Wisconsin
What to know about Wisconsin program, dumped by Trump, that put farm food in pantries and schools
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ended a program that paid Wisconsin farmers to grow fresh produce for food pantries.
The Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program was part of a nationwide project that began in 2021 with the goal of supporting local farmers and reducing hunger.
Here’s what to know about the program and why it was canceled.
What was the Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program?
Those who used the program described it as a win-win that improved farmers’ bottom lines and promoted healthy eating of locally sourced food.
It was administered through the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The Wisconsin Farmers Union, the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative and Marbleseed, an organic farming nonprofit, were program partners.
The program issued two kinds of grants: One to farmers to help them expand their market reach by working with local hunger relief groups, and one to local organizations to set up programs that purchased Wisconsin-grown or Wisconsin-raised food and gave it for free to people in need.
How many Wisconsin farmers and food pantries participated?
During last year’s growing season, almost 300 farms participated in the program, sending $4.2 million worth of food to more than 250 pantries and schools, according to a news release about the termination from the Wisconsin Farmers Union.
The organizations receiving the food ranged from small, local pantries to major food banks like Feeding Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force, which supplied the food to their own networks of pantries.
Almost 40% of the producers picked to receive funding last year were Black, Indigenous or other people of color, more than half were new or beginning farmers, and 42% of the farms were women-owned. The program was in part aimed at giving historically marginalized groups a leg up in the world of agriculture, which is overwhelmingly white and male.
How did it work?
Once farmers were chosen for the grant, they worked with staff from Marbleseed to create their contract, make projections about how much food they planned to sell, and set their prices. Each farmer was awarded between $5,000 and $25,000 for their contributions.
About once a week during the growing season, a driver from the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative would visit the farms and pick up food items that had been packed into boxes for shipping. From there, the boxes would get distributed to individual pantries and food banks. Every county in the state was served by the program.
Why did it end?
In a March 7 termination letter, USDA deputy administrator Jack Tuckwiller wrote that the program “no longer effectuates agency priorities.”
The cancellation comes as President Donald Trump enacts sweeping cost-cutting measures to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.
Jackie Anderson, executive director of Feeding Wisconsin, said in the news release that the elimination of the program was especially disheartening during a time of “significantly increased” need for food bank services. More than 617,000 Wisconsin residents are food-insecure, according to Feeding America.
Madeline Heim is a Report for America corps reporter who writes about environmental issues in the Mississippi River watershed and across Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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