In that time, we’ve reached thousands of new readers, received dozens of tips, and have broken news on rollbacks to diversity and equity initiatives, the freezing of farm grants, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its impact on food and farming. Lawmakers have also sought out the Tracker to share exclusive news, recognizing the value of the platform.
Through on-the-ground reporting by our intrepid Senior Staff Reporter and Contributing Editor Lisa Held, as well as editing and support from the entire team, the Tracker has allowed us to document how funding cuts are hurting farmers, detailing how their contracts to sell crops to local schools or implement climate-smart practices have been canceled.
The Tracker has also followed emerging Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) developments, including the release of a report about childhood chronic disease and obesity, a push to get companies to remove artificial food dyes from their products, and a proposal to define ultra-processed foods.
With immigration playing an outsize role in the nation’s food system, the Tracker is keeping close tabs on changes to the H-2A Guest Worker program and hosts an up-to-date list of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on farms and other food businesses.
The Tracker was featured by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), and we recently hosted a behind-the-scenes online salon, moderated by INN’s Paulina Velasco, to discuss the Tracker, which well over 100 people attended.
You can sign up to receive instant updates or the weekly digest. We’re proud of all we’ve accomplished in this short period, and we have a lot more in store.
For now, we’re sharing some of the most important stories the Food Policy Tracker has followed so far, in chronological order.
Matthew Fitzgerald, a young farmer in Minnesota, poses in his tractor during a spate of federal spending cuts, including to international food aid. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Fitzgerald)
1. Exclusive: DOGE Cancels Contract That Enables Farmer Payments, Despite $0 Savings
February 19, 2025
Civil Eats was the first to report on how the Department of Government Efficiency pulled the plug on a contract that enabled thousands of farmers in multiple states to access previously approved grant funding.
2. USDA Continues to Roll Out Deeper Cuts to Farm Grants: A List
March 11, 2025
As details of the agency’s freeze on grant payments trickled out and farmers struggled to get answers, we began a running list of which programs were frozen, canceled, or still operating.
3. USDA Publicizes Canceling a Grant to an Organization That Trains Young Farmers
March 13, 2025
The Agriculture Secretary posted an Instagram “DOGE update” announcing that USDA had canceled a $397,000 grant in the Bay Area because it aimed “to educate queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers.” Civil Eats tracked down the name of the recipient group, and later published an in-depth story about them.
4. Exclusive: Senator Cory Booker Introduces Bill to ‘Honor Farmer Contracts’
March 27, 2025
Booker’s bill, also introduced in the House by Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-Texas), would require the USDA to release frozen grant funds and prohibit the termination of existing contracts.
5. 6 Proposed Farm Bill Changes to Watch
April 10, 2025
A roundup of important bills that touch land access, meat industry concentration, state animal welfare laws, crop insurance, and more.
