'Hitting ranchers hard': Farmers union leader blames Trump for 'disastrous consequences'
Donald Trump's latest actions are hurting one of his biggest bases of support, the National Farmers Union president said Sunday.
Rob Larew, who leads the second-largest general farm organization in the country, noted over the weekend that the President of the U.S. is wrong to freeze funding that farmers need.
"The Trump administration’s decision to pause and review federal funding has sparked uncertainty for many Americans. Even if you have not personally felt the effects yet, you soon might, because these abrupt freezes are hitting family farmers and ranchers hard. And when farmers struggle, every consumer feels it at the grocery store," the farming policy advocate wrote.
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According to Larew, Trump's freeze "has most immediately impacted federal conservation and voluntary climate-smart agriculture projects."
"Across the country, farmers have been left in limbo after making sustainability investments, trusting that the government would uphold its commitments," he wrote, adding, "For example, some farmers who purchased cover crop seed to improve soil health or installed solar panels to reduce energy costs are now learning that federal reimbursements have been cut off. These are not theoretical losses. These are real financial burdens that could push family farms into bankruptcy. Without intervention, these cuts will ripple through rural economies. Every farm that goes out of business means fewer families in rural communities, less money spent at the local businesses, fewer kids in the local schools, and fewer tax dollars for roads, hospitals and emergency services."
Further, according to Larew, "Beyond agriculture, the funding freeze threatens the infrastructure that keeps rural communities running."
"Federal grants and loans help small towns replace aging and costly infrastructure, such as broadband and water systems, and invest in local meat and food processing," he added. "Local entities have relied on federal loans and loan guarantees — existing commitments that the government is now freezing, leaving farmers, investors, lenders and rural communities on the hook for funds already spent."
He also encouraged lawmakers to "listen to the voices of those most impacted and recognize the real-world consequences of any cuts."
"Our rural economy and food system — and therefore all of America — depends on it," he said.