Latest news with #LocalFoodPurchasingAssistance
Epoch Times
05-06-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Shapiro Sues USDA Over Termination of Farm-to-Food Bank Program
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) filed a The program, known as the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, was intended to fund Pennsylvania's local food system through 2027. It supported 189 farms and supplied fresh food to 14 food banks, including the Share Food Program in Philadelphia, where Shapiro announced the legal action Wednesday.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ag budget includes funding to replace canceled federal grants, but food banks say it cuts assistance
Soybean production in Worthington. Photo by. When the Trump administration cut funding for a program that gave food banks money to buy and distribute food from local farmers, Minnesota lawmakers decided to continue the program at the state level. The two-year, $115 million state agriculture budget has been approved by the House and Senate and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Tim Walz, and sets up a modest state program to replace the one cut by the federal government. But Second Harvest Heartland, the biggest hunger relief organization in the state, says the budget still partially defunds the Farm to Food Shelf program, which allowed Second Harvest to purchase excess produce from Minnesota farmers at a steep discount. (The budget boosts funding for a related program for dairy.) Rep. Fue Lee, DFL-Minneapolis, carried a bill to create a state program that mirrors the endangered federal Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Schools, food banks, governments and businesses can apply for grants to purchase food from Minnesota farmers and distribute it for free. Grant recipients must purchase 70% of the food from small farms — those that bring in less than $100,000 per year — or from farmers who rent their land. Lee's bill ended up in the budget, with $1.4 million over two years directed to the Local Food Purchasing Assistance grant program — around half as much as the federal government gave to Minnesota last year for the program. Minnesota Farmers Union, Land Stewardship Project and Minnesota Farmers Market Association were among the bill's supporters. Zach Rodvold, a lobbyist for Second Harvest Heartland, said the net effect of the budget is a cut in overall food assistance — on top of other federal cuts to food aid, as well as proposed cuts to SNAP, which helps low-income people buy groceries. 'What they voted for was a cut that will cost almost 4 million pounds of produce every year indefinitely,' Rodvold said. That's partly because the dollars that went to the Farm to Food Shelf program stretched farther — the food banks were paying pennies on the dollar for produce that farmers didn't intend to sell in traditional markets. The new state program, called the Local Food Purchasing Assistance grant program, pays farmers the market price for their produce. The Local Food Purchasing Assistance grant program will also allow recipients to contract with farmers for future production, creating a secure market for small Minnesota farmers.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Governor Shapiro sues Trump administration for canceling $500M in health funding
(WHTM) — Governor Josh Shapiro is joining a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying $500 million in health funding for Pennsylvania was canceled. The Shapiro administration says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the Commonwealth that the CDC was abruptly terminating funding for health grants. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The Shapiro administration says the grant money is owed to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), Human Services (DHS), Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and programs that work to prevent the spread of Avian Flu and measles. Funding was also designated for mental health and substance abuse services, long-term care, and ensuring access to immunizations. 'The federal government broke its half-billion-dollar contract with the Commonwealth and as a result of this unlawful action, is undermining our ability to protect the health of Pennsylvania's children and families,' said Governor Josh Shapiro. 'It is my job to defend the taxpayers of this Commonwealth, and this is funding owed to the people of Pennsylvania. But the Trump Administration abruptly canceled congressionally appropriated federal funding that supports critical Pennsylvania-based initiatives like infectious disease prevention, long-term care for our seniors, and immunizations for children. When I sign a legally binding agreement, I follow through with it – and with today's action, I'm just asking our federal government to do the same.' The lawsuit alleges $11 billion 'of critical public health funding' was terminated across the country. The lawsuit is co-led by Colorado, Rhode Island, California, Minnesota, and Washington and joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin. The Shapiro administration sued the Trump administration in February over the freezing of $1.2 billion. Last month, Shapiro and State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding filed an appeal with the USDA over the termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Shapiro announces USDA appeal in light of program cuts
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — After the U.S. Department of Agriculture terminated the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, Governor Josh Shapiro announced his administration will be appealing the decision. The LFPA provides funds to Pennsylvania farmers who supply local food banks with fresh produce, with the Commonwealth being one of the only states in the nation that uses the program to exclusively support in-state farmers. In response to the LFPA Program being terminated, Shapiro directed the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) Secretary Russell Redding to challenge the USDA's decision to cancel the Commonwealth's $13 million contract. The USDA's termination of its contract with PDA, which was signed in December 2024, has left 14 food banks to face severe financial gaps. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves 27 counties and sees more than 253,000 people each month. 'Pennsylvania farmers do the noble work of putting food on our table – and for the last three years, they have been paid to provide fresh, local food to food banks across our Commonwealth as part of a successful federal initiative,' Governor Shapiro said. 'But earlier this month, we received notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the Trump Administration had decided to cancel our agreement. As a result of this unlawful action, 189 Pennsylvania farms will lose a critical source of revenue – and 14 food banks across the Commonwealth will lose access to local, fresh food. I've directed Secretary Redding to immediately appeal the USDA's decision to unlawfully terminate this agreement and demand that the federal government honor their obligations under the agreement we signed just four months ago.' Shapiro noted that if the USDA does not reverse its decision, the state is prepared to pursue further legal action to safeguard vital revenue streams for farmers and ensure uninterrupted food access for residents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shapiro administration appealing USDA's termination of farm-food bank program
(WHTM) – Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced his administration is appealing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program. Shapiro called the USDA's move 'unlawful' and said the program provides funding to Pennsylvania farms that supply local food banks with produce. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The governor said he directed Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding to challenge the termination, which canceled a $13 million contract that supports 189 Pennsylvania farms and 14 Pennsylvania food banks. 'As there is no articulated or reasonable basis for terminating the agreement, the purportedtermination is unlawful, and the Department objects to and challenges this decision,' said Redding in a letter to the Deputy Administrator of the USDA. Redding called for the USDA to provide 'the factual and legal basis for your determination that this agreement 'no longer effectuates agency priorities.'' Redding shared the list of farms that will no longer have funding to supply food banks with produce in his letter to the USDA. 2025.03.25-lfpa-letter-to-usda-rr-signedDownload The contract was agreed to on December 27, 2024, in the final days of the Biden administration. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
