Federal Farm to School grants cancelled without explanation, applicants say

In a move that has left educators, non-profits, and community leaders reeling, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has abruptly canceled all applications to its Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program for the 2025 fiscal year – without warning or explanation to its applicants.

The blow came on Monday via a terse email, informing hopeful grantees that their proposals would not be reviewed. Among the stunned recipients was Sunny Baker, Senior Director of Programs and Policy at the National Farm to School Network – a coalition that helps advance programs connecting local food systems to classrooms.

“The message was brief and devastating,” Baker shared with Little Rock Public Radio. “We have seen a lot of blows to the program since the start of the school year. And this one is coming as one of the hardest.

A Lifeline for School Nutrition and Local Agriculture

Since its inception, the Farm to School program has transformed cafeteria trays and community gardens alike. It has funded projects that embed fresh, locally sourced food into school menus, spark the creation of school gardens, and elevate food literacy across the country – from urban districts to remote U.S. territories.

“It’s been a really incredible way that communities across the country and across the U.S. territories have been starting farm to school programs, growing them, getting that really high-quality, better food to students,” Baker said. “Teaching them how to eat, what’s good for them, and how to support their local communities.”

What makes this cancellation particularly perplexing is the program’s Congressional mandate. Established with an annual funding floor of $5 million, the program has enjoyed bipartisan support and steadily increased appropriations, reaching a slated $12 million in grants for the 2025 cycle.

“This is a huge disappointment,” Baker emphasized. “It’s also not something that’s under the USDA’s discretion to pull – it’s under our legislators, the people we elected.”

Real-World Impact Now in Jeopardy

In Arkansas, the program has seeded transformative change. School districts have used grants to plant gardens, boost nutrition education, and empower students with practical skills. The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs, for example, received funding last year to expand gardening and nutrition programs at their centers.

In Carroll County, Rob Kerby of the Resource Council partnered with the Jeremiah House, a women’s shelter, to create a greenhouse project. The initiative provided residents with hands-on experience in food production and gardening while also launching an after-school program that wove together sports and nutrition education.

“We got ideas from other Farm to School programs throughout the state, and that’s where we really benefitted,” Kerby noted. The program, he said, enabled collaboration with local farmers and offered “a built-in safety net” for learning how to grow food and live independently.

“It was a great hands-on experience for people who are trying to learn life skills,” he said.

Baker echoed those sentiments, stating that the grants have catalyzed meaningful community transformation: “We have seen a countless number of school districts and programs in the state really use this money to help leverage incredible farm to school programming that has been a game changer for communities here.”

Searching for Answers Amid Bureaucratic Silence

The sudden nature of the cancellation – and the USDA’s ongoing silence – has sparked speculation and concern. Baker suggested the decision may be linked to a shift in federal priorities under the Trump administration, particularly following new directives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

“We’re hoping one scenario could be that they redo the ask and allow people to adapt their application to the priorities of the new administration,” she said.

Still, the USDA has not responded to messages seeking clarification, though Baker acknowledged that widespread federal staffing cuts may be a factor. “We’re not faulting our incredible folks that we work with at the USDA for taking their time and doing what they need to adjust to staffing shortages and changes in priorities.”

Late Friday, a USDA spokesperson offered a sparse but telling statement:

“In alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order entitled, ‘Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preference,’ USDA is pausing the grant program, and making plans for a new funding opportunity in FY26.”

A Ripple Felt Nationwide

For those who have championed the Farm to School initiative, the implications are vast and worrying. Beyond the immediate loss of fresh food in schools and gardens in bloom, advocates fear a chilling effect on the entire local food movement.

“This money, like in the grand scheme of government funding, was small,” Baker said. “$5 million is a drop in the bucket for the USDA, but it was making huge impacts in communities, and especially rural communities.”

She added gravely, “This is gonna mean not just that kids are not gonna have the same access to school food, to local school food, to school garden work – it’s really gonna have these rippling implications for the future of the local food movement in our country and food security.”