In a neighborhood known more for vacant homes and empty lots than it is farms, Eden Place Farms is an oasis.
Michael Howard and his team have planted everything from arugula to collard greens on this two-acre former trucking operation between the railroad tracks and the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood.
“The pantries that we served last year have put the word out about how good our food tastes,” Howard said while supervising the preparation of the ground for Spring planting. “We had three other pantries that wanted us to supply them this year, so we had ramped up and were in the middle of doubling what we grow."
This is Eden Place’s first year in the Illinois EATS program, which helps food pantries buy locally produced goods. Howard called the USDA-funded program a “Godsend. “
But now, the Trump administration has moved to cut the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, and the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement Program, saving more than a billion dollars. In a release the USDA said the Biden-era programs "no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.”
“It’s very disheartening because you have an opportunity for the first time. This is the first time we had an opportunity to serve over 1,500 families fresh, nutrient rich vegetables from our farm,” Howard said.
The eliminated programs will also take a toll on food pantries and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which provided more than 100 million meals last year.
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“While the impact to us is not so great, we will definitely have to rely on fundraising to cover the costs of the purchases we make from these small, local farms,” Man-Yee Lee, a spokesperson for the food depository, said.
Chicago Public Schools also released a statement saying it will continue to provide” free, healthy, and nutritionally balanced meals that support the wellbeing of each student.” CPS said it provides free meals to remove barriers to success and ensure that all students can concentrate on their education.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said this afternoon that he was concerned about the impact that the cuts will have on the number of people who use food banks to make ends meet. He vowed to continue investing in Chicago and advocating that Washington send its fair share of federal revenue back to the city.
But at Eden Place, there are 75,000 seedlings waiting to go into the ground, and Michael Howard is concerned about his farm and the neighborhood residents who work there.
Without the federal programs, he said he will have to find another place to sell his food. “The program as it was laid out and working, that was one of the best programs we have ever been partnered with,” he said.
