Farmers are feeling the effects of the federal funding freeze
At Land For Good, we stand for and with our farmers across the region. We are leaning into collaboration and mutual support so we can engage strongly in solutions. We remain committed to strengthening farmer success, now more than ever. We are hearing from farmers who are affected by the federal funding freeze and the cancellation of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) contracts.
As farmers get ready for their planting season – many who have already installed new irrigation equipment, or planted cover crops, or shifted to climate-smart practices with support from federal funds – they are now unable to receive the reimbursements they were promised, making it impossible to pay back loans and jeopardizing the farm’s financial stability. The USDA is currently withholding payments owed under signed, lawful contracts, in some cases canceling existing contracts, and ultimately causing turmoil across the food system.
“Taking these funding opportunities away from farmers, breaking existing contracts with farmers — it affects all of us. In the same way that food starts in a farmer’s field and ends on your plate, the repercussions of these political decisions will ripple out into all of our communities. The effect of this doesn’t end on my farm, it only begins there.”
Janelle Plummer, co-owner of New Spoke Farm in West Paris, Maine
Congress can act to fix this, and they need to hear directly from folks who are affected – along with all of us who care about our local farmers and food system, our fellow neighbors, and the organizations that help us strengthen our communities.
Act now: Make your voice heard
About one million US farmers rely on financial assistance through the USDA each year. Small and beginning farmers especially rely on local food programs, climate and conservation loans, and grants. We need to let Congress know that farmers need certainty and reliable funding to keep their businesses afloat.
Call or email your members of Congress, and Secretary Brooke Rollins, United States Secretary of Agriculture, demanding they step up and protect our farmers and communities from further harm.
- Send an email to your members of Congress using this quick online form at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Simply add your name and email address to the template and hit send.
- Send an email to Secretary Rollins at [email protected] using this sample script and urge her to maintain stability for farmers and honor the binding agreements USDA made with farmers, ranchers, and the organizations that support them.
Share your story!
If you’re a farmer who signed contracts and began major projects with the expectation of being reimbursed, but now have to shoulder those unplanned costs on your own, please share your story! If a now-frozen federal program directly benefited you, your operation, or your community; if you or someone you know was a federal employee who was fired, or you have struggled to access federal services because staff members providing the services were let go; or if you or someone you know are in financial distress because funding was frozen, please share your story:
- Farm Aid is collecting and sharing stories to stand with and speak up for the farmers and rural communities being harmed.
- The National Young Farmers Coalition is also collecting stories to share with policymakers.
“Your stories are invaluable—they help us call attention to the harm that farmers, ranchers and rural communities are facing and make the case for the urgent need to find solutions.”
Farm Aid
Impact on our organization
Land For Good is well positioned to continue our work of expanding secure farmland access, tenure, and transfer. Our organization is funded through a diverse mix of federal, state, contract, and philanthropic dollars. In 2024, the organization outlined a new strategic plan that includes further advancing stability and funding diversity. But the federal funding freeze, despite its reversal and legal challenges, is already affecting some of our current and potential contracts. We stand in solidarity with our partners who rely on federal funding in their work, who are fighting for farmers, and working to improve farmland and local food security.
The way through this is together. Please donate now to show your support. We continue to work to expand secure farmland access, tenure, and transfer, but we can’t do it alone. We look to our supporters who can make a difference at this critical time. There are lots of ways to show your support:
- Donate and become a sustaining donor to help more farmers secure farmland and keep land in farming.
- Become a Business Sponsor. Let’s grow farmland opportunity together!
- Encourage farmers to reach out for support or attend our trainings.
- Make land available for farming and help secure a future for farming in your community.
Sample Call/Email Script for Members of Congress
Hello / Dear Member of Congress,
My name is _______ and I live/work in _______.
Optional: Let them know if you’re a farmer or work in the food system! Share what you do.
As a community member who depends on our local farmers, I am deeply concerned about how the Trump administration’s executive orders are indiscriminately harming all of us. Despite multiple court orders, I am still hearing from trusted members of our community that funding from contracts is inaccessible, or withdrawn completely. Farmers, and organizations who serve them, are being affected by the federal funding freeze and the cancellation of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) contracts.
These funding freezes and canceled contracts have caused layoffs in our community, instability (and in some cases financial ruin) for farmers, and will impact the long term availability and price of food. A funding pause hinders programs and local supply chains, which our farmers and small businesses rely on in order to supply local communities with healthy food and a thriving local economy. Farmers will also lose support for conserving critical soil and water resources to sustain their operations. The uncertainty means farmers are not able to access services and assistance to plan for this coming growing season.
As our [Senator/Representative] for [state], we are counting on you to swiftly mitigate further harm. We need you to exercise your Congressional oversight duty and demand that USDA Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins:
- Immediately lift all funding freezes as ordered by the US District Courts on January 31 and February 3,
- Honor all existing contractual agreements, and issue due payments and reimbursements
- Halt and reverse indiscriminate firings of USDA staff. These actions have impacted our [state/district] reducing the USDA’s already-understaffed capacity, which will result in poor customer service for farmers and worsen the existing backlog of applications for programs. [Add specific examples here, if you can]
You have the power to prevent future harm. We need your help to keep our farmers farming! Thank you for your time and consideration
Please voice your support of federal funding for local agriculture and food security. Call on the USDA to comply with the law, honor all existing contractual agreements, issue payments, and halt all future funding freezes.
Optional: share more details about how all of this confusion and chaos is affecting your farm, organization, business, and/or local community. Do you participate in any federal programs? What would it mean for these programs to disappear? Personal stories are especially compelling!
We will lose more farmers and more farmland if Congress fails to act. As our [Senator/Representative] for [state], we need your help urgently!
If there’s any additional information I can provide, please let me know.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
[Name, Mailing address/City/State]
Related Articles
- Farmers hit by a federal funding freeze scramble to respond ahead of spring thaw – NBC
- Broken Promises: Over 30,000 Farmers Denied Funds – NSAC
- Maine farmers struggle with federal funding freeze and cuts – Bangor Daily
- Trump spending freeze has Pioneer Valley farmers worried – Greenfield Recorder
- Every day, an education, Hear from owner of Fox Trot Farm – NPR, the Fabulous 413
