Congress is Failing Our Farmers:

Tell Your Representatives to Unfreeze Funding Now

March 18, 2025

Across the country, tens of thousands of farmers and farmer-serving organizations have been thrown into limbo by an unprecedented freeze of federal funding by the Trump administration. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently withholding payments it owes under lawfully executed contracts, causing turmoil across the food system.

Families are anxious about grocery store prices and the availability of food in the long term. Inaction by Congress is likely to cause even higher food prices and more suffering.

Here’s why:

• Farmers who’ve already installed new irrigation equipment or planted cover crops with support from USDA are now unable to receive the reimbursements they were promised.
• Programs that match local farmers with local food banks are on hold, right when growers most need to know what to plant to serve their markets this season.
• Organizations who train and support beginning farmers are instead having to lay off staff.
• All of this is happening against the backdrop of extreme heat, unpredictable weather, catastrophic fires and other climate-related challenges.

None of this should be happening.

These are signed agreements with the federal government, and USDA must honor its commitments before impacts worsen in communities nationwide. 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 ranchers, our fellow neighbors, and the organizations that help us strengthen our communities.

Raising your voice takes only 60 seconds!

Can you call and email your members of Congress, demanding they step up and protect our farmers and communities from further harm?  If you want to send an email, here is a simple form to fill out.

Calling makes even more of an impact, and it is easy to leave a message. Search for the phone number of your Representative and Senator by searching here. Below is a sample message that you can email or leave on a voice message.

Hello, 

My name is (your name), I am contacting you as your constituent because I am appalled at seeing the federal government going back on the commitments they’ve made, especially to farmers. I am deeply concerned about how the Executive Branch’s reckless orders are indiscriminately harming all of us. When our farmers suffer ALL of us feel that pain at the grocery store. 

(Optional: If you are a farmer or an organization directly impacted by the funding freeze, describe it here. If there is an organization/program at risk in your community, add a few sentences here.) 

Please stand with the farmers, ranchers, and organizations in our community. You have the power to prevent harm by demanding that USDA releases funding and honors its commitments now!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

A Few Impacts We’ve Heard, So Far…

California’s network of Resource Conservation Districts has $100 million in grants and contracts that have been awarded and are now in limbo as of February. These funds support 96 projects in 49 California counties that:

• Increase wildfire resilience and recovery
• Pay farmers for environmental stewardship practices
• Create habitats for birds, bees, and other wildlife

The California Association of RCDs tells us that 40 RCD staff positions are at risk in 20 counties and two may close altogether.

The Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL) relies on six USDA grants, which account for over 25% of its annual operating budget. These grants support the development of future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards. One of their programs—the Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) Program, which provides high-school students the chance to do habitat restoration projects on farms, ranches and open spaces—may have to halt its expansion into San Joaquin County.

Wild Farm Alliance learned in February that their USDA-funded AmeriCorps program has been terminated, affecting 28 organizations nationwide. They had to lay off two of their early-career conservationist staff members who worked directly with farmers in California and Minnesota to improve habitat planning, native plantings, and conservation outreach.

Farmers and the organizations that support them cannot afford to wait in limbo. Your voice matters—every email and phone call helps build the pressure needed to get funding restored. Please take just one minute to tell your representatives to demand immediate action. Our farmers, food system, and communities are counting on us.

You can also show support by sharing this email with others who may be interested.

We appreciate your time and action on this urgent issue!