Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

Indigenous farmers like Dawn and Cassius Spears at Ashawaug Farm rely on federal programs to cultivate and distribute culturally significant crops, but Trump-era cuts to USDA programs have limited their reach. The Biden administration established two pandemic-era programs to help tribes and states purchase local food, but these were terminated in 2025 under the Trump administration. Senators Jack Reed and Jim Justice introduced a bill to create a permanent grant program for local food purchases by tribes and states.