by Gail Falk, Staff Writer

Congressman Jim McGovern (D MA) used his keynote address at the annual meeting of the Neighboring Food Co-ops Association (NFCA) to offer both a warning and a call to action.

“We are witnessing a concerted effort to starve out independent farmers and dismantle local food systems,” said McGovern, who is a senior member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Oversight. “Funds that rightfully belong to the farmers have been frozen without any legal basis or even feigned rationale.”

Since he spoke in early March, the Trump administration has cut close to $2 million in previously committed funds for Vermont farms and farm food producers. Two programs that were cut supply food grown on Vermont farms to schools, child care centers, food banks and food shelves. The programs provided a stable source of income for farmers and fresh healthy food for children and low income Vermonters. Local Food for Schools and Child Care was slated to provide $1,222,076 to purchase local produce for lunches in Vermont schools and childcare programs. Another nearly half million dollars supported the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which paid for the purchase and distribution of local foods to area food banks and pantries. This money provided income to more than 100 Vermont farms and reached schools in all 14 counties. In March, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture received a letter from USDA saying that the programs “no longer effectuate agency priorities.”

In reporting the end of funding, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture said on its website:

“We want to take this opportunity to briefly celebrate the impact of this federal funding for Vermont producers over the past three years. These federally funded projects resulted in new and expanded partnerships between Vermont farms, schools, food shelves, and community organizations. Over 120 Vermont farms and food producers participated in these programs. The success of these programs is a testament to the collaboration and commitment of the grantees and partner farms. These funds have supported farms and organizations’ capacity to buoy their communities through post-COVID difficulties and multiple natural disasters. These funds have increased resilience across many of Vermont’s diverse communities not just in supply chains, but in connecting communities to each other and to nourishing food.”

“The news that the additional funds have been pulled back by USDA comes as a huge disappointment — for Vermont farms, schools, early childhood programs, and organizations focused on feeding their communities. The absence of these funds does not change the Agency’s commitment to supporting Vermont producers and increasing food access for all Vermonters. The Agency continues to advocate that USDA restore the funding. We have been working with other states on making the case that these programs were great for farmers and great for consumers.”

In addition to these programs, the Trump administration has cut a dozen U.S. Agency of Agriculture jobs in our state, diminishing technical support available to farmers. A number of infrastructure and climate mitigation programs for farmers are on hold.

Describing the situation to Seven Days, farmer Ansel Ploog of Flywheel Farm in Woodbury said Vermont’s local food system is facing a fundamental threat. She compared the system to a mushroom plant: “It’s like the fruiting body that you see on the surface, and underneath is this incredible network or workers and customers; publicly funded science and organizations like NOFA-VT; and other farmers, educators and suppliers. So many of the connections and nourishment that sustain small farms are under fire.”

Congressman McGovern concluded his address with a call for co-ops to take action, urging us to organize, advocate for policies that protect local food systems, and engage our communities in the fight for food justice. “This is like a five-alarm fire,” he said. “And the only way we’re going to stop it is through people power.”

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