CDFA is excited to offer our Intro and Advanced Tax Increment Finance Courses in the same week. This opportunity is perfect for professionals who want an in-depth look at TIF deal-making and best practices into focus and support the entire TIF community. Join us November 18-19 & November 20—register today!

Many regenerative farmers, ranchers, and food producers—despite delivering positive environmental, social, and business outcomes—continue to be deemed "too risky" by conventional lenders. The forthcoming session will dig into how traditional financing models fail to accommodate regenerative production cycles and the long-term value they create. It will explore how integrated capital—blending grants, loans, and equity—can unlock access and align financial tools with regenerative agriculture's unique timeline. The discussion will highlight real-world examples of capital structures that have successfully supported transition-stage producers, as well as strategies for funders, investors, and ecosystem partners to collaborate more effectively. Attendees will leave with clearer pathways for bridging the financing gap so that regenerative food systems can scale.

A federal appeals court in Boston upheld an order requiring the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use dedicated program funds to fully support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cannot withhold approximately $4 billion in food-aid benefits while a government shutdown persists. The decision means the USDA must draw on contingency funds allocated for nutrition assistance rather than redirecting or deferring them to other programs or future budget periods. The ruling underscores the importance of leveraging pre-authorized appropriations and designated funding streams to safeguard essential social safety-net programs during fiscal or political disruptions. As a result, states and community partners must rely on existing SNAP funding mechanisms rather than expect stop-gap financing or new appropriations to plug gaps in benefit issuance.

As part of a three-bill "minibus" spending package agreed to by the United States Senate to reopen the federal government, legislation would prohibit the "unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products" while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp. The bill redefines "hemp" to include total THC (not just delta-9) and any cannabinoids with "similar effects," bans synthesized cannabinoids or those manufactured outside the plant, and caps finished hemp-derived cannabinoid products at no more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container. Industry advocates warn the change would eliminate up to 95% of current products on the market, put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk, and drastically shrink a market reported at roughly $28 billion. With the legislation designed to fund key agencies through January 30, 2026, the hemp industry now finds itself in a high-stakes policy fight wound into appropriations rather than standalone reforms.

With federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits paused due to a court-stay, the State of Ohio announced an emergency relief fund of approximately $25 million to bridge the gap — including $18 million in direct payments to more than 63,000 low-income households and roughly $7 million to support food banks statewide. The relief will assist households below 50% of the federal poverty level and bolster community-based food providers such as regional food banks. For practitioners in finance and community development, this highlights the role of state-level contingency funding and rapid allocation mechanisms when federal safety-net flows are disrupted. The action underscores how states may deploy bridging funds to maintain food security and stabilize front-line nonprofit delivery systems when federal program uncertainty arises.

In this 60 Minutes segment from CBS News, American farmers are portrayed as facing a dire combination of high input costs, weak commodity prices and lingering effects from trade tensions — including tariffs imposed during the recent trade war with China. The piece explains how tariffs made U.S. agricultural exports less competitive abroad, which squeezed farmers' incomes, and how the hoped-for improvements from a trade deal may fall short of offsetting those losses. It underscores the importance of relief programs, trade negotiations and risk-management tools for the agricultural sector as financial pressure mounts.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reopened approximately 2,100 county offices across the country to ensure farmers and ranchers can access roughly $3 billion in federal support programs — including loans, crop insurance, and disaster relief — despite the ongoing federal shutdown. The offices will operate with a minimum staff of two employees each, who will be paid during the shutdown, as the administration draws on the Commodity Credit Corporation to fund the effort. While agricultural groups and several Republican senators praised the move, Democratic leaders alleged that the administration was leveraging farmers in the broader budget standoff. This highlights the importance of federal program continuity and alternative funding mechanisms — even during political disruptions — to ensure rural enterprise resilience and agricultural community stability.

More than 200 members of the United States House of Representatives sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the agency to tap its $5 billion emergency contingency reserve to ensure that November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reach the more than 41 million Americans who rely on the program. The appeal comes as the federal government shutdown of 2025 drags on, exacerbating risks that both SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) could experience benefit gaps if funding is not secured. This moment highlights the intersection of federal budget risk and social-safety-net financing: programs that underpin community stability may suddenly face fiscal disruption, underscoring the need for contingency planning, local organizational readiness, and alternative financing mechanisms. The new administration (and USDA leadership) find themselves under pressure not only from Congress but from a coalition of over 1,000 mayors mobilizing to prevent disruptions in food assistance.

CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series: Evaluating Success: Exploring Key Partnerships and Frameworks for Food Systems Financing
November 25, 22025 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern

CDFA-Bricker Graydon Webinar Series: Unlocking the Power of Public-Private Partnerships
December 2, 2025 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern

Intro Opportunity Zones Finance Course
December 17-18, 2025 - Daily: 12:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern

>>> VIEW THE FOOD SYSTEMS RESOURCE CENTER   
>>> VIEW THE AGRICULTURE RESOURCE CENTER