink's problems are compounded because she was planning to greatly expand her relatively new Black Earth Gardens, which specializes in produce for culturally Black and African diaspora cuisine, such as okra and uncommon peppers.
She is nearing the end of her time with a Feed Iowa First program that has provided a half acre of land to build her business. She had planned to buy up to 20 acres this fall, but she needs to show strong profits to increase her chances of getting a loan for the land, she said.
Hunt Wassink fears her sales will regress this year.
"It's definitely a question that keeps me up at night," she said. "The next months are crucial."
Abrupt federal cuts to USDA programs harm small and new Iowa farmers
A Central City orchard needs to find a new buyer for about 50,000 pounds of apples and other small and new Iowa farmers worry about their expansion plans amid uncertainty about federal ag policies.
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