Since Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025, his administration has halted funding to many beneficial programs that support everyday Americans. From healthcare to clean energy projects to education to food assistance, the President — with the help of DOGE — has revoked federal funds to as many as 2,600 essential programs that millions of citizens rely upon, per Evergreen Action. One of the programs that was pulled directly affects farmers in the U.S., and one North Carolina farm — Hickory Nut Gap — has issued a plea to reverse the decision.
The short video opens with a father and son duo, with the son explaining how he is a “fifth-generation” farmer based in North Carolina. “I just want to take a minute to share something important that’s happening in our local food system.” outlines the son, Nolin Ager. The father then continues, “For the past three years Hickory Nut Gap has been honoured to provide locally sourced grass fed beef to schools across North Carolina through a program that made high quality, nutritious food more accessible to kids.”
Next, the farmers then state, “It’s been a way for farms like ours to directly support our community, making sure students get good food on their plates while strengthening local agriculture. We’ve just received notice that federal funding for this program — the Local Food for Schools and Childcare Initiative — has been pulled as part of recent cost-saving measures.”
For the unaware, the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) — which was funded by the USDA — was implemented to designate funds to states for food assistance purchases of domestic local foods for distribution to schools and child care institutions. It’s one of the many cuts that has been made by DOGE. Continuing on, Ager states, “We get that budgets are tight. But this program wasn’t about making money. It was about something bigger: Building community through agriculture, connecting kids with local food, and keeping dollars circulating in our local economy.”
Finally, rounding out the clip, the farmers explain: “We’d love to see this decision reconsidered. If you care about keeping local food in our schools, now’s the time to speak up.”
The advent of the video has sparked plenty of discussion amongst North Carolina residents and the internet as a whole. Many lamented the idea that the U.S. government is now being run like a business, benefiting the rich rather than those who need it most. One Redditor wrote, ““This program wasn’t about making money.” Sorry, friends. Your government is run like a business now. There’s no “something bigger” for a business.” Elsewhere, another netizen chipped in with, “Yep. If you run your government like a business, you get rid of everything that’s not making money. Businesses are all about creating profit at all cost. Now so is our country.” A third commenter chimed in with a lighthearted joke, penning: “Heathy, locally sourced food for kids? Sounds pretty woke to me. [sic]”
