Matteson farm hit by bird flu loses $220,000 grant amid federal funding freeze
Kakadoodle farm owners MariKate and Marty Thomas were informed in October they would receive a $220,000 grant, which they planned to use to remodel their pole barn into a distribution center where they aggregate products from other farms and package them for delivery to homes, Marty Thomas said.
The grant, part of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, was just awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas said.
'We were really hoping, after the bird flu happened and we lost all that revenue, we were like, 'OK, but at least we're going to have this revenue coming in, and then that's not going to happen either,'' Thomas said.
The couple spent $80,000 to pour concrete and set up temperature control for the barn, banking on reimbursement from the federal grant, Thomas said.
'We've done the very bare minimum that we needed to do with that barn, and it's fine where it's at. It's operational, it's just like halfway completed,' Thomas said.
The couple learned the grant was in limbo after the USDA ceased reimbursements for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program after President Donald Trump's administration cut funding for the programs, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced in a news release in early March.
'I'm hopeful that these freezes are going to be lifted,' Thomas said. 'These are good programs. Trump has supported programs like this in his last administration. I know this one's like different, but I don't know, I have no choice but to be hopeful about it.'
Without the federal funds, Thomas said the couple won't be able to complete renovations.
'We just got a blanket statement, like we just learned with everybody else, that the RFSI and the LFPA were both suspended,' Thomas said.
The state Department of Agriculture was in the process of selecting grantees for the RFSI program, which would have provided $6.4 million in grant funding to entities, according to the release.
Gov. JB Pritzker called cuts to the programs a 'slap in the face' to Illinois farmers.
'The Trump Administration's refusal to release grant funds doesn't just hurt farmers in the program, it devastates our most vulnerable, food-insecure communities relying on meat, fresh produce and other nutritious donations,' the governor said in the release.
This week, the state's Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II addressed the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee in Springfield to discuss the impact of federal funding cuts and tariffs on Illinois farmers, according to a news release.
'These are federal funds that were passed by Congress, a coequal branch of government, signed into law, and promised to Illinois farmers,' Costello said. 'They have been cut with no explanation or timeline, and farmers are left to deal with the consequences.'
The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program was established to strengthen the middle of the food supply chain by expanding the capacity for locally and regionally produced foods, providing better market opportunities and new revenue streams for small and mid-sized agricultural producers, the state agriculture department said.
The program requires farmers to make upfront investments in input costs, with the promise of grant dollars to reimburse them, the state agriculture department said. However, without federal funding the program is unable to operate, they said.
While the couple is disappointed, Thomas said he believes their business can survive without government assistance.
'There's a silver lining to this freeze for us, because now we're laser focused as a business on exactly where we need to be, and that's getting food directly to consumers,' he said. '2025 is going to be really hard. We're going to need to raise or borrow a significant amount of money to get through 2025 if the funding freezes continue. However, I'm like, more confident than ever in Kakadoodle.'
Though losing their flock of 3,000 hens to bird flu was a significant hit for the farm, which produced close to 24,000 eggs each week, Thomas said the couple is choosing to remain optimistic and has received an outpouring of support from the community and a GoFundMe, which raised more than $50,000 as of Friday.
Although the farm is under a 150-day quarantine, preventing them from growing produce or raising new hens until June, Thomas said they continue to operate their online marketplace.
Without access to federal funds, the farmers will have the opportunity to refine their business model and focus on generating profit independently, Thomas said.
Come 2026, he believes Kakadoodle will be able to operate without any government aid.
'I'm really excited about that,' he said. 'We've always been mindful of taking government assistance, although grateful of it. There's this balance, but I was always careful not to build our business around government funds for programs.'
The farmers started Kakadoodle in 2020 as an online marketplace to deliver local food to people's home, inspired by Marty's defeat of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
MariKate Thomas previously told the Southtown that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is linked to glyphosate exposure, a common chemical in conventional farming. The Cleveland Clinic says some studies suggest agricultural workers exposed to high pesticide levels may face a slightly higher risk of the cancer, though the risk from low-level or occasional exposure remains uncertain.
Their farm raises chemical-free and antibiotic-free chickens, and their hens spend time in pastures, according to Kakadoodle's website.
Despite the hardships, Thomas said he is grateful for the community's support, which has proven how much people care about their farm and products.
'Going through this bird flu and this funding freeze and everything, like the support from our community and customers has been unreal, like bringing us to tears,' he said. 'It's more than a food delivery service for them, they are so passionate about Kakadoodle.'
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Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
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The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
The plot to destroy Black political power
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The Republicans' goal is to maintain majorities in Congress for Trump's last two years in the White House. Then Republicans can appoint more judges to issue more rulings that further weaken Democrats. The downward spiral for Black political power will go on and on. Trump is not hiding his interest in the outcome of gerrymandering efforts in Texas. 'We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats,' Trump told CNBC earlier this month. 'We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas … and we are entitled to five more seats.' Excuse me, Mr. President? Neither you nor the Republican Party is entitled to any seats. Those seats belong to Americans of all colors and parties. Texas Republicans' threats to send law enforcement to forcibly return Texas Democratic legislators to the state capitol to provide a quorum for passing gerrymandered maps are a sideshow. They distract from the real effect that racially-designed gerrymandering can have on race relations and politics for decades to come. Comedian Dave Chappelle famously called Trump 'an honest liar.' In the fight over Texas redistricting, the 'honest liar' is saying that the people looking at redistricting's racial impact are themselves racist. Don't let Trump or his partisans on the high court fool you. Racial justice in Congress is at stake. Democrats will have to fight fire with fire to prevent Trump from diminishing Black voting power. Democrats owe that much to Black voters, who have carried them to electoral victories over the last 60 years. They owe it to the memory of the brave people who marched, were beaten and even died to demand voting rights only 60 years ago.
