Citrus has always been a part of life for Jesse Lozano.

“I always liked working in the fields, so I went back to the fields,” Lozano said.

Lozano has harvested 10 acres of citrus near Mission since the mid-1990s. He’s even packed oranges at home. 

Over the years, Lozano has had national chains such as H-E-B and Whole Foods Market buying-up his organic oranges.

During the pandemic, Lozano saw a boost in business thanks to two federal programs.

The Local Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food For Schools Programs from the U.S. Agriculture Department allowed Lozano and other small farmers to sell their fruits and vegetables to schools and hospitals, thanks to over $1 billion in federal funding.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM HERE

Those programs are now ending.

“I don't have any idea how much they're going to buy,” Lozano said.

The federal funding provided money for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers.

Jeremy Logan, the executive director for the non-profit organization Common Market Texas, said without the federal programs, schools will prefer to buy produce wholesale for a lower price.

“The pandemic is certainly over, but effectively those same challenges exist for small farmers — they don't have access to the marketplace the way large farmers do.” Logan said. “By paying the farmers market price, we are not going to be able to compete with the larger produce distributors who can really cut their prices down because they're sourcing, in some cases, from all over the world."

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins visited the Rio Grande Valley on March 19, 2025. 

During her visit, Channel 5 News asked her about the funding cuts.

“This was funding that had been set aside for a specific purpose during the Joe Biden era that had run its course, that was no longer needed,” Rollins said. “Under Trump, when a program’s goal ends, it's time to end the program."

Lozano said he's going to try and find other customers.

“Some of us will start fading away because who are you going to sell to,” Lozano said.

Watch the video above for the full story.