What You Can Do if You Are a Producer Affected By Federal Funding Freezes
The past several months have been filled with federal funding freezes and cuts to grant programs. Many producers on the ground have been directly affected by delayed or stop-payments on signed contracts and the termination of programs dedicated to selling local food directly to schools, food banks, and communities.
Farmers made business decisions and purchases based around contractual obligations and are now experiencing devastating impacts caused by the unlawful pause of payments, leaving them with facing more uncertainty in an already risky ag industry.
Are you a farmer or rancher who has been impacted by federal funding freezes?
Organizations dedicated to supporting local food producers have put together valuable resources for what to do legally and financially during this time. There are also ways to share your voice with legislators, policy makers, and the general public to show how federal funding freezes are disrupting or threatening the viability of your ag businesses.
Below are some tangible things to do right now:
Review this valuable document, created for farmers and ranchers nationwide who have a signed contract with the USDA but have concerns that their contract is frozen, under review, or terminated, and who are uncertain of their rights to receive reimbursement as well as their ongoing obligations under the signed contract. Explore the document for answers to common questions and funding scenarios.
Provide important feedback on how you are being affected by federal funding freezes and cuts. Reach out to organizations like Western Landowners Alliance here and refer to resources they have created for connecting with legislators and government agencies — reach out to members in Congress (here's a helpful template), the US Department of Agriculture, the Department of Interior, your Governor’s office, and your state Department of Agriculture.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has also created a Grassroots Funding Freeze Mobilization Toolkit, with email templates, contact information, and phone scripts for reaching out to Congress, as well as social media graphics for public outreach.
Encourage organizations that represent farmers, food producers, and rural communities to sign on to support the Honor Farmer Contracts Act by close of business day Wednesday, March 26, 2025 to urge policymakers to support the Act, which is set to be introduced in the U.S. Senate this Thursday, March 27, 2025. The Act asks the USDA to honor its contractual obligations to farmers and ranchers. View the full letter, along with a continually updated list of co-signers, here.
Stay updated by following ag organizations on social media, through their newsletters, food policy trackers, or sign-up for federal funding freeze email alerts that some organizations offer.
Thank you to the many people and organizations that are rallying to support local farmers, ranchers, and communities during this time!
