FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net 

Comment: NSAC Responds to Termination of Regional Food Business Centers 

Washington, DC, July 15, 2025 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist, in response to the termination of cooperative agreements with Regional Food Business Centers. 

“About a month after the Trump administration released the Farmers First agenda, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made yet another decision to prematurely end multi-year agreements that are effectively serving the small family farms the administration claims to be the focus of their agenda. The recent termination of agreements with twelve Regional Food Business Centers comes as another blow to rural communities who benefit greatly from USDA business development resources. The President’s budget has also proposed eliminating funding for numerous rural business development programs.” 

The twelve Regional Food Business Centers have provided market and business development assistance to over 5,000 farms and businesses nationwide. Each Center utilizes partner networks to serve the unique agricultural needs across rural, metro, Tribal, and remote areas. Four of the twelve Centers will be terminated immediately, while the other eight will be allowed to continue programming until May 2026. Read more about the recent project outcomes of the Regional Food Business Centers in this progress report. 

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net