Tennessee

Why small Tennessee farmers will lose millions after USDA budget cuts

Published

1 year ago

March 13, 2025

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Why small Tennessee farmers will lose millions after USDA budget cuts

The budget cuts will impact two programs: The Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs.
The programs funneled millions to Tennessee farmers to keep local products in local communities.
The food, like fresh eggs and produce, went to nearby schools to help feed children and to local food pantries.

Tennessee farmers will lose millions in local food purchases after sweeping federal cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture led to the closure of two programs funding fresh food for schools and food banks.

The USDA announced nearly $1 billion in cuts last week, shuttering the Local Food for Schools program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement.

The two programs funneled millions of dollars into Tennessee to keep local products in local communities, buying things like fresh eggs or produce from small farms to feed kids at nearby schools or needy populations at local food pantries.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture confirmed this week the state was informed on March 7 the local food purchase program would close. The Tennessee Department of Education, which administers the local schools program, has not yet responded to a Tennessean inquiry, but the School Nutrition Association reports $660 million in funds for schools to buy local food had been canceled nationwide.

Jeannine Carpenter, chief communications officer for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, said food bank officials had watched cost-cutting developments in Washington D.C. with trepidation but hoped the local programs would not be caught up in a wave of cuts.

Tennessee had previously contracted with the five regional food banks that cover the state. Those organizations then contracted with local farmers, like the seven farmers who supplied Chattanooga’s food bank with goods that were distributed through 38 community pantries in 11 counties in the first year of the program.

Now, the programs will shut down entirely, just three months after the USDA announced a $1.13 billion investment in the upcoming fiscal year. Tennessee planned to opt-in again to draw down those funds, TDA confirmed.

“The decisions to take away access to local food are being made by people who have never stepped foot on a small Tennessee farm or shopped in a Tennessee farmer’s market,” Carpenter said.

The local food purchase program was first developed in 2021 with COVID-era recovery funds, and local farmers who contracted with the program praised the stability it provided farms by paying market rate while keeping locally grown food in local communities. Funding was later established to make it a permanent program.

In late 2023, a Tennessee Department of Agriculture error led to the state missing out on more than $7 million in the program’s second round of funding. Tennessee lawmakers, recognizing the value of the program, pushed the state department to make up the lost funds.

Those state dollars are currently being spent, Carpenter said, and will maintain farmer contracts through the end of the year.

Expected 2025 funding for the Local Food for Schools program, however, will not come.

‘We’re just a small family business’: Local farmers say cuts hurt them

For Kelsey Keener, the end of the program will mean a disappointing coda for a contract that provided financial consistency for his family farm and a meaningful connection to the community.

Keener, a second generation farmer at Sequatchie Cove Farm, was one of the first farmers to sign up for the first round of the local food purchase program. Though Keener said he was hesitant to rely too much on a single contract, the federal funds provided a “signficant” source of income at a critical time for the farm.

Sequatchie was able to scale up its operations over the last three years, in part thanks to the contract. Keener said it made up about 20% of their expected income at its high watermark.

Sequatchie was proud to provide fresh farm eggs and meat to their neighbors in Middle and East Tennessee, and the local contract gave the farm more flexibility with the natural ebbs and flows of production capacity than they might find with a corporate contract.

Keener said he was disappointed when he learned the funding was cut for a program that was an obvious “win-win” for both the farmers and recipients of the food.

“The bigger picture political messaging with all of the cuts, it sounds like they’re just cutting superfluous stuff that doesn’t affect anybody and it’s all a waste of money,” Keener said. “But it did affect us financially in a real way. We’re not some big corporation that’s just taking advantage of the system.

“We’re just a small family business trying to make a living.”

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Tennessee

Early 2026 Tennessee High School Football 2026 Predictions

Published

8 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Early 2026 Tennessee High School Football 2026 Predictions

With spring practice lurking just beyiond the horizon, the high school football regular season is still more than four months away. As teams around the state of Tennessee prepare to officially start the 2026 season, High School on SI writer Jay Pace predicts which teams will bring home a state championship in each of Tennessee’s nine classifications.

The Quest For The Golden Ball

Class 1A

South Pittsburg Pirates

South Pittsburg doesn’t just win in Class 1A—it dominates. With a loaded roster and no real challenger in sight, the Pirates aren’t defending a title as much as they’re chasing history. Led by Florida St, commit, Dayon Cooper and a typically nasty Pirate defense, SPHS makes history in 2026, as it wins back-to-back state titles for the first time ever.

Class 2A

Marion County Warriors

The Warriors return to championship form in 2026 after falling short in their bid to win back-to-back state titles, following a 20-7 loss to Huntingdon in last season’s BlueCross Bowl 2A championship game.

The return of senior quarterback Zaiden Humphreys and an experienced roster still smarting from that loss will be the difference in 2026.

Class 3A

Westview Chargers

Is there really any question here? Quarterback Graham Simpson and running back Asa Barnes return after record-setting seasons that ended with a perfect 15-0 record and a state championship. With the addition of some key transfers this off-season, the 2026 edition may be better than the 2025 group that outscored its opponents 707-177. Chargers roll again in 2026.

Class 4A

Alcoa Tornadoes

Death, taxes and Alcoa. The Tornadoes have won 11 straight state titles and 19 overall in the past 22 seasons. Alcoa is without peer in the state of Tennessee when it comes to championship programs. Classified as a 4A school, Alcoa could compete for a championship in Class 6A — and that is not an exaggeration.. QB Thomas Manu and WR Jamir Dean return as Alcoa roars to a 12th straight state title.

Class 5A

Page Patriots

After four straight losses in the 5A championship game, coach Charles Rathbone and the Patriots finally exorcised their championship-game demons to claim their first state title in school history by knocking off defending 5A champion Sevier County 21-14.

Page proved it can close the deal and with that barrier now gone, the Patriots don’t stall, they build on it

Class 6A

Oakland Patriots

For the most dominant 6A program in state history, the beat rolls on in 2026 for Coach Kevin Creasy’s Patriots. Oakland has won two straight class 6A titles and eight of the last 11. Creasy, who enters his 19th season as a head coach, has won nine state championships across three different programs, beginning with Trousdale County in 2008.

Despite losing several key contributors from last years title team, no one appears capable of stopping an Oakland three-peat in 2026.

Division II

Class 1A

Nashville Christian Eagles

Despite losing the Gatorade Player of the Year in five-star quarterback Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt), and all-state running back TJ Ward (TCU), the Eagles are the favorites to bring home a gold ball once again in 2026.

Led by junior quarterback Tate Mathis and senior RB/WR Kaden Grigsby, the Eagles remain a formidable foe in Year 1 of the post-Jared Curtis era. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best — and until that happens, Nashville Christian remains the favorite.

Class 2A

Battleground Academy Wildcats

When Bobby Bentley arrived in Franklin three years ago, he inherited a program that hadn’t finished above .500 in nearly five years. The Wildcats were bad.

How bad was it? Bentley once recalled a waitress at a local restaurant openly mocking the program shortly after he took over.

Heading into his third season at Battleground Academy, the Wildcats have gone from a punchline to a perennial powerhouse. In two seasons under Bentley, they are 24-4 and the reigning champions in Division II-AA.

The roster is loaded with elite talent hungry to prove last year was no fluke. Right now, II-AA is Battleground Academy’s world, and everyone else is just living in it.

Class 3A

Brentwood Academy Eagles

With apologies to Baylor, Brentwood Academy is the team to beat in the state’s most competitive classification.

After losing a 28-24 heartbreaker in last year’s BlueCross Bowl to Baylor, Brentwood has spent the offseason significantly upgrading an already loaded roster.

The message is clear: It’s championship or bust for coach Paul Wade’s Eagles in 2026. Anything less will be considered a failure.

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Nearly 79,000 people without power across Middle Tennessee as severe storms bring hail, strong winds

Published

20 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Nearly 79,000 people without power across Middle Tennessee as severe storms bring hail, strong winds

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – More than 79,000 people across Middle Tennessee are without power on Thursday night after severe storms hit the region.

Those outages were reported across Nashville Electric Service, Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, Dickson Electric System and Middle Tennessee Electric.

Severe storms hit Thursday evening, bringing hail, lightning and strong winds that downed trees and power lines in some areas. In Mt. Juliet, police said that they were responding to several calls for issues related to the storm and urged people to be careful if traveling.

“Do not approach any downed power or utility lines,” Mt. Juliet Police warned.

These are the latest outages by utility company, as of 8:40 p.m. on Thursday, as well as where to find the latest impacts.

Nashville Electric Service — 46,011 customers without power (Outage map)

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation — 12,988 customers without power (Outage map)

Dickson Electric Service — 8,054 customers impacted (Outage map)

Middle Tennessee Electric — 11,772 customers impacted (Outage map)

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Tennessee bill mandates use of ‘Judea and Samaria’ in official state materials | The Jerusalem Post

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee bill mandates use of ‘Judea and Samaria’ in official state materials | The Jerusalem Post

The Tennessee General Assembly passed House Bill 1446, known as the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act, sending the measure to the governor’s desk as part of an effort to standardize terminology in state government communications, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) said.

The legislation requires state agencies to use the term “Judea and Samaria” in official materials. Supporters argue the terminology reflects ancient Jewish historical ties to the land, while “West Bank,” widely used internationally, dates to Jordan’s control of the territory after 1948 and is viewed by backers of the bill as a later political label.

The measure, which goes into effect July 1, 2026, was advanced by Chris Todd, who also serves as NACL Tennessee State Chair. The organization said the directive is intended to create consistency across government entities and align language with what it describes as established historical references.

NACL Founder and President Jason Rapert framed the bill as part of a broader national effort. He said Todd had shown “principled leadership” by promoting legislation rooted in what he described as historical accuracy. Rapert added that the group has backed similar initiatives across the country and views the measure as part of a growing push for government language to reflect “reality, not political convenience.”

Todd, who chairs the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, framed the legislation as a matter of how public institutions present information, arguing that “accuracy and integrity must be the standard in official government communications.”

He said requiring agencies to use what he described as “historically grounded terms” would create consistency across state entities and avoid taxpayer-funded messaging that reflects politically driven language.

Todd also pointed to broader disputes over historical narratives, saying official terminology influences how information is conveyed to the public and taught to future generations.

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