Sign Alliance's Petition for Legal Action Against Unfair USDA Cuts

Bob Benenson
Jun 30
3 min read

Campaign Seeks to Persuade Illinois Attorney General to Pursue Justice for Farmers

It would be hard to find a government initiative with more merit than the Illinois Equitable Access Toward Sustainable Systems (or IL-EATS).

The program, administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, channeled funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to farmers who expanded their production to increase access to healthy and locally produced food for individuals challenged by food insecurity. Fifteen food and farm non-profits and other entities acted as intermediaries in transferring food from farm to food banks.

Yet IL-EATS was among several programs targeted for elimination, all created under the Biden administration, after the Trump administration took control of the federal government in January.

USDA in February initially froze reimbursements for expenses undertaken by participating farmers, putting them at immediate financial risk. While farmer protests prompted the department to pay the reimbursements, it also announced that the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) cooperative agreement — under which IL-EATS was funded — would be terminated as of June 30... a year earlier than had been promised to farmers under the contractual agreements they had signed.

By the time this termination was announced, many farmers had already undertaken major expenses for the second contracted year of the program — and now are left holding the bag and again facing the possibility of financial calamity.

Today, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the leading policy advocate for the state's local food and farm communities, issued a call to action, urging everyone who seeks a better food system to sign a petition calling on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to take legal action against USDA for terminating IL EATS. The text of the Alliance's message is shared in its entirety below.

I will be signing the petition, and I hope you will too.

———————————————

MESSAGE FROM ILLINOIS STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE

Today, June 30, marks the final day of the IL-EATS federal contract — and with it, the end of what farmers were told would be another year of sales to feed their communities with support from the US Department of Agriculture.

In March, USDA abruptly terminated Illinois' contract for IL-EATS that would begin July 1, pulling $14 million in promised local food purchases from 176 farmers who were counting on those sales to sustain their operations, and now are left with no way to recuperate the losses.

USDA's action is not just unjust — it may also be unlawful.

That’s why we're urging Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to take legal action against USDA for terminating Illinois’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) contract.

ADD YOUR NAME TO THE PETITION

Farmers planned for the 2025 growing season, planted crops, purchased livestock, hired workers, and invested in their operations based on good-faith agreements.

Mitch Cave of 4 Lees Farm planned to scale supply to the Central Illinois Food Bank through IL-EATS. "We bought bulk seed and really ramped things up. We went ahead with our processing dates and everything for the entire year plus part of next year. Now I'm kind of stuck... It's unfortunate, because IL-EATS helped people get nutritious food versus ultra-processed food."
On Chicago's South Side, Eden Place Farms co-founder Michael Howard was able to serve over 1,500 families fresh, nutrient rich vegetables. “The program as it was laid out and working, that was one of the best programs we have ever been partnered with.”
For Ed Dubrick of DuChick Ranch, IL-EATS was more than a source of income—it was a mission. The farm supplied the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, ensuring thousands of families had access to healthy proteins. “We weren't just selling chicken to food banks. We were a part of the nutrition access solution. We were chasing our dreams, scaling our farm, and uplifting our community."