Iowa Food Cooperative struggles after federal cuts

Catch up quick: The U.S. Agriculture Department this month cut the Local Food for Schools (LFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) cooperative agreement programs as part of the Trump administration's review of federal spending.

• Those efforts helped programs buy fresh produce without breaking their budgets.

Driving the news: The cuts also affect the Iowa Food Cooperative (IFC), a year-round online farmers market based in Des Moines.

• An LFPA grant of about $270,000 over three years was used to distribute produce to local food pantries.

What they're saying: With the program's sudden end, general manager Karen Davis tells Axios, IFC must compensate for the loss and is pushing to increase membership.

• IFC is determined to continue working with local food pantries, Davis says.

Yes, but: Its budget is already tight, and the looming threat of running out of money is real, she says.

What's next: IFC is holding an open house Saturday 11am-1pm to increase membership and revenue.

• 4944 Franklin Ave. in DSM.

Editor's note: This story was updated after the Iowa Food Cooperative corrected the amount of its LFPA grant to $270,000 over three years (not $10,000 annually).