The deputy director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) says the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze has halted the Illinois EATS program.
Kristi Jones tells Brownfield it was part of the USDA funded Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.
“Those reimbursement dollars are how we fund the lead agencies, the farmers, and the food.” She says, “We had 883 community sites that received the food from 176 farmers.”
Jones says over half of those farmers meet USDA’s qualifications for a new farmer. She says Illinois was approved to distribute $43 million under the course of the multi-year agreement and $17.8 million remains outstanding from the federal government. Jones says without explanation, the USDA informed states that it was ceasing reimbursements for any costs incurred after January 19, 2025.
Chad Wallace, rural affairs director with the Illinois Environmental Council and a participating specialty grower, says many farmers are now left in limbo.
“A lot of these farms have upped their production because they felt they had a guarantee.” He says, “It’s easily a couple hundred thousand dollars that these folks were looking to still get through June. So, these folks have been left with not only a lot of product, but maybe a product that is not as marketable outside of the program.”
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