Latest news with #RuralEnergyforAmericaProgram
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's USDA resurrects one climate grant program, kills another
Farmers who were left in limbo after the U.S. Department of Agriculture froze renewable energy grants are finally starting to get paid. At the same time, however, farmers have been hit with the cancellation of another USDA grant program: the $3 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative, designed to promote farming and forestry practices to improve soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Dale Westphal is among the farmers who recently got long-awaited grant money for a clean energy project. After learning last year that he'd been approved for a $20,000 grant under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), he put up about $46,500 to install solar panels on his corn and soybean farm in southern Minnesota last year. He viewed it as a smart way to protect himself from rising electrical rates. Earlier this year, the USDA told him — and thousands of other farmers nationwide — that his grant funding had been put on hold because of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on the first day of his second term in office. That order froze billions of dollars for renewable energy under President Joe Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In April, Westphal got his grant money — a welcome development that he says has made his solar investment worthwhile. 'I don't think I would have done it without the grant, because the payback would have been so much longer that it wouldn't have made sense,' he said. In an email to Floodlight, a USDA spokesperson said that between March 25 and May 9, the agency issued nearly $126 million in reimbursements to more than 1,000 grantees under the REAP program. As of May 9, more than $960 million in awards to nearly 5,000 grant recipients had not yet been sent out, the spokesperson said. That money remained undistributed because the grant recipients had not yet completed work on their projects, or had not yet submitted paperwork to show that the projects have been completed and paid for, according to the USDA. The release of funds comes after legal pressure and complaints from farmers who had already put money on the line. A federal lawsuit filed against the USDA in March sought a court order to compel the Trump administration to honor the government's grant commitments to farmers and nonprofits. That complaint, filed by the Earthjustice environmental law group, is still pending. And in April, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA and five other federal agencies to release frozen IRA funds. READ MORE DOWNLOAD FOR REPUBLICATION
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA unfreezes clean energy money while ‘inviting' recipients to remove DEI and climate language
Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images via Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist's weekly newsletter here. This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan. Jim Lively wants to install rooftop solar panels on his family's local food market, just minutes from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan. Those panels could help power the RV campground they want to open next to the market and offset other electricity bills. But even though Lively was awarded a $39,696 grant for the project through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program called the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, he's not sure if he'll be able to get the solar panels he wants. As one of thousands of grant awardees across the country, Lively was banking on that money to cover half the cost of the solar project. Within President Donald Trump's first few days in office, he issued a set of executive orders intended to crack down on government initiatives geared toward addressing climate change, improving environmental justice, and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Amidst the now-familiar wave of fluctuations and uncertainty for farmers and business owners who had been counting on funding from various programs, Lively was told that the funding for REAP had been paused. Late last month, Lively got a welcome update: The money was now unfrozen. On March 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will release grant money through REAP and two other clean energy programs partly supported by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But there appeared to be some fine print. In the announcement, the USDA also invited grant and loan recipients to voluntarily revise their proposals to align with Trump's executive order by 'eliminating Biden-era DEIA and climate mandates embedded in previous proposals.' In an email, a USDA spokesperson said that people who had already been awarded funding could voluntarily 'review and revise' their plans within 30 days to more closely align with the Trump administration's executive order. If recipients confirm in writing that they don't want to change anything about their proposals, the USDA said 'processing' for their projects would continue immediately. If recipients don't communicate with the USDA, 'disbursements and other actions will resume after the 30 days,' according to the statement. But many questions remain, and the agency did not address Grist's requests for clarification. For instance, the agency did not offer specifics about the timeline for already-approved projects to actually receive funds; whether or not the agency will open new application periods; whether the funding announcement and invitation to revise apply to REAP grants, loans, or both; and whether the announcement applies to future REAP applications. Perhaps most crucially, it is also not clear what the agency means by 'processing': Will those who choose not to change their applications still receive the money they'd been awarded or will their proposals be subjected to another review process? The phrase 'other actions' has many observers worried. Mike Lavender, the policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, doesn't expect to see the request barring farmers and businesses from receiving the money they are due, but acknowledges that 'anything is possible with this USDA.' 'Our current understanding from the USDA is that REAP grantees will receive the reimbursements that they are owed under their signed grant agreements whether or not they choose to complete the voluntary REAP review form, including whether they submit the form stating they do not intend to make any modifications to their projects,' said Lavender. 'It's critical that USDA clearly and publicly affirms the voluntary nature of the REAP review to avoid sowing further confusion and uncertainty.' Rebecca Wolf, a senior food policy analyst with the nonprofit Food & Water Watch, isn't as confident that the program will proceed seamlessly. She said the very act of issuing the invitation in conjunction with news about resuming funding is likely to prompt farmers and business owners to feel pressured to comply for fear of not getting their money. The ambiguity of it all is its own source of stress. 'I know there are folks that were awarded solar grants, that are wondering, 'Does this even fall in line anymore? Because we know that the administration is keen more on fossil fuels,'' Wolf said. 'So there's just a ton of that type of, 'What does this actually mean?'' What's more, Wolf fears that this may only be the start of such so-called 'open requests' issued by the agency to those waiting on paused funds. The USDA's efforts to comply with Trump's executive orders are taking different shapes across the vast agency. A leaked internal memo circulated within the USDA's Agricultural Research Service detailed instructions on reviewing 'agreements' for a list of banned keywords, including 'people of color,' 'climate change,' and 'clean energy,' as first reported by the nonprofit news organization More Perfect Union. And, last week, the USDA's Rural Development agency scrubbed the application process for 14 programs — including REAP — of 'scoring criteria' tied to equity and climate resilience goals established by the Biden administration. Representative Chellie Pingree, the Democrat who represents part of southern Maine and is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said she considers the USDA's request for revisions 'just another example of the chaos and confusion that have become hallmarks of the Trump Administration.' She added that the move is 'petty and cruel.' Representative Jill Tokuda, the Democrat who represents Hawai'i's second congressional district and also sits on the Agriculture Committee, told Grist, 'USDA's job is to support our agricultural producers and rural communities. It's impossible to do that when USDA is adding unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions and blocking federal resources that farmers and rural communities depend on just to appease President Trump's extreme agenda. Our farmers don't have time to be jumping through extra hoops to get support for critical conservation work they depend on for their livelihoods. They need and deserve better.' Grist reached out to the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee and two other GOP members for comment, none of whom responded before publication. Other critics say the USDA's actions could result in a return to the discriminatory practices the agency conducted for decades, such as rejecting disproportionately more loans for Black farmers than for any other demographic group and excluding Indigenous farmers from agricultural programs. Activists and scientists have also argued that many of the solutions necessary to mitigate agriculture's gargantuan carbon footprint have been developed by marginalized communities. In this way, Trump's attacks on justice and climate-smart agriculture are linked. 'From a climate-justice perspective, the implications of this decision, and the equally hostile policies we know are coming, are nothing short of devastating,' Pingree said. All told, the USDA has so far complied with Trump's efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives and climate action mechanisms across every level of the federal government. The agency has halted education, research, and state funding. It has paused a slate of programs receiving IRA funds and gutted others. The public messaging behind these moves has remained consistent: the agency, working in lockstep with the initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency, aims 'to enhance the USDA workforce and eliminate wasteful spending.' According to Wolf, of Food & Water Watch, the USDA's actions suggest the opposite. 'We've seen a real gutting from Day 1, whether it's jobs or funding,' she said. 'And a very clear indication of how things are going to look moving forward.' For his part, Jim Lively has decided to wait out the 30-day period rather than change any language. 'It's just a solar equipment installation project. There was no DEIA anything in there. So I don't really think I need to make any changes,' he said. 'We may just take our chances, leave things as they are, and hopefully we get a funding award announcement at the end of the month.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The USDA is unfreezing clean energy money — but ‘inviting' grant recipients to remove DEI and climate language
Jim Lively wants to install rooftop solar panels on his family's local food market, just minutes from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan. Those panels could help power the RV campground they want to open next to the market and offset other electricity bills. But even though Lively was awarded a $39,696 grant for the project through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program called the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, he's not sure if he'll be able to get the solar panels he wants. As one of thousands of grant awardees across the country, Lively was banking on that money to cover half the cost of the solar project. Within President Donald Trump's first few days in office, he issued a set of executive orders intended to crack down on government initiatives geared toward addressing climate change, improving environmental justice, and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Amidst the now-familiar wave of fluctuations and uncertainty for farmers and business owners who had been counting on funding from various programs, Lively was told that the funding for REAP had been paused. Last week, Lively got a welcome update: The money was now unfrozen. On March 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will release grant money through REAP and two other clean energy programs partly supported by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But there appeared to be some fine print. In the announcement, the USDA also invited grant and loan recipients to voluntarily revise their proposals to align with Trump's executive order by 'eliminating Biden-era DEIA and climate mandates embedded in previous proposals.' In an email, a USDA spokesperson said that people who had already been awarded funding could voluntarily 'review and revise' their plans within 30 days to more closely align with the Trump administration's executive order. If recipients confirm in writing that they don't want to change anything about their proposals, the USDA said 'processing' for their projects would continue immediately. If recipients don't communicate with the USDA, 'disbursements and other actions will resume after the 30 days,' according to the statement. But many questions remain, and the agency did not address Grist's requests for clarification. For instance, the agency did not offer specifics about the timeline for already-approved projects to actually receive funds; whether or not the agency will open new application periods; whether the funding announcement and invitation to revise apply to REAP grants, loans, or both; and whether the announcement applies to future REAP applications. Perhaps most crucially, it is also not clear what the agency means by 'processing': Will those who choose not to change their applications still receive the money they'd been awarded or will their proposals be subjected to another review process? The phrase 'other actions' has many observers worried. Read Next Farmers and small business owners were promised financial help for energy upgrades. They're still waiting for the money. Emily Jones, Katie Myers, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, & Izzy Ross Mike Lavender, the policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, doesn't expect to see the request barring farmers and businesses from receiving the money they are due, but acknowledges that 'anything is possible with this USDA.' 'Our current understanding from the USDA is that REAP grantees will receive the reimbursements that they are owed under their signed grant agreements whether or not they choose to complete the voluntary REAP review form, including whether they submit the form stating they do not intend to make any modifications to their projects,' said Lavender. 'It's critical that USDA clearly and publicly affirms the voluntary nature of the REAP review to avoid sowing further confusion and uncertainty.' Rebecca Wolf, a senior food policy analyst with the nonprofit Food & Water Watch, isn't as confident that the program will proceed seamlessly. She said the very act of issuing the invitation in conjunction with news about resuming funding is likely to prompt farmers and business owners to feel pressured to comply for fear of not getting their money. The ambiguity of it all is its own source of stress. 'I know there are folks that were awarded solar grants, that are wondering, 'Does this even fall in line anymore? Because we know that the administration is keen more on fossil fuels,'' Wolf said. 'So there's just a ton of that type of, 'What does this actually mean?'' What's more, Wolf fears that this may only be the start of such so-called 'open requests' issued by the agency to those waiting on paused funds. The USDA's efforts to comply with Trump's executive orders are taking different shapes across the vast agency. A leaked internal memo circulated within the USDA's Agricultural Research Service detailed instructions on reviewing 'agreements' for a list of banned keywords, including 'people of color,' 'climate change,' and 'clean energy,' as first reported by the nonprofit news organization More Perfect Union. And, last week, the USDA's Rural Development agency scrubbed the application process for 14 programs — including REAP — of 'scoring criteria' tied to equity and climate resilience goals established by the Biden administration. Representative Chellie Pingree, the Democrat who represents part of southern Maine and is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said she considers the USDA's request for revisions 'just another example of the chaos and confusion that have become hallmarks of the Trump Administration.' She added that the move is 'petty and cruel.' Representative Jill Tokuda, the Democrat who represents Hawai'i's second congressional district and also sits on the Agriculture Committee, told Grist, 'USDA's job is to support our agricultural producers and rural communities. It's impossible to do that when USDA is adding unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions and blocking federal resources that farmers and rural communities depend on just to appease President Trump's extreme agenda. Our farmers don't have time to be jumping through extra hoops to get support for critical conservation work they depend on for their livelihoods. They need and deserve better.' Grist reached out to the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee and two other GOP members for comment, none of whom responded before publication. Read Next 'Our people are hungry': What federal food aid cuts mean in a warming world Ayurella Horn-Muller & Naveena Sadasivam Other critics say the USDA's actions could result in a return to the discriminatory practices the agency conducted for decades, such as rejecting disproportionately more loans for Black farmers than for any other demographic group and excluding Indigenous farmers from agricultural programs. Activists and scientists have also argued that many of the solutions necessary to mitigate agriculture's gargantuan carbon footprint have been developed by marginalized communities. In this way, Trump's attacks on justice and climate-smart agriculture are linked. 'From a climate-justice perspective, the implications of this decision, and the equally hostile policies we know are coming, are nothing short of devastating,' Pingree said. All told, the USDA has so far complied with Trump's efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives and climate action mechanisms across every level of the federal government. The agency has halted education, research, and state funding. It has paused a slate of programs receiving IRA funds and gutted others. The public messaging behind these moves has remained consistent: the agency, working in lockstep with the initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency, aims 'to enhance the USDA workforce and eliminate wasteful spending.' According to Wolf, of Food & Water Watch, the USDA's actions suggest the opposite. 'We've seen a real gutting from Day 1, whether it's jobs or funding,' she said. 'And a very clear indication of how things are going to look moving forward.' For his part, Jim Lively has decided to wait out the 30-day period rather than change any language. 'It's just a solar equipment installation project. There was no DEIA anything in there. So I don't really think I need to make any changes,' he said. 'We may just take our chances, leave things as they are, and hopefully we get a funding award announcement at the end of the month.' This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The USDA is unfreezing clean energy money — but 'inviting' grant recipients to remove DEI and climate language on Apr 4, 2025.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA rural energy and ethanol infrastructure funding released
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Elite Octane, an ethanol production facility in Atlantic, during her first official visit to Iowa. (Photo by Cecilia Lynch/USDA) Previously frozen funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Office has been released, funding rural energy projects and infrastructure for selling ethanol blended fuels at gas pumps. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced this week that funding allocated through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, or HBIIP, and the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, will be released, though the latter program requires an adjustment to projects. HBIIP, which funds projects to upgrade rural fuel stations to sell ethanol-blended fuels, like E15, E85, and B20, at the pump, was released for 543 projects, totaling $537 million, in 29 states. More than $4.5 million of HBIIP cost-share grants were awarded to upgrade Iowa fuel stations in a January allocation of the program. Rollins made the announcement during her first official visit to Iowa while at Elite Octane, an ethanol facility in Atlantic. Iowa officials, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn were also in attendance. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ernst, who pushed for HBIIP funding in the past and for expanded access to ethanol fuel blends, thanked Rollins for creating 'certainty' for farmers and biofuel producers in Iowa. 'I've worked hard to help develop and maintain HBIIP over the years to ensure that from Casey's to your local mom-and-pop gas stations, retail store owners have the tools they need to deliver higher blends of biofuels at the pump, expanding access to homegrown fuels and choices for consumers,' Ernst said in a statement. 'This is another example of how the Trump administration is putting our rural communities first.' Rollins said the announcement was part of the president's 'commitment to America's farmers, ranchers and small businesses.' 'Under the president's leadership, we are moving away from the harmful effects of misguided climate policies like the Green New Deal,' Rollins said in a statement. 'Instead, USDA will deploy energy investments that prioritize the needs of our rural communities.' On Jan. 14, USDA Rural Development announced a round of funding awards for REAP and HBIIP, with more than $5.6 million in grants benefitting Iowa businesses and communities. Nationally, USDA invested more than $3 billion in REAP projects and $323 million in HBIIP programs during the Biden-Harris administration. The latest round of funding, along with some previous rounds of the programs, was suspended by the Trump administration as part of the president's day-one order to pause and evaluate programs established by former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw thanked Rollins for releasing the HBIIP funds and for noting the importance of the E-15, a fuel blend with a higher percentage of ethanol, in administration's plan for 'unleashing American energy.' 'E15 is the only untapped, near-term market opportunity for American farmers and producers large enough to make a meaningful difference to today's low prices,' Shaw said. IRFA and Attorney General Brenna Bird have urged congressional leaders to pass legislation that would permit the year-round sale of the fuel. A press release from USDA said the department is 'aggressively exploring' ways to support the biofuels industry and to allow year-round E-15 sales. Ernst and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley were among 17 senators who signed a letter to the president Thursday urging permits for E-15 sales. 'Utilizing American ethanol year-round is a direct solution to reinforcing our energy supply and reducing consumer costs, and the issuance of a nationwide waiver for the 2025 summer driving season is a clear path toward these shared goals,' the letter read. REAP has funded initiatives such as rooftop solar power on small rural businesses and farms, energy efficiency upgrades including new refrigeration at rural grocery stores and other upgrades aimed at farm or rural business equipment. The USDA has said previously obligated recipients have 30 days, or until April 24, to submit revised project plans that eliminate any Biden-era climate mandates and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility mandates embedded in previous proposals to receive the previously obligated funds. Andy Olsen, a senior policy advocate with Environmental Law and Policy Center, said the requirement means farmers and rural small businesses have to 'jump through more hoops' at a time when they are 'already struggling with high costs and uncertainty.' 'This isn't cutting red tape; it's adding more,' Olsen said in a statement. 'The USDA claims to deliver on commitments but these new rules could result in awarded grants being permanently frozen.' The stated goals of the president's executive order include revising, suspending or rescinding programs that are 'unduly burdensome' on oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources. Solar energy is not mentioned in the order. 'The (Inflation Reduction Act) was marketed as a cure-all but delivered more bureaucracy than benefits for rural families,' said Rollins in the press release. 'This course correction puts those investments back to work to support President Trump's vision for energy independence and sets rural America on a path to lasting prosperity.' Olsen said the farmers and rural businesses already made investments into renewable energy upgrades after entering into agreements with USDA 'in good faith.' 'Farmers and rural small businesses want USDA to honor the commitments it already made,' Olsen said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Farmers hope Trump has their back but many voice misgivings as tariffs loom
It has been a perilous few years for the Red Fire Farm in western Massachusetts. Since the pandemic, rising interest rates, labor and seed costs on the 200-acre produce farm have made life for owners Ryan and Sarah Voiland a spiraling challenge. Having spent millions of dollars building their business from scratch since 2001, last year the farm's barn burned down, taking with it the store, a tractor, irrigation equipment and tools. This year, Ryan had hoped a $125,000 grant won through the Rural Energy for America Program to build a solar canopy system, and a $40,000 allowance to distribute fall leaf litter from nearby towns across their fields, would help offset the farm's ever-increasing refrigeration and fertilizing costs. But in January, the Trump administration froze billions of government funding dollars from Biden-era projects – including more than $2bn for 30,000 ranchers and farms such as Red Fire Farm. 'When something is signed and contracted it's just totally unfair for [the government] to rescind something that farmers are already making investments in,' he said. 'It's leaving farmers on the hook for thousands of dollars.' That prompted Voiland to join an Earthjustice lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture that's seeking a court order against the administration's refusal to disburse the funding. American farmers are not unused to the impulses of Donald Trump, who in his first presidency fueled a trade war with China that ended up adversely affecting exports of US pork and soybeans. But back then, many farmers stayed afloat in large part due to a $28bn handout from the federal government. Today, there's no sign of checks in the post for farmers. Trump has suggested farmers are in for 'a little bit of an adjustment period' with more reciprocal tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada and European countries set to come into force on Tuesday. This comes at a time when farming, whether at the local producer or commodity crop level, faces major challenges. Plummeting demand from China, rising land prices and Trump's threats to cut visas for foreign farm workers have put one of the world's most productive agricultural economies in a major spin. John Deere, the machinery manufacturer, has been shedding thousands of jobs across the midwest due to falling demand fueled by farmers' economic struggles. Imports of agriculture products, which can undercut US farmers, have never been as high. And while ranchers and farmers make up a small part of the wider US economy, its struggles could have major implications: 10% of all US workers are employed in or adjacent to agriculture. Across the country, farming groups are beginning to voice concerns for Trump's tough tariff approach. 'Trade policies must come with real, tangible protections for the farmers directly affected,' said the National Farmers Union president, Rob Larew. 'We've heard there's a strategy in place – now we need to see it. Promises alone won't pay the bills or keep farms afloat.' With around 20% of all US agricultural production going overseas, some agronomists fear the ructions caused by the Trump administration could put pay to relations that took decades to develop, and which in particular could ill-affect American corn and soybean farmers. 'It's been a very good relationship with Mexico. But if this tariffs situation gets out of control, I wouldn't be surprised that within five years you hear of Mexico building a deep sea port [to facilitate imports from countries other than the US],' said Jim McCormick, the co-founder of a Missouri-based agricultural marketing and consulting firm. 'The best thing you can do is build a trade relationship that works well for both countries. It works well for Mexico – they get a cheap supply of food – and it works well for the American producer – we overproduce in the United States. That is the reality – we are built to feed the world.' In recent years, China, the world's largest importer of soybeans which until recently was largely sourced from American farmers, has developed a new trade relationship with Brazil as a direct result of the first Trump administration's trade war. Brazil has rapidly grown its soybean crop to become the world's largest producer today, with 40% of the global share, and is the world's third-largest producer of corn. Its mild climate allows two harvests per year and it has cleared thousands of square miles of savannah and forest for crop farming. In November, a huge port opened in Chancay, Peru, which was paid for by China in a move meant to give Beijing easier access to South American products. 'My fear is that it's going to be a lot tougher negotiating with these countries than what people think,' said McCormick. 'The first go around [in 2017] we were just battling China. Now, we're pretty much battling the world. It could get very volatile.' Still, farmers have been widely supportive of the president. In the country's 444 agriculture-dependent counties, Trump won 77.7% of the vote in last November's presidential election, up from 73% in 2016 and 76% in 2020. Commodity crop growers are this month set for some relief with $10bn in assistance being released through a program signed into law during the Biden administration. 'I think farmers are not exactly thrilled at the economic situation we're in right now, but they still believe he's got their back,' said McCormick, adding that whether or not tariffs go into place on 2 April will shape wider sentiment towards the White House. 'They're going to wait and see.' On the Red Fire Farm, which employs around 75 people during the summer season on its food subscription, U-pick and wholesale operations, feelings of hope and trepidation mingle as the Voilands gear up for the 2025 growing season. Construction of a new barn is in the works, although its financial implications are worrying, says Ryan. Another point of concern is the Trump administration's canceling of $1bn worth of local food purchase funding for food banks and schools, which hits producers such as Voiland and in-need consumers alike. But pressure through calls and emails has helped a small conservation grant won by the Voilands and other farmers previously frozen in January be revived last month. 'I wanted to do everything possible to fight back and resist it,' said Voiland, 'both for the sake of my farm and for the general good of agriculture'.
