31-03-2025
‘A manufactured disaster': Massachusetts farmers battle Trump cuts
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Red Fire Farm joined seven other farms and agricultural nonprofits in
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Ryan Voiland, an unenrolled voter who voted for Kamala Harris, told me he believes having more renewable energy and a sustainable approach to agriculture is essential in the face of climate change. He is upset the government is breaking its promise. 'All these commitments made on paper to my farm and other farms … they're just trying to cancel all of these agreements,' he said.
It's been a recurring theme of the Trump administration — and a practice the courts should continue to reject. Looking forward, the president has every right to reform or eliminate grant programs he disagrees with. He should not have the right to interfere with contracts that were already signed and grants that were already awarded. If the president can do that, the federal government's word is worth less than the paper it's written on.
Massachusetts, while not a major farm state, has
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Trump's cuts — part of his efforts to reduce federal spending while eliminating programs that don't adhere to his priorities — are hurting these farms. In addition to REAP, Trump paused the USDA's
Abby Ferla of Foxtrot Farm in Ashfield was awarded $45,000, now frozen, from the Climate-Smart program to put up deer fencing, do alley cropping (planting trees between crops), and implement other ecologically friendly practices. Ferla said these practices 'require a lot of capital input at times in the season when farmers don't have a lot of income.'
Harrison Bardwell of Bardwell Farm in Hatfield said he had anticipated earning $300,000 from contracts with school districts and food banks backed by federal money that's been cut. 'It's so sudden,' Bardwell said. Bardwell said the farm had already committed to buying seed, fertilizer, and supplies assuming his crops had a market. He's scrambling to find new customers.
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Ang Roell owns They Keep Bees in Montague, with satellite operations in North Carolina and Florida. She's still waiting for around $20,000 in Climate-Smart grants for fencing and an orchard expansion, plus emergency assistance to replace 60 beehives she lost during Hurricane Helene. 'This is a manufactured disaster,' Roell said.
Roell is trying to collaborate with other farmers to create a private fund to help farmers with projects, using money from philanthropists, donors, and the state. State Senator Joanne Comerford, a Northampton Democrat, said she's renewing efforts to increase funding for
Comerford noted that New England farming is already 'economically brutal,' given the industry's small scale and uncertain weather. Massachusetts Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle, in a letter to the USDA secretary urging the agency to fulfill outstanding contracts, wrote, 'For some, not being able to count on those resources could be the difference between remaining sustainable and losing their farm.'
Meanwhile, Ryan Voiland is considering scaling back his solar project to install a smaller, 25-kilowatt system. He said his farm faces increasing costs for seeds, fertilizer, energy, and labor. Because so much food is imported from countries with cheaper labor, he's limited on how much he can raise prices. 'I farm not for financial gain … but because as people, we need good food and we need to grow it in a responsible way,' Ryan Voiland said.
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Farming is a way of life in rural parts of the state, and all residents can benefit from having access to locally sourced, nutritious food. While agricultural lobbying efforts tend to focus on 'big Ag,' Massachusetts' small farms offer residents fresh produce that hasn't been trucked across the country — which is good for health and the environment. If the federal government wants to make America healthy again, helping small farmers is a goal it should get behind.
Shira Schoenberg can be reached at
