As you may have heard, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of uncertainty for those impacted by the recent freeze on federal funding. We know this has affected countless people across the U.S. and beyond in real and concrete ways throughout a range of sectors.

Here at AGW, we are over one year into a $4 million-dollar, three-year grant project funded by USDA to help farmers implement beneficial agricultural practices—practices like cover cropping, grazing, energy efficiency and biodiversity improvements. A little over two weeks ago, we learned that this project was being paused. Each day has brought new confusion, and despite court action, we still do not have certainty about the future of this project. This is impacting farmers, who are missing out on $1.2 million in direct incentive payments through this grant to implement crucial production and infrastructure projects. It is impacting participating farmers’ ability to get Certified Regenerative by AGW, costing them market opportunities and lost revenue. As a nonprofit with a limited budget, it is also significantly impacting our organizational resources.

For farmers, whose margins are already so thin, these actions can cause major setbacks that impact the economic stability of farming families, rural communities and local food systems. Right now, it is important for us to speak up in support of farmers and against the funding freeze. Get in touch with your Senators and U.S. Representatives and make sure they know that federal grants like ours are crucial to agriculture – for farmers themselves and for nonprofits, advocacy groups and organizations who support them. You’re welcome to use the sample script below, and please let us know what you hear back!

“Hello, my name is ____. I’m a constituent, a voter and (a farmer/teacher/parent/etc.). I am calling about the Administration’s attempts to freeze federal funding. This is severely impacting farmers across the country, with ramifications for our rural communities and food systems. I am urging you to ensure funding agreements are honored, so farmers don’t lose access to critical technical support, financial incentives and assistance they have been promised by Congress. Thank you for your time.”

You can help us reach more farmers by sharing our weekly farmer updates. Just pass this linkalong and thanks for helping us get the word out about farmer resources and AGW-certified businesses.