Summary

• Registration will close soon on this Thursday’s IFAI webinar examining the latest executive orders and how those actions impact Tribal food and agriculture. Make sure to register to ensure your spot.  

• USDA’s Farm Service Agency posted a Notice of Funding Availability for a new program called the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP). For more information, visit the USDA’s website. 

• The FDA announced it will delay compliance dates for the Food Traceability Rule to July 20, 2028. To find out if this affects your farm, click the hyperlink above.  

• There’s less than a week left to apply for IFAI’s 2025 Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit. The application closes on April 1. No, that’s not an April Fool’s Day joke. Apply today!  

• The FDPIR Tribal Leader Consultation Work Group is having an April 7 consultation at the Tribal Self-Governance Conference at Gila River Tribe’s Wild Horse Pass. Registration is required  and should be completed using the hyperlink above. IFAI will host a pre-Consultation briefing on April 3 at 1 p.m. central and is closed to only Tribal leaders, their staff and FDPIR program operators. Register here. 

Looking ahead:

Hearing: House Committee on Agriculture- Tuesday, March 25, 10:00 a.m. eastern 

Topic: The CFTC at 50: Examining the Past and Future of Commodity Markets 

Title: FDA Food Traceability Rule Delayed to July 20, 2028. 

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will push back the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months, with a proposed rule in the Federal Register to be published later. 

• The extension does not amend the requirements of the final rule. 

• The final rule establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements (beyond what is already required in existing regulations) for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List. 

Title: Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines 

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces the Income Eligibility Guidelines for free and reduced-price meals and free milk and Summer-EBT benefits from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. 

• States and Indian Tribal Organizations that administer Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program use these guidelines.  

• FNS uses the annual Federal poverty guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.  

• These guidelines take effect on July 1, 2025. 

Posted: Week of March 17, 2025 

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces the Income Eligibility Guidelines for WIC to be used in conjunction with WIC regulations for the period of July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. 

• A state cannot set WIC guidelines that exceed the guidelines for reduced- price school meals.  

• These guidelines take effect on July 1, 2025. 

Posted: Week of March 17, 2025 

• USDA’s. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces any annual adjustments to the level of monthly benefits in the Summer EBT Program.  

• For the 48 States, District of Columbia and Indian Tribal Organizations, the adjustment is based on the monthly Thrifty Food Plan cost for a reference family of four. 

• There is no change in 2025 monthly level benefits for the 48 States, District of Columbia, Indian Tribal Organizations at $40 per month and a total of $120 over the summer months.  

• These benefit levels are in effect Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025. 

Posted: Week of March 10, 2025