Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture
Summary
Dawn and Cassius Spears run a farm in Rhode Island that grows traditional Narragansett crops. They and other tribal farmers used federal programs to help sell their food locally, but some of these programs were cut under the Trump Administration. Tribes hope new funding will restore support for these programs in the next Farm Bill.Key Facts
- The Spears farm grows Indigenous crops like white corn, succotash beans, and crookneck squash.
- Federal programs helped small and tribal farmers sell food to local schools and food banks.
- Two programs, started during the COVID-19 pandemic, were the Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools programs.
- These programs provided over $1 billion to support local food markets and tribal food distribution.
- The Trump Administration ended these two programs in March 2025, saying they didn’t fit the Agriculture Department’s goals.
- Tribes used this funding to send culturally important foods, like bison meat and wild rice, to tribal members.
- Local farmers like the Spears hope the upcoming Farm Bill will bring back funding for these programs.
- Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island is involved in discussions around new funding.
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