USDA was funding a $397K grant to educate queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken a firm step in eliminating identity-based policies by canceling a $397,000 grant aimed at educating queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers in the San Francisco Bay Area. The decision signals a shift in focus within the agency, prioritizing its core mission of strengthening agriculture, livestock, and forestry across the nation.

The grant, justified under the concept of “food justice” and values-aligned markets, raised concerns among those skeptical of using public funds for identity-based initiatives and political activism. Reports indicate that the funded program emphasized leftist ideologies over productive, efficiency-driven, and sustainable agricultural approaches.

The decision was announced by Brooke Rollins, who emphasized that unnecessary spending on identity programs has no place in an institution meant to boost national agricultural production. With this adjustment, the USDA seeks to eliminate subsidies for ideological programs and redirect resources toward projects that genuinely strengthen the American agricultural sector.

“The USDA was funding a $397,000 grant in the San Francisco Bay Area to educate queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers and consumers about ‘food justice’ and values-aligned markets. By cutting this wasteful spending, we are ending identity-based policies and realigning our agency with its core mission of supporting American agriculture, livestock, and forestry,” Rollins stated.

The funding cut has been praised by conservative sectors and agricultural producers who believe the USDA should focus on supporting all farmers regardless of ideology or identity. From their perspective, federal funds should be directed toward productivity, agricultural infrastructure, and food security rather than financing programs that impose specific ideological frameworks.

On the other hand, progressive groups have criticized the measure, arguing that initiatives like this grant were necessary to promote equity in agricultural education. However, the administration has made it clear that its priority is ensuring that every taxpayer dollar spent by the USDA strengthens the industry without political bias.

With this decision, the government reaffirms its commitment to restoring neutrality in public policies and ensuring that agricultural funding serves the entire nation. Future budget reviews are expected to eliminate additional ideologically driven programs, keeping the USDA aligned with its original purpose.

#USDA #Agriculture #IdentityPolitics #PublicFunds #Grants #Conservatives #FoodJustice