U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, has announced the termination of the Regional Food Business Centers Program. This pandemic-era, Biden program was created using one-time, temporary funding from congress. Collins says the department is terminating the program, as it should not have been established in the first place. However, they are going to go ahead and honor certain commitments made to farmers.
Rollins says the Biden Administration created multiple, massive programs without any long-term way to finance them and, that’s not sustainable for farmers who rely on these programs, and it flies in the face of congressional intent. The USDA will honor existing commitments for over 450 grants to farmers and food businesses to ensure planning decisions on the farm can continue as normal, however stakeholders should not plan on the program continuing. Rollins adds that any remaining funds will be repurposed to better support American agriculture.
