Feeding SD braces for federal budget cuts to the USDA
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The largest hunger-relief organization in South Dakota says it's bracing for federal funding cuts to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This comes as Feeding South Dakota also says it's seeing about a 15% to 20% overall increase in services each year.
'At the same time, we have had a decrease in the amount of food that's donated to Feeding South Dakota, whether it be through organizations or businesses or food drives and dollar donations to Feeding South Dakota. So we are working to balance what we have available to us with the need that South Dakotans have right now,' Feeding South Dakota's vice president of public relations, Stacey Andernacht said.
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Andernacht says the organization is preparing for how the federal budget cuts to the USDA will impact the programs it offers as the budget reconciliation process is underway in Washington D.C.
'We're monitoring it. We're keeping an eye on what the impact would be, should those recommendations be put into place, so that we can build contingency plans and try to be as prepared as possible if changes come down,' Andernacht said.In the non-profit's 2024 fiscal year it distributed 14 million pounds of food. With 30% of the food coming from the USDA.
Andernacht says even if its main two federally funded programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Senior Box Program are not cut, it could still put a strain on resources if food assistance programs like SNAP or WIC take a hit.
'That would be a significant budget burden for Feeding South Dakota. Those are really difficult decisions to make. So there would be a ripple impact to the programs and the partners we're supporting and the people that are needing these vital programs,' Andernacht said.
Feeding South Dakota anticipates the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will decide on the reconciled budget for the USDA next week.
In March the USDA announced the deletion of two programs that provided schools and food banks with funding to purchase food from local farms and ranchers.
The two programs are the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA).
In South Dakota, the Department of Ag and Natural Resources (DANR) was the recipient of LFPA funding, which was disbursed through Feeding South Dakota.
KELOLAND News spoke on the phone with Feeding South Dakota CEO Lori Dykstra on March 11 who said in 2025, $1.2 million was allocated through Feeding South Dakota. That grant will end in June and will now not be renewed.
While the cut will have an impact, Dykstra said it will not be felt most acutely by Feeding South Dakota, noting that only around 1% of its food is sourced through the LFPA.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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