Farmers Left Behind After Federal Cuts | Baton Rouge News

When federal farm-to-school programs were slashed under the Trump administration, Louisiana farmers faced a devastating $18 million loss. Margee Green, head of the Louisiana Food Policy Council, didn’t just react — she rebuilt. She pushed for grants to modernize farms so they could sell to bigger buyers, rallied farmers to Capitol Hill, and staged a market there to show lawmakers the stakes. The legislature initially pledged $3 million to help 200 farms — but bureaucratic chaos followed: funds were fragmented, only a third reached Green’s group, and they had to spend their own money first, then get reimbursed with impossible paperwork. Today, they’ve only secured $50k — and Green’s furious that the system is rigged to fail, threatening the local food economy she fought so hard to save. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/45776e4cf53673ff