USDA Pulls Funding for Delta Regional Food Business Center, Leaving Louisiana Farmers Without Promised Support
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— July 22, 2025
Media Contact: Margee Green
Louisiana Food Policy Council
margee@lousianafoodpolicy.org
USDA Pulls Funding for Delta Regional Food Business Center, Leaving Louisiana Farmers Without Promised Support
LOUISIANA— The Louisiana Food Policy Council, on behalf of the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition (LSSAC), expresses deep disappointment in the USDA’s decision to terminate the Delta Regional Food Business Center (DRFBC), a key program intended to support small and mid-sized farms in Louisiana and across the Deep South.
The Delta Center, one of twelve centers established nationwide, was designed to help farmers access funding, infrastructure, and technical assistance and was awarded $30 million in federal funding to serve Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and parts of Alabama and East Texas. After two years of planning and preparation, the USDA has ended the program before any funds were distributed in Louisiana.
“This is yet another huge blow to Louisiana farmers,” said Margee Green, Statewide Director of the Louisiana Food Policy Council. “To cancel the program now, before it even launched, is devastating. Farmers were counting on these loans, grants, and services to build their businesses and our food system.”
The Delta Regional Food Business Center served Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and parts of Alabama and East Texas. It was the only USDA regional food initiative that specifically targeted Southern states and historically underserved farmers. Despite promised funding and over a year of planning efforts, no grants ever reached Louisiana growers. The Business Builder grants under the RFBC program were designed to provide direct support to small and mid-sized food and farm businesses, especially those that are historically underserved or operating in areas with limited infrastructure.
Nicole Johnson, owner of L4S Farms in Acadiana, said the decision feels like another betrayal to farmers. “This grant would have allowed us to improve our post-harvest systems and expand our value-added food production at L4S Farms,” Johnson said. “For many small-scale farmers that are ready to scale, like ours, programs like RFBC afford us the rare opportunity to scale sustainably. Losing this program before it even began is a major setback.”
Bahia Nightengale, Executive Director of Food and Farm for Louisiana Central, expressed dismay about the program ending. “This decision pulls the plug on real momentum,” she said. “We’ve got farmers across the state ready to grow, ready to scale, and ready to meet local demand. The infrastructure to support them was finally coming together. Now we’re back to square one.”
While USDA says it will honor existing awards made by other centers, the Delta Center was in the process of opening its grant program. That leaves Louisiana with no direct support through the program and no immediate replacement on the horizon
About LSSAC
The Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition (LSSAC) is a statewide coalition that exists to strengthen capacity, resiliency, and economic opportunities for Louisiana’s underserved, small-scale agricultural producers. LSSAC brings together eight organizations with over 100 years of combined organizational experience in local food systems work. LSSAC is currently responsible for over 13 million dollars in federal and philanthropic funding being invested in Louisiana in support of Louisiana agriculture and food systems.
About Louisiana Food Policy Council
The Louisiana Food Policy Council shapes public policy to improve equity, opportunity, and collaboration in our local food system.
For media inquiries or interviews, contact:
Margee Green
Margee@louisianafoodpolicy.org