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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RFK Jr's report calls farmers the ‘backbone' of the US – but Trump's cuts hurt them
Independent and organic farmers say chaos created by the Trump administration's cuts has hurt their businesses, even as the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, praises small farms and regenerative agriculture. The split-screen for small and organic farms – which one farmer described as the administration 'talking out of both sides of their mouth' – comes on the heels of the release of the 'Maha' report. The White House document mentions farms, farmers and farming 21 times, and argues conventional agriculture has led to more ultra-processed foods. 'Reading that report, it's like a small-scale organic farmer's dream,' said Seth Kroeck as he slammed the door on his 1993 F350 truck. Kroeck owns the organic Crystal Spring Farm, 331 acres (135 hectares) in Brunswick, Maine. 'But then at the same time, [secretary of agriculture] Brooke Rollins's name is on this – she's proposing to cut two-thirds of the agriculture budget.' Related: Trump vowed to help US farmers. These four say his policies are 'wreaking havoc' Kroeck had just finished planting 2,500 brussels sprouts and one-10th of an acre of specialty peppers. He still needed to fix a flat on a piece of farm equipment that day. He said small-scale farmers have promoted local, organic and whole foods for decades. While Kroeck is presumably the kind of farmer Kennedy would laud, all he finds is frustration with the administration, and actions that will 'undoubtedly' make food more expensive. 'We're dealing with two personalities with our government,' said Kroeck. As conventional farmers decry the Maha report's criticism of agricultural chemicals such as atrazine and glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp), some organic and independent farmers have found that the meager government support they depend on has been upended by an administration that claims it wants to support them. 'Farmers are the backbone of America – and the most innovative and productive in the world,' the report, led by Kennedy, argued. 'We continue to feed the world as the largest food exporter. The greatest step the United States can take to reverse childhood chronic disease is to put whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers at the center of healthcare.' Reading that report, it's like a small-scale organic farmer's dream. But Brooke Rollins's name is on this Seth Kroeck, Crystal Spring Farm But by March, the administration had already cut a total of $1bn in programs that supported small farms that grow locally produced fruits and vegetables. For instance, they cut a program that helped tribal food banks provide healthy food and ended a $660m program that brought fresh local foods to school cafeterias. In just one example of impact, the cut quickly ended fruit and vegetable snacks in New York City schools. 'This is a huge deal for small farmers,' Ellee Igoe told the New Lede publication in March. Igoe is a co-owner of Solidarity Farm in southern California. 'We're growing healthy food and providing it to local communities. And they are cancelling contracts without real reason. Out here, it feels like it is very politically motivated.' In just one example of direct impact to Kroeck, the Trump administration fired most of the staffers at Kroeck's local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office, an arm of the US Department of Agriculture that provides technical assistance to farmers, including on-site visits. The staff shrank from six to one – only the director remains. Related: Trump has no plan for who will grow US food: 'There is just flat out nobody to work' 'In my book, she's a superwoman, but how long is that going to last?' said Kroeck. 'And what farmer is going to want to take on new contracts when it's going to take her months and months and months just to return a call?' Kroeck also criticized the Maha report for including apparently invented scientific references. 'The citations in the report seem to be made up by ChatGPT – this is crazy,' said Kroeck, who said he's not a cheerleader for occupants of ivory towers, but 'we do have to have some standards'. Groups such as the Organic Trade Association have largely echoed Kroeck's sentiments, noting that this is what the organic movement has been saying all along and they need money. 'We've long known that health begins on the farm and encourage the administration to invest in meaningful policies that expand access to organic for consumers,' said co-CEO Matthew Dillon in a statement to the Guardian. While some organic farmers say their relationship with the government has always been tenuous, small farmers say chaos has only worsened that relationship. Coastal wild blueberry farmer Nicolas Lindholm said at least a portion of the funding he was expecting for the year – to mulch his blueberries with wood chips – was 'dead in the water'. We had applied for three different funding programs ... as of February all three of them were basically frozen Nicolas Lindholm, blueberry farmer 'My wife and I have an organic wild blueberry farm here on the coast of Maine,' said Lindholm. 'Over the past five months, we had applied for three different funding programs – all different – and finalized them through December and into January – and as of February all three of them were basically frozen.' Like many farmers, Lindholm's needs were time-sensitive: blueberries can only be mulched every two years because of their growing cycle. In addition to direct cuts by the administration, congressional Republicans proposed cuts to food programs that indirectly benefit farmers. House Republicans passed a bill proposing $300bn in cuts to food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), to fund tax cuts. They have also proposed cuts to a food program that helps new mothers and babies buy fruits and vegetables. Related: Bleak outlook for US farmers – and Trump tariffs could make it worse The panic within conventional agriculture communities has also been pronounced – with pointed criticism of the report coming before it was even published. Corn and soybeans dominate American cash crops, accounting for $131.9bn in receipts in 2023, versus just $54.8bn in all fruits, vegetables and nuts combined. 'It's no secret you were involved in pesticide litigation before you became secretary,' said Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican senator for Mississippi, to Kennedy, leading into a question about the need for glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp), and asking whether Kennedy could be impartial. Kennedy, who went on to pledge he would not put 'a single farmer' out of business, said: 'There's nobody that has a greater commitment to the American farmer than we do – the Maha movement collapses if we can't partner with the American farmer.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
RFK Jr's report calls farmers ‘backbone' of US – but cuts leave workers lacking support
Independent and organic farmers say chaos created by the Trump administration's cuts have hurt their businesses, even as the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, praises small farms and regenerative agriculture. The split-screen for small and organic farms – which one described as 'talking out of both sides of their mouth' – comes on the heels of the release of the 'Maha' report. The White House document mentions farms, farmers and farming 21 times, and argues conventional agriculture has led to more ultra-processed foods. 'Reading that report it's like a small-scale organic farmers dream,' said Seth Kroeck, the owner of Crystal Spring Farm, as he slammed the door on his 1993 F350 truck. He talked about the report from his 331-acre organic farm in Brunswick, Maine. 'But then at the same time, [secretary of agriculture] Brooke Rollins's name is on this – she's proposing to cut two-thirds of the agriculture budget.' Kroeck just finished planting 2,500 Brussels sprouts and one-tenth of an acre of specialty peppers. He still needed to fix a flat on a piece of farm equipment that day. He said small-scale farmers have promoted local, organic and whole foods for decades. While Kroeck is presumably the kind of farmer Kennedy would laud, all Kroeck finds is frustration with the administration, and actions that will 'undoubtedly' make food more expensive. 'We're dealing with two personalities with our government,' said Kroeck. As conventional farmers decry the Maha report's criticism of agricultural chemicals such as atrazine and glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp), some organic and independent farmers have found that the meager government support they depend on have been upended by an administration that claims it wants to support them. 'Farmers are the backbone of America – and the most innovative and productive in the world,' the report, led by Kennedy, argued. 'We continue to feed the world as the largest food exporter. The greatest step the United States can take to reverse childhood chronic disease is to put whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers at the center of healthcare.' But by March, the administration had already cut a total of $1bn in programs that supported small farms that grow locally produced fruits and vegetables. For instance, they cut a program that helped tribal food banks provide healthy food and ended a $660m program that brought fresh local foods to school cafeterias. In just one example of impact, the cut quickly ended fruit and vegetable snacks in New York City schools. 'This is a huge deal for small farmers,' Ellee Igoe told the New Lede publication in March. Igoe is a co-owner of Solidarity Farm in southern California. 'We're growing healthy food and providing it to local communities. And they are cancelling contracts without real reason. Out here, it feels like it is very politically motivated.' In just one example of direct impact to Kroeck, the Trump administration fired most of the staffers at Kroeck's local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office, an arm of the US Department of Agriculture that provides technical assistance to farmers, including on-site visits. The staff shrank from six to one – only the director remains. 'In my book, she's a super woman, but how long is that going to last?' said Kroeck. 'And what farmer is going to want to take on new contracts when it's going to take her months and months and months just to return a call?' Kroeck also criticized the Maha report for including apparently invented scientific references. 'The citations in the report seem to be made up by ChatGPT – this is crazy,' said Kroeck, who said he's not a cheerleader for occupants of ivory towers, but 'we do have to have some standards.' Groups such as the Organic Trade Association have largely echoed Kroeck's sentiments, noting that this is what the organic movement has been saying all along and they need money. 'We've long known that health begins on the farm and encourage the administration to invest in meaningful policies that expand access to organic for consumers,' said co-CEO Matthew Dillon in a statement to the Guardian. While some organic farmers say their relationship with the government has always been tenuous, small farmers say chaos has only worsened that relationship. Coastal wild blueberry farmer Nicolas Lindholm said at least a portion of the funding he was expecting for the year – to mulch his blueberries with wood chips – was 'dead in the water'. 'My wife and I have an organic wild blueberry farm here on the coast of Maine,' said Lindholm. 'Over the past five months, we had applied for three different funding programs – all different – and finalized them through December and into January – and as of February all three of them were basically frozen.' Like many farmers, Lindholm's needs were time sensitive: blueberries can only be mulched every two years because of their growing cycle. In addition to direct cuts by the administration, congressional Republicans proposed cuts to food programs that indirectly benefit farmers. House Republicans passed a bill proposing $300bn in cuts to food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), to fund tax cuts. They have also proposed cuts to a food program that helps new mothers and babies buy fruits and vegetables. The panic within conventional agriculture communities has also been pronounced – with pointed criticism of the report coming before it was even published. Corn and soybeans dominate American cash crops, accounting for $131.9bn in receipts in 2023, versus just $54.8bn in all fruits, vegetables and nuts combined. 'It's no secret you were involved in pesticide litigation before you became secretary,' said Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican senator for Mississippi, leading into a question about the need for glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp), and asking if Kennedy could be impartial. Kennedy, who went on to pledge he would not put 'a single farmer' out of business, said: 'There's nobody that has a greater commitment to the American farmer than we do – the Maha movement collapses if we can't partner with the American farmer.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Farmers angry over federal funding cuts rally at Maine State House
Apr. 16—AUGUSTA — Shortly after the sun came up Wednesday, when he should have been watering his greenhouse peppers, Seth Kroeck climbed into his tractor and began a three-hour trek from his Brunswick farm to the Maine State House to protest federal funding cuts to Maine farmers. Kroeck is still waiting to find out if the federal government will honor his agricultural contract to mulch the 70 acres of blueberries he is growing at Crystal Springs Farm to protect the crop from climate change, or if he will have to eat the $6,000 he's already spent buying wood chips and outfitting a truck. "I'm overwhelmed," Kroeck told the boisterous, flannel-clad crowd of 150 who joined him for the rally. "We work hard. Our hands are dirty. We have all built an exceptional local food economy. We cannot let two months of executive actions and dillydallying destroy this community." Recent U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, program and staffing cuts and a looming tariff war with nations that buy Maine farm products and sell fertilizer, seed and equipment to Maine farms is creating a climate of uncertainty in Maine's struggling $870 million agricultural community. Farmers astride tractors and livestock trailers rallied at the State House Wednesday to demand the U.S. Department of Agriculture honor $12 million in climate-related agriculture contracts it has not paid out and reinstate a local food program that provided $4 million to Maine schools and food pantries. They also want the one out of five USDA staffers in Maine that have been laid off to get their jobs back. They called for the revival of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program that would have paid $3 million out to Maine farmers to prepare for climate change. This program had just awarded $35 million to Wolfe's Neck Center in Freeport to promote sustainable practices at 400 farms nationwide. The scope of Maine's agricultural losses under President Trump extends beyond these figures, according to Maine farmers. Numerous other vital programs that underpin the local food system are being targeted for cuts, including farm business planning, agricultural research and food safety inspections. Current funding delays put Maine farmers in a precarious position. They have to front the costs for work approved in their USDA contract, but now they are unsure if they'll get their reimbursement at all, much less if they'll get it in time to pay the bills for work they'd already commissioned. "Our farmers have been directly targeted by the USDA cuts," said Sarah Alexander, director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which helped organize the brigade. "We have farmers who haven't known whether they can move forward or whether they can pay their mortgage or pay their bills." Steve Sinisi of Durham is waiting to hear if he will be reimbursed for the solar installation project he was approved to do at Old Crow Ranch, his pasture-based beef cattle, hog and chicken farm. He has put down deposits for the work and already paid someone to prepare the field. "We have no clue what's coming down," said Sinisi, who made sure to be the first tractor in Wednesday's brigade. "Some contracts are being paid. Some are under review. It's one big-ass waiting game. and that doesn't work. The world keeps going around. We're hoping, but it doesn't look good." Sinisi had a message that he asked Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, to deliver to USDA Commissioner Brooke Rollins and President Donald Trump: a bucket full of hog poop. He likened it to their promise to do right by farmers while at the same time slashing federal agriculture funding, programs and staff. The Milkhouse Farm & Creamery in Monmouth is awaiting reimbursement for money spent installing a 27-kilowatt solar array to offset the cost of electricity needed to operate the 250-acre dairy, beef and hog farm, said co-owner Caitlin Frame. Among other markets, it supplies yogurt to eight school districts. "Maine's dairy farmers are not members of the financially insulated billionaire class," Frame said. "We can't operate without USDA loans or cost-sharing programs. Unless this administration reverses course, we expect to see Maine farms and dairies being forced out of the industry." "Who is this working well for?" Frame asked. "Not working people. Not farmers." Maine's wild blueberry farmers are being hit especially hard, said Nicholas Lindholm, owner of the Blue Hill Berry Co. in Penobscot. The frozen processed commodity market that most Maine blueberry farms sell into is paying 47% less than it was 20 years ago, he said — not even enough to cover annual expenses. Climate change is making things even worse, Lindholm said. Local wild blueberry fields are warming up faster than any other agricultural ecosystem in Maine, he said. And they are hit hard by the wild fluctuations between droughts and torrential downpours. But the University of Maine found a solution: spreading wood chips on his fields reduces the effects of excessive heat, moisture and even some diseases, Lindholm said. He has used USDA funds to mulch his fields since 2021, but this year's $87,000 mulching contract remains in limbo, he said. "If you're a Maine resident concerned about this iconic Maine crop, wild blueberries, then I encourage you to stand up to your congressional representatives, to the USDA, and let them know the farmers need this funding. It's proven. There's no reason to take it away." Alyssa Adkins, a third-year Freeport farmer, is worried one USDA conservation grant will be canceled and tens of thousands already spent on two other USDA grants won't get reimbursed. These are grants they needed to survive Maine's increasingly erratic weather conditions, Adkins said. "Starting a farm now means starting when the weather is no longer predictable," Adkins said. "Because of this, we are responsibly building our farm with an eye toward resiliency so that we can keep growing food for Maine under even under the worst conditions. But passion doesn't pay the bills." It wasn't all bad news. Kevin Leavitt told the crowd that he had finally gotten the $45,000 check that he had been promised to reimburse him for the cost of installing a solar array at his organic vegetable farm in West Gardiner. But the waiting almost bankrupted him, Leavitt said. "They wanted to hold us hostage and they wanted us to kiss the ring," Leavitt said to a chorus of boos. "I'm happy to say that we finally have been reimbursed, but we're still worried about everything that's going on." President Trump's cost-cutting orders were announced in January when the Office of Management and Budget sent a memo requiring agencies to identify and pause funding to programs that violated Trump's executive orders on topics ranging from foreign aid to "woke ideology" and the "green new deal." When canceling the Climate-Smart Commodities program this week, a USDA statement called the Biden initiative a "slush fund" with "sky-high administration fees" that often spent less than half of the federal funding on farmer payments. It did not cite any specific examples to back up this allegation. In February, after the first federal judge ordered the government to make good on its payments, a USDA spokesman said the agency would comply with the court order after completing its review. It has offered farmers the chance to revise their grant applications to abandon climate and clean energy goals. After consulting with MOFGA and congressional staff, most Maine farmers have not modified their grant applications, Alexander said. Federal courts continue to order Trump to release the funds — including an appeals judge from Rhode Island this week — but most Maine farmers have yet to be paid. The agency did not respond to requests for an interview or details about Maine farm grants Wednesday. This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Seth Kroeck's name and the location of his farm. Copy the Story Link
