What Happens when We Stop Supporting Organic Farms & Sustainable Food Systems

On the USDA’s Abrupt Climate Data Purge and Funding Freeze: Severe Consequences for Farmers, Food Security, Rural Economies, and Climate Resilience, Plus Practical Actions You Can Take

Apr 06, 2025

In the first installment of this series, we traced a decade of shifting federal farm policy - progress made, promises broken, and the quiet deletion of vital climate tools in January 2025. The USDA’s abrupt purge of climate-smart resources and the freezing of billions in conservation funding wasn’t just a bureaucratic reshuffle.

It was a breach of public trust with real, immediate consequences.

Previously, the USDA Farmers.gov Climate Solutions Page was a vital source of guidance. Farmers relied on the USDA's expertise and funding for implementing climate-smart practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, and agroforestry to build resilience. Programs such as EQIP, CSP, ACEP, and others offered both financial and technical support to advance these necessary practices.

Now, we follow those consequences to the ground. This is where the impact lands: on farmers with contracts suspended mid-harvest, on local food systems suddenly severed, on entire rural economies destabilized overnight. These are the ripple effects that rarely make headlines, but shape everything from what ends up on your dinner plate to whether the next generation of farmers will stay on the land at all.

Real Voices, Real Consequences

The impact isn't theoretical—it's visible in real-time on social media feeds of farmers navigating this crisis firsthand. At @OrangeCatCommunityFarm, which last year grew over 14,000 pounds of fresh produce for local food pantries with USDA grant support, the funding cut means uncertainty for 2025. Their Instagram plea says it all:

"It's disappointing and frustrating, but this little farm keeps going! The crew is hired, the seeds are ordered, and we're ready to grow—now we just need you." Without funding, they're urgently expanding their CSA memberships to ensure produce doesn't go to waste.

Similarly, @Butterbee_Farm is stepping into uncharted territory - filing a lawsuit against the USDA alongside Earthjustice. Their Instagram announcement captured the surprise and resolve felt by so many:

@ClarkFarmCarlisle, another affected operation, detailed personal setbacks resulting from grant cuts:

"We were denied a REAP grant that would have allowed us to cover the barn with solar panels and make our own solar energy. Many small farms like us are in a more dire position, initially approved for grant reimbursement only to learn they will not be reimbursed now."

And it's not just small farms facing uncertainty. @FarmHerHallie shared a poignant end-of-era reflection on Instagram:

This isn’t a policy story anymore. It’s a survival story. And it’s still unfolding.

What does all this high-level policy churn mean on the ground? In a word: pain. The deletion of climate data and the freezing of funds are not abstract events; they are rippling through rural communities right now.

Here are some of the real-world consequences emerging as this saga unfolds:

Economic Losses & Farm Uncertainty: Thousands of farmers are facing immediate financial shortfalls. Anna Knight, a diversified farmer in California, provides 1,000 food boxes a week to low-income families through a USDA program. When that program (the Local Food Purchase Assistance, or LFPA) was frozen, Anna lost $60,000 of expected income in just one week. “Crops are already in the ground and there are no contracts to cover the loss,” she said, noting that the ripple effect hits farm workers and local families relying on those food boxes. Similarly, organic grain farmer Nate Powell-Palm in Montana saw his $648,000 grant for a new feed mill abruptly put on hold. He now has 500 tons of hay sitting unsold and a hefty bill for equipment he ordered – and no idea if or when his grant will be honored. Two other farmers told Reuters they were weeks away from bankruptcy due to frozen payments. These are generational farms at risk of going under because promised funds never arrived.
Layoffs and Brain Drain: The policy reversals have triggered an exodus of expertise. Over 3,700 USDA employees – many of them conservation specialists, soil scientists, and outreach staff – were summarily fired in early 2025 as part of the administration’s downsizing. (A federal review board later ordered them temporarily reinstated, but morale is shattered and many may not return.) In states like Arkansas, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) lost over 40 employees, nearly its entire climate/soil team. “We were already short-staffed before, and now it’s unclear how we will process payments or secure new contracts,” said Arkansas farmer Adam Chappell, who relies on NRCS guidance for cost-saving conservation practices. Local USDA service centers – the lifelines for farmers navigating programs – are now in disarray, with some offices closed or operating with skeletal staff. The expertise that farmers depend on (to design a grazing plan, or to interpret satellite data for drought prediction) is evaporating. That technical vacuum could set back conservation efforts for years.
Broken Promises, Broken Projects: Many shovel-ready projects have been shelved indefinitely. In Nebraska, farmer Steve Tucker had secured a $400,000 grant to build a regional grain processing facility to serve small producers. He had contractors lined up and community support. Now, with the federal funds “dead in the water,” the project has collapsed – along with the jobs and local economic growth it would have generated. Across the country, conservation contracts under EQIP that were mid-implementation are now in limbo. One Missouri cattle rancher had begun installing new water wells and fencing with an EQIP contract – only to be told reimbursement was frozen. “I’m out all that cost,” he said, fearing he’ll lose his ranch if funds don’t come through. The pattern is the same: whether it’s a high school that got a USDA grant for a greenhouse, a tribe that received funds to restore buffalo grasslands, or a cooperative building a farm-to-school processing hub – countless positive initiatives are on hold or canceled outright.
Food Access Disruptions: Programs that connect farmers to consumers are also impacted, with direct human consequences. The Emergency Food Assistance Program and other initiatives that help food banks buy from local farms have seen cuts. Combined with Anna Knight’s story of lost food box deliveries, this means vulnerable populations may see fewer fresh, local foods. In an irony of ironies, as the administration claims to put “farmers first,” its actions are hurting both farmers and hungry families. Even school lunch programs have taken a hit – Reuters reported over $1 billion cut from programs that helped schools purchase local produce and meats. Some farm-to-school sales contracts were voided, leaving farmers with unsold produce and students with fewer healthy food options. The disruption of these farm-to-fork links is a step backward just as the pandemic had taught us the value of robust local food systems.
Setback in Climate Resilience: Perhaps the hardest impact to measure is the opportunity cost: the climate adaptations that won’t happen. Every season counts in the race to make agriculture more resilient. With guidance and data gone, some farmers might not adopt that new drought-tolerant crop variety, or might delay building that water-saving irrigation system. The lawsuit notes that by removing public climate tools, USDA “hurt farmers and farm advisors who depend on the department’s digital resources to access financial and technical support for conservation”. This year we needed to accelerate efforts like cover cropping, agroforestry, methane digesters on dairies – instead many of those efforts have been paused. The cost will be seen in future yields lost to extreme weather that might have been mitigated. American food security is at stake. As Marcie Craig of NOFA-NY said, these actions are “leaving farmers and rural communities without essential support” and undermining the tools needed to safeguard our food supply.

In sum, the USDA’s climate data purge and funding freeze amount to shooting out the tires of a moving vehicle. The vehicle is our sustainable food future, and it’s carrying a lot of people: farmers, yes, but also farmworkers, consumers, and future generations relying on a stable climate. The blowouts have caused real skids and crashes already.

Cultivate KC Executive Director Brien Darby at the nonprofit’s Juniper Gardens Training Farm; Cultivate KC was awarded grants to expand their ability to connect farmers to available farmland. (Source: Brad Zweerink / Earthjustice)

How many farms will go out of business? How many young farmers, seeing this chaos, will decide it’s not worth the risk and leave the land? These are the incalculable aftershocks we must confront.

Action & Advocacy: Turning Outrage into Outcomes

Reading all this, it’s easy to feel despair. But crisis can be a catalyst. Across the country, farmers and allies are uniting to demand change, and there are concrete actions you can take to support them. Here’s how we can all pitch in to turn this around:

Speak Up for Farmers’ Rights: Lawmakers do listen when enough constituents raise their voices. Demand accountability from the USDA and Congress. Call or write your representatives to urge: (a) immediate restoration of the purged climate resources, and (b) release of all frozen conservation funds. Remind them that broken promises to farmers are unacceptable.
Tell Congress:
“Restore Climate-Smart Farming Support NOW.”

A quick phone call to your Senator’s office, or signing a petition from groups like Earthjustice or NSAC, can add to the pressure wave. Don’t underestimate the power of a few hundred well-aimed calls – especially if you’re in a rural district, make sure your voice is heard for the farmers in your community.
Support Legal Battles & Frontline Organizations: The courts are now a critical battleground. Organizations like Earthjustice, the Knight Institute, and NRDC are fighting hard on behalf of farmers – but they need resources. Consider donating to support these legal efforts or even just amplifying their messages on social media. Likewise, support farm advocacy groups doing on-the-ground work: NOFA-NY, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Young Farmers Coalition, and others. They are providing emergency guidance to farmers and strategizing long-term policy fixes.
Support the Lawsuit – Defend Organic Farmers. For instance, you can donate to Earthjustice or sign NOFA-NY’s open letter demanding USDA honor its commitments. Even $5 or a tweet of solidarity helps build momentum.
Help Fill the Gaps Locally: If you have the means, support your local organic farmers directly. With federal support in flux, community support matters more than ever. Buy from local farms, CSAs, and farmers markets. Join community-supported agriculture programs. If you know a farmer affected by these cutbacks, ask what they need – maybe it’s as simple as volunteer help at a workday or spreading the word about their farm stand. Also, keep an eye out for community fundraisers or cooperatives pooling resources to keep sustainable farms afloat during this turbulence.
Buy Local, Give Local – Every Farmers Market Purchase is a Vote. You’ll not only get healthy food but also invest in the resilience of your community’s food system.
Push for a Climate-Resilient Farm Bill: The next Farm Bill (now overdue) will set the tone for the coming years. Advocacy now can influence it. Join campaigns that call for a Farm Bill that protects climate-smart programs, funds organic and regenerative agriculture, and prohibits arbitrary information censorship. Many coalitions provide easy email templates to send to legislators.
Farm Bill 2025 – No Climate, No Deal. Let policymakers know that you expect them to enshrine support for climate adaptation in agriculture into law (so it can’t be undone again). This could mean advocating for things like permanent baseline funding for CSP and EQIP, stronger organic research programs, and requirements for transparency at USDA. Policy change may seem wonky, but it’s the structural fix we need to prevent another disastrous purge.
Stay Informed and Involved: Knowledge is power. Subscribe to newsletters (like HEATED, Civil Eats, or the NSAC blog) that cover these issues in-depth. Share credible articles and stories (perhaps even this one) with friends and on social media to raise awareness. Host a discussion at your local library or community center about the intersection of climate and food – it’s a great way to engage more people. The more ordinary citizens understand what’s at stake for our farmers and food supply, the harder it becomes for any administration to quietly undo climate progress.
Join the Movement – Be a Climate-Smart Food Advocate. This could even mean literally joining organizations as a member or volunteer. Many farm and climate nonprofits have “advocacy days” where they train folks to speak to legislators or organize letter-writing. Lend your voice; it magnifies the chorus calling for change.

This is not just about raising alarms but spurring action. The stakes demand urgent advocacy. Whether joining Butterbee Farm's legal battle, supporting Orange Cat Community Farm’s CSA initiative, or backing organizations like Earthjustice or NOFA-NY, every act matters. Community involvement has never been more crucial. Local actions - buying from farmers markets, subscribing to CSAs, or directly assisting impacted farms - can collectively counteract this damaging withdrawal of federal support.

Remember, the goal isn’t just to protest – it’s to protect and advance the future of organic and sustainable farming in America. And that future depends on all of us, not just the farmers.

Cultivating Hope: A Personal Note

I’ll be honest: writing this has been personal for me. I’m not just a blogger peering in from the outside. I'm Freda Heights, serving as Chair of the Communications Committee and a volunteer for a small nonprofit community garden, with extensive experience advocating for organic agriculture. Every day, I see the power of growing food in harmony with nature – and the relief on families’ faces when they receive fresh, local organic veggies from our garden’s harvest.

I also see the struggles: the tomatoes wilting in unrelenting heat, the young farmers in our network wondering if they can afford next season’s seeds, the constant dance of hope and worry that defines working the soil in these times.

When the USDA yanked its climate resources offline in January, I felt a pit in my stomach. It wasn’t abstract to me. I had literally used some of those resources the previous summer – a soil health guide from the NRCS website that helped us start a cover crop rotation in our community garden. To click those bookmarks now and get “Page Not Found” was a slap in the face. A small nonprofit garden like ours doesn’t have a big R&D department; we rely on public knowledge and shared tools. The thought that someone, somewhere decided we shouldn’t have access to them – in the middle of the climate fight of our lives – made me angry. And that anger turned into this series.

Yet amid the anger, I choose hope. I have to. I owe it to the next generation of farmers – the volunteers at our garden, the kids who attend our compost workshops, the urban gardeners greening up food deserts – to not succumb to cynicism. In the last few weeks, I’ve been on Zoom calls with farmers and organizers from across the country. Do you know what shines through? Resilience and community. The USDA may withdraw, but people are stepping up to help each other. A group of Midwest farmers formed a peer-to-peer network to share climate adaptation tips since the official tools vanished. Neighbors are rallying around farmers with fundraisers and buy-local campaigns.

This is the spirit that keeps me going: when leaders fail us, we lift each other up.

I also find inspiration in our history. American farmers have faced hard times before, from the Dust Bowl to the farm crisis of the ‘80s, and time and again they’ve innovated and persevered. The organic movement itself was born from ingenuity and determination against the odds. Now, the climate crisis calls on us all to be innovators and allies on an even greater scale.

So, I’m doubling down on what I do best – writing, gardening, organizing – and I invite you to join me. Let’s prove that transparency, science, and sustainability will win out over censorship, denial, and short-term greed. Let’s commit to a food system that nourishes us and heals the planet. It starts with refusing to accept that this regression is “just how it is.” We have a say, and together our voices can turn this tide.

Finally, I want to hear from you. Do you run a farm or garden that’s been affected by these issues? Are you a concerned eater or climate activist with thoughts on the matter? Drop a comment below – share your story, or even a simple note of support for our farmers. I’ll be reading and responding, eager to keep the dialogue going.