(File photo) Trenton Welch, left, and Michelle Sampson look over a batch of hydroponically grown lettuce in November 2023 as they prepare to sell the produce to Parkersburg South High School, where it was to be served in the cafeteria. Wood County Schools Child Nutrition Director Hollie Best said the lettuce was purchased with money from the federal Local Food for Schools program, which the USDA recently announced was being cancelled.

PARKERSBURG — Officials in West Virginia are assessing the impact of the end of two pandemic-era programs that helped schools and food banks purchase food from local farmers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that fiscal 2025 funding for the Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program is no longer available and will be terminated following a 60-day notification. The programs “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency,” the department said.

More than $1 billion nationwide provided funds for schools and food banks to buy food from local producers, with $660 million going to the Local Foods to Schools program.

Kent Leonhardt, commissioner of agriculture in West Virginia, said the decision to eliminate the program will affect farmers in the Mountain State.

“We are disappointed by the cancellation of these funds,” said Leonhardt, a Republican who promotes the expansion, production and use of produce from West Virginia farmers. “They not only strengthen the local farm economy but also support healthier meal options in schools. Without them, schools may rely more on processed foods, which are less nutritious. Prioritizing fresh, local foods can improve student health, potentially lower future health care costs, enhance academic performance and encourage better lifelong eating habits.”

(File photo) A group of Wood County Technical Center students sold hydroponically grown lettuce to Wood County Schools in the 2023-24 school year under the name Blennerhassett Valley Greens. Money from the federal Local Food for Schools program, which is ending, was used to purchase the produce.

The state Department of Agriculture is assessing the effect, according to Leonhardt.

“We are still discussing potential impacts for our farmers,” he said. “This will affect some of them greatly.”

It wasn’t immediately clear Friday how much money the state received through the program. The USDA website included a 2023 press release that said West Virginia had signed an agreement to receive more than $1.2 million through the program.

Wood County Schools utilized funding from the program. Hollie Best, child nutrition director for the district, said she recently submitted a request for $25,000 to help purchase apples and pears grown in West Virginia.

“It doesn’t cover 100% of what we purchase, but it helps those items become more in line with our (larger) vendors,” she said. Ending the program “would have a huge effect on the school system, as well as our local farmers.”

In the 2023-24 school year, students at the Wood County Technical Center hydroponically grew lettuce and sold it to Parkersburg South High School to be served to students. Best said the Local Food for Schools funding was used to buy the lettuce.

The district won’t see the effects of the program ending in this school year, Best said, but she’s already started pricing commodities for the next school year, when it won’t be available.

“I really want to spend as much money as we can on those local products,” she said. When buying closer to home, “you also take a lot of transit time out to get the product to you.”

Best said the products weren’t always from the immediate area but at least came from West Virginia.

Michael Pushkin, chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party, said “canceling the USDA’s Local Food to Schools program sends a clear message that supporting West Virginia’s local farmers and ensuring our children have access to nutritious, 100% American-grown food isn’t a priority for President (Donald) Trump or his billionaire ally, Elon Musk,” who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency.

“Instead of investing in our rural communities, Trump is once again putting profits over people. West Virginians deserve leadership that cares about farmers, families and feeding our children, not billionaires and bottom lines,” Pushkin said.

Local Food Purchase Assistance is a pandemic-era program, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The program will be “sunsetted at the end of the performance period, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives,” the spokesman said.

“This isn’t an abrupt shift,” the spokesman said. “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.”

The Department of Agriculture has “16 nutrition programs in place and remains focused on its core mission of strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets and ensuring access to nutritious food, the spokesman said.

While the Biden Administration funneled billions into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, “USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact,” the spokesman said. “The COVID era is over. USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”

Best acknowledged the program started during the pandemic, but said “they’ve been able to continue it because they realized the positive impact it had on schools and farmers.”

A message to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce about whether the state participates in the program was not returned, but Ohio is not listed among the participating states on the USDA website. Treasurers from the Belpre, Fort Frye, Warren and Wolf Creek school districts said this week they did not receive funds through the Local Food for Schools program.

Staff reporter Brett Dunlap contributed to this story.