Omaha World Herald: USDA cuts program that supplies Nebraska school cafeterias with local farm goods
USDA cuts program that supplies Nebraska school cafeterias with local farm goods
JJosh Reyes Omaha World-Herald
March 12, 2025
A federal program that provides Nebraska students’ lunches with dairy, meat and produce from Nebraska farms will cease by the end of the year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The agency informed state education departments this month that it terminated the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement. The program began in 2023 in response to supply-chain challenges affecting school nutrition and reimbursed schools for buying unprocessed or minimally processed food from small, local farms.
Area school districts participating in the program, according to the Nebraska Department of Education website, include Diller-Odell, Fairbury, Freeman, Johnson County Central, Sterling and Tri County. Participating producers include Highway 77 Produce in Beatrice, Nebraska Bison in Adams, and West End Farm near Plymouth.
The School Nutrition Association estimates the cuts will save $660 million nationally.
The Nebraska Department of Education has distributed $313,753 to about 200 private and public schools and school systems so far this academic year, spokesperson David Jespersen said. The program allocated $77,351 to the Omaha Public Schools, the largest district in Nebraska, this school year.
"LFS will strengthen Nebraska’s food system by helping to build a fair, competitive and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors," the department’s website says of the program.
In a statement, OPS spokesperson Bridget Blevins said the district has been proud to support area producers and showcase local food for students.
"It will take some time to know if and how this may impact those purchases," Blevins said.
Schools will continue to receive reimbursement for purchases from partner farms through December, Jespersen said. The USDA’s cancellation of the program means a planned expansion that would have mainly included child care centers starting in July will not happen.
Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth sponsored legislation in recent years that partnered farms with schools to encourage buying local produce in support of the economy that makes up much of the tax base, especially in rural Nebraska. He also sought to get students excited about agriculture — "introduce children to what real beef tastes like, what real vegetables taste like" — and help students feel connected to local producers.
"Anything the USDA would do counter to that, I don’t think would be very productive," Brandt said.
In its notice to the Nebraska Education Department, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service said the agreement for Local Food for Schools "no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate."
Information from the Nebraska Department of Education shows that schools participating in Local Food for Schools have had access to fresher domestic options.
Omaha-area schools get cherry tomatoes, corn, winter squash and a variety of other fruits and vegetables from Wenninghoffs Farms, according to a state database. Schools in the Gretna area get pumpkins and apples from Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, and Riverview Bison in Niobrara provides students with — you guessed it — bison.
The farms that participate in the program have fewer than 500 employees and are within Nebraska or 400 miles of their customer schools. The program also prioritizes buying from "socially disadvantaged farmers and producers" alongside small businesses.
Note:
Howdy,
How does reducing student’s access to high quality, locally produced food make America Great again?
That was a trick question. It is not good for the health of the students or the local farmers or local economy.
This wrongheaded move is very disappointing, but not surprising.
All the best,
John K. Hansen, President
Nebraska Farmers Union
john
(402) 476-8815 Office (402) 580-8815 Cell
1305 Plum Street, Lincoln, NE 68502