IHC Statement on USDA Cancelling Local Food Purchasing Programs

The Iowa Hunger Coalition strongly objects to the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cancel the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and Local Foods for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSCC) for 2025 and beyond. These programs would have provided $11.3 million in local food purchasing support for food banks and emergency feeding programs ($3 million), schools ($6.1 million), and early child care programs ($2.2 million) over the next three years.

LFPA and LFS have been incredibly successful in Iowa, not only in providing fresh, nutritious food to Iowa’s schools and anti-hunger organizations, but also in building markets for Iowa’s local food farmers. Our friends at the Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Food System Coalition, Iowa Food Bank Association, Iowa Valley RC&D, Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Network, Iowa Food Hub Managers Working Group, Meskwaki Nation, and many other coalition partners and individual food farmers have shown tireless dedication to feeding Iowans and improving our local food systems through LFPA and LFS—building on decades of local food systems work. Many food farmers have already made substantial investments and scaled up production in anticipation of these programs. Their work should be commended, not condemned.

Iowa’s food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger organizations continue to assist record-breaking numbers of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. At the same time, federal and state support for nutrition programs are increasingly under threat. Nonprofits are being asked to do more with less. Without the support of LFPA and LFSCC, food banks, emergency feeding organizations, and schools are left with fewer resources to feed children, seniors, and Iowans of all ages.

We appreciate the support for local food purchasing programs from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), and believe the state has an opportunity to respond to this moment by stepping up investment in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program. We are calling on the Iowa state legislature to direct $3 million in funding to support this program in state fiscal year 2025-2026. Please contact your state Senator and Representative today and urge them to increase state funding for the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program.

Furthermore, we are encouraging all IHC members and supporters to make conscious and intentional efforts to support local food farmers with your purchases. Visit a farmers market. Sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Buy directly from a local farmer, food hub, or meat locker. We’re all in this together, and we can all make a difference.