Iowa Farmers Reeling From Iran War Fallout, Massive Cuts to USDA Programs
CBS News: “The Ripple Effect of the Iran War on Struggling U.S. Farmers: ‘It Couldn’t Have Come at a Worst Time’”
KWWL: “Eastern Iowa Farming Program Hit By USDA Funding Cuts”
DES MOINES – Iowa farmers are unable to catch a break as fertilizer and diesel prices continue rising from the war in Iran. Now, farmers are also dealing with massive cuts to USDA programs that are jeopardizing federal funding they were relying on this season.
“Iowa farmers are struggling right now because of Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra, Marionette Miller-Meeks, and Zach Nunn’s failing DC record,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. “Instead of staying in Washington to deliver much-needed help for Iowans, they’re completely missing in action. It’s time for a change before it’s too late for farmers who will be forced to sell their farms because of this chaos.”
- Lance Lillibridge of Vinton, Iowa, has been farming his whole life, and says he’s worried for this year’s spring planting.
- The war has led to skyrocketing diesel and fertilizer prices. Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.
- “It just feels like the world is trying to take this all away from us right now,” Lillibridge said.
- The price of ammonia and urea, two fertilizer ingredients seeing disruptions, are up around 20% and 50% percent, respectively, since the start of the Iran war, according to Oxford Economics. The price of diesel gas is up 43.5%, according to AAA.
- Lillibridge says his costs have already increased 25% since last year. He argues the situation needs to resolve itself before more damage is done.
- “If our kids see us struggling out here, why would they want to take it on?”
KWWL: Eastern Iowa farming program hit by USDA funding cuts
- A nonprofit that helps new farmers in eastern Iowa is losing more than $2 million in federal funding for a program that just started this month.
- Iowa Valley RC&D created a two-year program designed to provide comprehensive training for farmers just starting out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified the organization this week it’s ending the “Increasing Land Capital and Market Access Award” today, terminating $2.4 million in funding. The group is now looking for other ways to keep the program going.
- “It felt like we went back 10 years in progress for our work,” said Jason Grimm, executive director of Iowa Valley RC&D.
- When Grimm found out about the cuts, his first thoughts were of those involved with the program. “Immediately started to scramble to think about my staff and the program participants in this project, how they were going to be impacted, their lives, how I was going to pass on the news,” he said.
- Grimm says the termination of this funding is the nail in the coffin after frozen funds, staffing furloughs and other issues over the last year. “This is sadly the ending of a really rocky year where the USDA in my opinion has degraded what farmers think of them and I really worry that farmers aren’t going to rely on USDA in the future,” he said.
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