‘A slap in the face’: small farmers say Trump is turning his back on them
Why This Matters
The Trump administration's decision to cut funding to small farmers, citing diversity and wasteful spending, marks a significant shift in agricultural policy that may disproportionately affect marginalized communities and new entrants to the industry. This move has far-reaching implications for the future of American farming, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities and limiting opportunities for small-scale, sustainable producers. The impact of this policy change will be closely watched by agricultural experts and advocacy groups.
The president wooed farmers in his campaign, but now the USDA is yanking funding, citing ‘DEI’ and wasteful spendingIt’s just an eighth of an acre, but for Lawrencia Rogers, the plot where she grows broccolini, lettuce and beans on land once tilled by poorhouse residents in eastern Iowa is the closest she has come to living her dream.Iowa is one of the most agriculturally productive states in the country, but getting into farming is not easy, particularly for people like Rogers who have no family connections to the business. It’s nonetheless been a lifelong passion for the 33-year-old Iowan: at age six, she planted a rosebush that’s still alive today, and managed to grow cantaloupe on a strip of dirt and chain-link fence next to the driveway of her grandmother’s house. Continue reading...
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