Illinois farmers, saying they face 'so many challenges as it is,' criticize USDA funding freezes

Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune on Mar 11, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Funding freezes by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump could have a “generational” impact on vulnerable Illinois communities and are already causing financial hardships for farmers, a state House legislative committee was told in testimony Tuesday.

“Farmers face so many challenges as it is, and now they must contend with the uncertainty of whether these contracts with the government will be honored,” said Anna Morrell, co-owner of The Little Farm at Weldon Springs in Clinton and a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “We need certainty, and we need certainty so we can continue feeding our communities.”

The USDA has said it plans to cut off funds in fiscal year 2025 for a program that provides funds to food banks to purchase food from local farmers, among other funding pauses and program cuts. Some of the programs cut specifically helped newer farmers and farmers from historically disadvantaged groups, or brought food to disadvantaged communities, Morrell said.

As a first-generation farmer, Rachael Smedberg of Tulip Tree Gardens in Beecher said the grant related to food banks, called Local Food Purchase Assistance, allowed her to “turn the traditional narrative of local, nutrient dense foods on its head.”

“What was once reserved for affluent farmers (markets) is now accessible,” Smedberg told the committee. Her farm’s pasture-raised pork, for example, is now available in food banks throughout the state, she said at the hearing of the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the committee did not focus on any particular legislation during Tuesday’s hearing, the testimony could be used as part of a pressure campaign on members of Congress to force the executive branch to release funds affecting farmers, Illinois Stewardship Alliance spokesperson Nathan Ryder said earlier Tuesday.

Trump’s widespread halting of federal funds through executive action, which his administration says eliminates government waste, has sown confusion and chaos across federally funded programs in Illinois, though some funding has been restored.

The president’s tariffs and resulting retaliation from other countries could also cause issues for farmers, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello told the committee. Trump has said those tariffs will stoke American industry after potential short-term economic hardship.

“Farmers, just like any other business, need and deserve stability. They’re businessmen and women making decisions,” Costello said.

Republican Rep. Charlie Meier of Okawville suggested the hearing was a partisan exercise by Democrats who control the committee.

“This is a hearing that maybe should be done six months from now … and it shouldn’t be being done today,” he said. Meier said the committee shouldn’t “overreact” to Trump’s funding moves, which at times have suspended federal money and then brought it back.

Rep. Sonya Harper, a Chicago Democrat, denied that the hearing was called for political reasons, saying “it is evident that the actions taken on the federal level are definitely hurting farmers and rural communities in Illinois.”

_____