Midwest farmers brace for ripple effects of federal land access freeze

By Farah Siddiqi, Nadia Ramlagan

Young farmers in the Midwest face growing uncertainty, after a freeze on a federal program that supports land access for local food producers.

Advocates of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access program say even organizations not directly targeted are feeling the strain, and the cuts highlight how difficult it is to plan and sustain community-based agriculture.

Michelle Hughes, co-executive director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, said her group has already seen some layoffs, partly due to shrinking federal support.

"Unfortunately, changes in a lot of different factors for young farmers' revenue – and not a lot of changes to our expenses over the years – led to layoffs happening this year," said Hughes. "I would say that the federal funding cuts are probably top three reasons for that."

In April, more than 160 farm and food-related groups signed a letter to the U.S. Agriculture Secretary asking that the program's funding be restored. It helps with down-payments and low-interest loans on land, and training for beginning farmers.

While the full impact in Ohio is still unclear, Hughes said the shifting policy landscape is forcing many farm and food system groups across the region to organize quickly and support each other in real time.

"It's extremely difficult to keep up with the amount of information that is coming our way," said Hughes. "We are organizers by nature, and so we have groups of leadership organizing together to create what our network needs right now."

According to the coalition, land access for new farmers remains a cornerstone of its advocacy – and mental health is an equally urgent concern.

With economic stress, social isolation and federal budget and policy uncertainty, Hughes urged greater recognition of the support systems young farmers need to thrive.