[Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative]

Wisconsin got the same news that it seems most states did, LFPA2025 terminated (https://datcp.wi.gov/Documents2/LFPA25TerminationNoticeWisconsinDepartmentofAgricultureTradeConsumerProtection.pdf). As far as we know – finishing up the LFPA and LFPA+ work. We have been keeping people updated at the public website for the program – https://www.wilocalfood.org/

Wisconsin Farmers Union has been organizing some advocacy in the state and included an ask for state budget money to support the work in its recent Farm/Rural Lobby Day, where members visit their legislators offices. There has been some press generated:

https://www.wxow.com/wisconsin-farmers-food-pantries-urge-usda-to-restore-local-food-programs/article_40808f29-3e23-5be6-98e4-4d7af9d88b30.html

https://www.morningagclips.com/wis-orgs-urge-usda-to-restore-local-food-assistance-programs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJGcLBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHY8XM-ippucFXQ7JXcyIAtWCa7MK2DC2pVyFeuM0INdhdott-gslrvrCAQ_aem_wyEuahQpduojVdjfNQ1XfQ

https://www.wisbusiness.com/2025/wed-am-news-evers-accuses-trump-administration-of-betraying-wisconsin-farmers-wisconsin-beverage-association-urging-lawmakers-to-reject-foodshare-waiver-bill/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJGcoxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHW64QqjbFS7_BKnTIp5Ms7oO9qPL-C6aUCE4vFkmR8U73iUX4YW42_a3rg_aem_hfXycpSMRgOLSNLk7pUIjg

[Liz Stelk]

I sent this update to NSAC and other groups last week but forgot to share here:

Illinois farmers showed up and showed out with hours of powerful testimony in a hearing on the tremendous momentum in our local food system and climate-resilient farming that’s been disrupted by the unprecedented federal funding freeze.

State Rep. Sonya Harper, chair of the Agriculture & Conservation Committee of the Illinois General Assembly, held a subject matter hearing to investigate the impacts of the federal funding freeze, tariffs, and delayed farm bill.

In a matter of days, we mobilized farmer members and helped prepare them to testify. Here are some highlight clips:

• John Bartman, who farms a 900-acre regenerative vegetable and grain farm in Marengo, told state lawmakers in the hearing that he can’t make his farmland rent because USDA has frozen the climate-smart payments to farmers.
• Jackie DeBatisa, a farmer and Executive Director of Farmers Rising, described how federal investments are meaningfully growing our local food systems but the system isn’t prepared to handle a shift in demand with tariffs.
• Jody Osmund, who raises livestock at Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa, said that the freeze erodes trust: “When hardworking farmers sign contracts with Uncle Sam and our government does not honor those, who can we trust?”
• Ben Stumpf, with Rumblin’ Ernie Farm in the Metro East, said that the sales through IL EATS allowed him to stop working midnights at UPS to farm full time, and now doesn’t know what’s next.

We also hosted a watch party of the live stream on zoom — we had 189 people register, and 99 folks watched the hearing with us live.

The hearing, as well as USDA’s LFPA announcement, generated a ton of media coverage: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, CBS Chicago, FOX Illinois, WICS Urbana, Belleville News-Democrat, Belleville Metro-Chronicle, Freeport Journal-Standard, Rockford Register Star, WGN Chicago, WTVO Rockford, WSIU, Farm Progress, and Bob Benenson wrote about it in Local Food Forum.

We’re organizing now to get letters to the editor published in response to keep the conversation moving on opinion pages. And of course, action alerts to send emails and make calls to members of Congress.

I’m sharing this with you because this is a model that shows what state lawmakers can do to support us — and how we can leverage hearings to organize our base.

If you engage in state level advocacy, please consider asking lawmakers on the Ag committee leaders to hold a hearing.

Additional update as of today:

Stories about the hearing and LFPA/LFS/ RFSI freeze ran in 97 print newspapers around the state

[Parker Filer]

This article was just published this morning and focuses on the freeze we experienced with our LFPA+ funds and the loss of the proposed 3rd round of LFPA/LFS funds in Arizona. Trump funding cuts take local produce from schools, hurt farmers https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2025/03/18/trump-funding-cuts-local-produce-programs-hurt-farmers/82333092007/