ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Tens of thousands of dollars... That’s how much one South Georgia food bank is expecting to lose out on after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced funding cuts on Wednesday.

The USDA cutting two programs will suspend $1 billion in federal spending. Those programs provided money to schools and food banks to buy food from local farmers.

Frank Sheppard, president and CEO of Feeding the Valley Food Bank in Albany, said while they don’t expect a significant reduction in food commodities, he estimates that they will miss out on tens of thousands of dollars for the entire coverage area.

“That is compared to food donations for an entire year at our food bank being valued at over $30 million,” he said. While a reduction in funding is always regretful, it will not stop us from distributing food products and meals at a high level throughout our coverage area.”

The local food bank relies on the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which was first issued two years ago. The contract is $500 million for all food banks across the country.

Eliza McCall, a spokesperson for Second Harvest Food Bank in Valdosta, says the funding cuts are concerning.

“We don’t know yet exactly how this will affect Second Harvest’s operations, but reductions in any USDA nutrition programs are obviously concerning,” she said. We hope this is not an indication of future cuts to other key programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program.”

But who’s bearing the brunt of the cuts more than food banks are Local Farmers.

“It’s nerve-wracking because these programs provide us an opportunity to help grow the next generation of small, socially disadvantaged farmers by connecting us to institutions to buy our products, said Fredando ‘Farmer Fredo’ Jackson, executive director of Flint River Fresh. “It allowed us to sell our products to a bigger market than ever before,” he said.

A USDA spokesperson released this statement:

As a pandemic-era program, LFPA will now be sunsetted at the end of the performance period, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives. This isn’t an abrupt shift—just last week, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases.

With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food. Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions in CCC funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over—USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.

In later newscasts, WALB News 10’s Lenah Allen will dig deeper into the ripple effect that local food banks and farmers say they’ll experience.

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