1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

Our Louisiana citizens are suffering because of the destruction of our LFS and LFPA programs. Here’s a comment by a local grower in Louisiana named James Mccready that exemplies the hit they are taking from today’s decision by the USDSA to end $1 billion in contracts with local farmers for school meal programs (edited into paragraphs for ease of reading): ___ I am a farmer in rural northeast Louisiana. Most of Louisiana is considered a “food desert” (because of a lack of LOCAL, fresh, whole food options for our community). We started our hydroponic lettuce farm H2Greaux Farms to provide options and healthy, whole food, free of chemicals and pesticides, to serve our local schools and our local communities. Our largest customers are schools, food banks, and tribal communities in Louisiana. Our farm feeds 1000s of people in our community and across the state of Louisiana . These LFS (Local Food for Schools) and LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) programs are what enabled many Louisianans, local schools, food banks, tribal nations and other entities access to clean, nutritious foods for our kids, our seniors citizens and underserved communities. Terminating these programs is extremely detrimental to our states, our communities, our local economies, and hurts everyone involved. Local farmers, trying to do good work, are getting slapped in the face by the government leaders we supported. It’s incredibly sad that we have lost such amazing programs that provide so much good, to so many people in our communities. Our communities need fresh clean whole food options. That was just taken away to the most food-insecure, vulnerable people living in food deserts like Northeast Louisiana.