Latest news with #Kansas-grown
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas schools, food banks face $10.5m in funding cuts
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas school nutrition programs and food banks are facing significant setbacks after $10.5 million in funding was cut off by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) is expecting to receive more than $7.9 million for the state school nutrition program and the Child and Adult Care Program through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSCC). Those programs were expected to receive: School Nutrition Program: $5,773,573 Child and Adult Care Food Program: $2,209,057 KSDE spokeswoman Denise Kahler said that at the time of the agreement's termination, Kansas had not received any LFSCC funds or nor any funds to child nutrition program operators. City of Topeka nets $500 from Land Bank in 2024 'These funds represented 100% allocation for Kansas products,' Kahler said. 'There would not have been any overhead, administrative costs, or any miscellaneous costs. These are true dollars that would have benefitted Kansas producers and provided access to high quality meals to Kansas children.' Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) Director of Communications Heather Lansdowne said the KDA was expecting around $2.6 million from the LFSCC allocation. She said the program distributed Kansas-grown and processed foods to underserved communities, families and individuals across the state over the past two years. Lansdowne said that after news of the cancellation, there will be no additional purchases under the program in Kansas. She said funding for the program was announced by the USDA in December 2024 and that cooperative agreements were signed in January 2025. 'Kansas food banks used these funds to purchase fresh, local foods directly from farmers and producers in their areas,' Lansdowne said. Lansdowne said the KDA partnered with Harvesters, the Kansas Food Bank and the Second Harvest Community Food Bank. Purchases made by food banks were made at their own discretion until their allocated funds were spent. The products were required to be produced locally in Kansas to be eligible for sale under the program, according to the KDA website. K-State freezes global food security labs after federal order 27 News reached out to Topeka Public Schools spokesman Dr. Aarion Gray who said the USDA funding cuts won't affect the free breakfast and lunch programs at Topeka Public Schools. About $660 million has gone to schools and childcare centers since the pandemic-era programs were introduced, according to The Associated Press. The USDA told the AP the programs were a legacy of the pandemic and are no longer priorities for the agency. For more weather, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas food banks, produce farmers blindsided by USDA's $1B funding cut
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The United States Department of Agriculture cut $1 billion of federal funds dedicated to two programs. The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program is geared toward Kansas schools. Meanwhile, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) targets local food banks. The goal was to incentivize local organizations to purchase from Kansas farmers. In the case of the Kansas Food Bank, it kept them buying produce in-state. The LFPA helped to open additional markets for Kansas produce. Because of the state's climate, fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult to grow. With the program hitting the chopping block, Kansas produce growers will likely be a rarer sight, and the locally stocked shelves of the Kansas Food Bank may soon need a new source. 'There's nothing better for a healthy diet than fresh produce, right? And you take that away,' Kansas Food Bank CEO Brian Walker said. The program, which started in 2023, has been paying dividends in its two-year lifespan, according to Walker. In 2024, the food bank spent $1.7 million in federal funds on Kansas-grown produce. 'We'll try to do our best to purchase them locally, but it's just not feasible because they're not going to grow any extra product because they know that we're not here to buy it this year,' Walker said. USDA cancels $1B funding for local food programs and schools, will hit Kansas farms He says the LFPA succeeded in its goal of enriching Kansas farmers. Keeping those dollars within state lines also encouraged those farmers to diversify their crops or grow a surplus. 'We were able to get a real fresh product to them. Most of the time, we picked it that morning,' Ron Jirak, with Jirak Brothers Produce, said. For Jirak, the surplus is around 10% of his crop. 'If we'd have known, say, back in October, November that this program wasn't going to be there, we just wouldn't have ordered plants and seed and materials for production in the Spring,' he said. The program's cancellation leaves food banks without the funds to buy the excess, putting producers into limbo. 'I have to find a place for the 10% now because I'm kind of locked into my production at this time,' Jirak said. Having extra products and nowhere to put them away hurts a supplier's bottom line and a distributor's clients. 'In the past, we were able to put that food on the table, they didn't have to buy it at the grocery store, and they could spend those dollars on other things,' Walker said. He says the food bank will have to ramp up its fundraising efforts without the additional federal funds. Jirak says that even though he's disappointed and expects to feel the loss, he's confident they'll pull through. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
