Thanks for the reminder Heather. I am coming back from Europe where everyone is asking about America and showing genuine concern for the future. I hope our global reputation can endure this newest assault. We have much to lose—politically and economically—that will take decades to rebuild. Emails sent!
Heather , Thanks for this. I feel for Krissy and Gideon and many other farmers.
I just had a conversation with a local Vermont food hub that has been contracting with The food bank . They have purchased about 20 percent of my cranberry crop for the last two years at full market price and providing them to food insecure individuals. It has been joyful to provide cranberries to individuals of need . The funding for this program has been cut .Sad!
Hi Heather, I hope you are well! I read your post and I had to chime in because there is a disconnect between what you are saying and what most farmers are actually feeling. As you may know 75-80% of farmers voted in support of smaller government and spending cuts. If you ask them, most farmers will tell you they are struggling due to inflation, over-regulation and over-taxation. Why do you think that more government spending is the solution to the problem that government over-spending created in the first place?
Hey Nolan! I agree with you that inflation and heavy regulation are negatively impacting farmers, especially given that most of these businesses are high cost input and low margin which makes them financially vulnerable. But I respectfully disagree that government spending caused these problems.
While personally I would hate to see the loss of federal development programs that provide funding to farmers for economic and environmental progress, I do acknowledge that the current administration has the right to reduce or reallocate funding from these grant programs in future cycles. But the crisis we are facing right now, and which I’m encouraging activism around, is that grant funding that has already been contractually guaranteed following an application, review, and award process is being withheld. This is not only illegal, but is putting many businesses that budgeted for this funding suddenly at risk of loss and failure.
Move fast and break things is not a responsible approach to reorganizing the government or the federal budget if it means breaking the people and businesses that depend on it.
Yes, it 100% unfair to cut off funding that was promised to a farmer but at some point I think we need to step back and ask ourselves why it is nearly impossible to operate a farm (or a small business) in this economy without a steady flow of government subsidies.
Our government is $36 trillion in debt, we are being taxed/regulated to death and inflation has gutted the middle class. If government overspending did not create these problems then what do you think did?
Thanks for the reminder Heather. I am coming back from Europe where everyone is asking about America and showing genuine concern for the future. I hope our global reputation can endure this newest assault. We have much to lose—politically and economically—that will take decades to rebuild. Emails sent!
Heather , Thanks for this. I feel for Krissy and Gideon and many other farmers.
I just had a conversation with a local Vermont food hub that has been contracting with The food bank . They have purchased about 20 percent of my cranberry crop for the last two years at full market price and providing them to food insecure individuals. It has been joyful to provide cranberries to individuals of need . The funding for this program has been cut .Sad!
I am so sorry Bob, for your farm and all the many people in need you'll no longer feed.
Hi Heather, I hope you are well! I read your post and I had to chime in because there is a disconnect between what you are saying and what most farmers are actually feeling. As you may know 75-80% of farmers voted in support of smaller government and spending cuts. If you ask them, most farmers will tell you they are struggling due to inflation, over-regulation and over-taxation. Why do you think that more government spending is the solution to the problem that government over-spending created in the first place?
Hey Nolan! I agree with you that inflation and heavy regulation are negatively impacting farmers, especially given that most of these businesses are high cost input and low margin which makes them financially vulnerable. But I respectfully disagree that government spending caused these problems.
While personally I would hate to see the loss of federal development programs that provide funding to farmers for economic and environmental progress, I do acknowledge that the current administration has the right to reduce or reallocate funding from these grant programs in future cycles. But the crisis we are facing right now, and which I’m encouraging activism around, is that grant funding that has already been contractually guaranteed following an application, review, and award process is being withheld. This is not only illegal, but is putting many businesses that budgeted for this funding suddenly at risk of loss and failure.
Move fast and break things is not a responsible approach to reorganizing the government or the federal budget if it means breaking the people and businesses that depend on it.
Yes, it 100% unfair to cut off funding that was promised to a farmer but at some point I think we need to step back and ask ourselves why it is nearly impossible to operate a farm (or a small business) in this economy without a steady flow of government subsidies.
Our government is $36 trillion in debt, we are being taxed/regulated to death and inflation has gutted the middle class. If government overspending did not create these problems then what do you think did?