Funding pauses at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are affecting sustainable agricultural programs in Michigan.
The program Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funds 41 projects, including 28 in Michigan. Grants support programs that increase economic opportunities for farmers who use sustainable practices. The disbursement of those funds has been stopped, according to two of those projects in Michigan.
Katie Brandt is the Educational Programs Manager at the Transition to Organic Partnership Program at Michigan State University Extension. All Michiganders benefit from the program, she said.
“Supporting that is bringing fresh foods to your local farmers market, your local grocery store,” she said. The program provides farmers who want to transition to organic farming with education and mentorship opportunities. That process can be expensive for small farms, she said.
The other program is the Michigan Climate Smart Farms Project. It helps small farms in southeast Michigan adapt to climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a pilot program for now, but its long-term goal is to serve the entire state.
“We strongly believe that withholding obligated federal grant payments—especially for work already completed—is unlawful,” project leaders said in a statement. The project staff has very little information about the program’s future, a spokesperson said in an email.
The USDA hasn’t officially cut any funds, but grant money has stopped coming in, according to the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts. The association handles funding for the climate smart farms program.
Michigan Public could not reach the U.S. Department of Agriculture for comment due to the federal holiday.
The department is cutting over $1 million dollars in DEI programs, according to a press release. It has already removed the grant program’s main page from its website, though information about grant recipients is still live.
For now, MSU staff at the organic transition program will continue working unless they receive a stop work order, Brandt said. But there’s no other source of funding for her program, and all federal grants are uncertain right now, she said.
“This is uncharted territory.”
