{"id":436845,"date":"2026-09-15T18:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/436845\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T18:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:06:16","slug":"food-center-for-el-paso-rio-grande-valley-closes-after-trump-takes-back-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/436845\/","title":{"rendered":"Food center for El Paso, Rio Grande Valley closes after Trump takes back grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

A program providing resources to food businesses in El Paso and along the Rio Grande\u00a0 has come to an end after the President Donald Trump administration cut the program short, forcing it to wrap up its remaining grants.<\/p>\n

Formed in fall 2023<\/a>, the Rio Grande Colonias Regional Food Business Center was a five-year, $30 million project aimed at expanding local food sources in U.S.-Mexico border counties \u2013 a region dotted with colonias, unincorporated settlements outside city limits that often lack basic infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the termination of all Regional Food Business Centers last year, but permitted them to continue working with businesses they had already promised certain grants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Biden Administration created multiple, massive programs without any long-term way to finance them,\u201d said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins in a news release. \u201cThis is not sustainable for farmers who rely on these programs, and it flies in the face of Congressional intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas A&M AgriLife led the center serving El Paso, which was one of the USDA\u2019s 12 Regional Food Business Centers across the country.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration is reallocating the program\u2019s remaining funds to other \u201cpriorities supporting American agriculture,\u201d USDA spokesperson Sarah Maroney Black told El Paso Matters.<\/p>\n

Maroney Black did not specify which priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Regional Food Business Centers are still in their closeout period, so we do not have final numbers for unspent funds,\u201d she wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

Beth Racine, director of operations and finance for the Rio Grande Colonias Regional Food Business Center, said when staff learned of the potential shutdown<\/a>, they continued to work and got 31 businesses approved for federal funding before the termination notice.<\/p>\n

Beginning last year, the center offered two types of grants to businesses operating within the food supply chain, including farms, distributors and retailers. One grant awarded up to $50,000 and technical assistance to businesses in counties with colonias. The other, known as the business builder grant, awarded up to $100,000 to businesses that had been operating for at least two years in Texas or New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Though the USDA announced the closure of regional food business centers last summer, the agency said it would honor current and pending commitments to recipients of the business builder grant.<\/p>\n

Neither Texas A&M Agrilife nor USDA shared the list of grant recipients to El Paso Matters. Program partner Feeding Texas, a nonprofit supporting food banks, declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a regrettable moment for those of us who have given our expertise and commitment to serve our community and advance our shared mission,\u201d reads a statement on the food business center\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this USDA program funding is ending, our dedication to transparency and goals of the program remain unchanged. We are actively working to ensure a smooth and responsible transition while we pursue other opportunities to continue this important food systems work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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