'This isn’t just hippie-dippy stuff': Farmers 'reeling' from Trump spending freezes

According to a new report from the New York Times, a "core constituency" is "reeling" from "a rapid-fire array of directives by the Trump administration."

“This isn’t just hippie-dippy stuff,” said Aaron Pape, a Wisconsin farmer. “This is affecting mainstream farmers."

The Trump administration's recent directives have left farmers and rural communities across the United States grappling with financial uncertainty. A series of executive orders have frozen billions of dollars in federal funding for agricultural programs.

The impact is widespread and has created a ripple effect across rural America, according to the Times.

For example, Skylar Holden, a cattle rancher in Missouri, signed a $240,000 cost-sharing contract for property improvements but is now at risk of losing his farm. He laments, "Whenever my farm payment comes due, there's a good chance that I'm not going to be able to pay it."

In another example, Minnesota seed processor Tom Smude learned that his $530,000 grant for equipment was paused, leaving him unable to pay for ordered machinery. He expressed confusion about the president's priorities: "It's what he wants, growth in industry and keep America going. I feel like I'm doing my part and now you're going against what you said, a little bit."

The uncertainty has affected farmers' ability to plan for the year. Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, stated, "Farmers don't need any more uncertainty than they already have."

While some farmers remain supportive of President Trump, many others expressed concern about the long-term consequences of these policy decisions.

Read the full report at the New York Times (subscription required).

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