HAMILTON, Ohio — On July 1, $1 billion worth of cuts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) took effect. The funding was for local schools and food banks to buy produce from farmers.
Back in March, when the funding cut was announced, we spoke with two local farmers who both said these cuts would hit them hard.
Now, about a month into the funding cuts, more farmers here in the Tri-State say they're already feeling the impact of those cuts, including Just Farmin’.
Steve Willis and his wife, Barbara, own Just Farmin’ in Hamilton. Until recently, they sold to a handful of local food banks and senior centers. But once the USDA funding was cut, the couple said they lost a chunk of their business.
WATCH: How $1 billion in USDA funding cuts are impacting Willis and his farm
“Our business is struggling,” said Willis. “I make sure the help is paid, we pay the bills, and keep Barbara teaching or else I’m not gonna have anything to eat when I get home.”
Willis said their sales are down 23%, meaning Steve doesn’t get a paycheck, and they can’t work on expanding their farm or hire seasonal help.
“We just have to scale back and slow down,” said Willis. “Hopefully, we survive.”
To make up for the lack of sales coming from food banks and senior centers, Just Farmin’ is trying to find more restaurant clients. But despite their struggles, they say the real tragedy is that families in need are not getting farm-to-table meals.
“We’re not gonna be able to replace the government dollars with philanthropic dollars, and that’s really a challenge that we have right now,” said Kurt Reiber, president and CEO of Freestore Foodbank.
The Freestore Foodbank said they’re already seeing a decrease in produce coming in, despite their best efforts. Meanwhile, they and other food banks across the nation have seen a steady increase in families needing help since the COVID pandemic.
“The concern that we have is basically trying to get to where we need to be in terms of meeting the needs of the families we’re serving,” said Reiber.
Both Just Farmin’ and Freestore Foodbank hope that new government funding comes their way to provide healthy meals to all.
“They’re gonna have to do something cause there’s a lot of people out there that can’t get clean, healthy food,” said Willis.
