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USDA Regional Food Business Centers terminated

The head of a USDA Regional Food Business Center says the agency’s decision to terminate programs ends a two-year process building collaborative resources and improved accessibility to funding.   

Jahi Johnson-Chappell tells Brownfield financial support for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center had stopped in December just before the grant process was to open.

“All of us have the same purpose to be getting these funds out to small and mid-sized food and farm businesses because they’re going to be the heart of a resilient food system,” he explains.

Twelve centers were created in 2023 with funding from the American Rescue Act. U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced last week the four that haven’t made their Business Builder grants are closing, including Johnson-Chappell’s.

“There’s a lot of skepticism in the USDA, and for good reason,” he says. “That’s why these programs were being built with different local partners. It’s a shame that this was built, and then for whatever reason, having spent the money to build it, we’re not going to get to the part where we actually get the money out the door to people.”

The center, hosted at Michigan State University, also supported capacity building efforts in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and with regional tribes.

He says applications for the first tranche of grants were ready to roll out.

“It was going to be focused on equipment purchases that would help farmers maintain or expand their market—that’s something that is a prime need,” he shares.

USDA has also terminated the Southeast, Delta, and Islands and Remote Areas centers and says it will keep commitments with the others until May 2026.

Johnson-Chappell says it’s tragic to see so much research and outreach across the university system that was meant to support the country’s food system eliminated.