We had been waiting for final word on the status of our Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) project that was under review by the current Administration and unfortunately we received word last week that the project has been canceled. In partnership with the Rodale Institute, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and many other partners, our project was geared specifically toward commercial vegetable producers in the southern piedmont region and providing technical assistance and equipment to implement climate-smart practices, like installing cover crops in the off-season and exploring various means of terminating those cover crops.
Not long after the new Administration began taking a hatchet to many federally-funded grant programs and farm-support agencies, I explained in this newsletter the facts about these programs and how they were designed to both diversify our food chain system in the wake of the serious COVID-19 supply chain disruptions and give farmers access to new markets, neither of which is ‘waste, fraud and abuse’. We were hopeful that after ‘review’, the program would continue since it is focused on providing free on-the-ground technical assistance to farmers, including purchasing seeds, crops, irrigation equipment and planting/harvesting equipment on a shared basis, linking regional farms to not only their peers but also to new customers looking for better ways to grow their food.
It is unfortunate that programs and individuals who truly feed communities—particularly in rural areas—have been shut down and had legally-binding contracts canceled by a faceless agency acting on behalf of the Administration and I fear that we have not seen the worst of the efforts that will target our farmers and the programs they rely on to feed our neighbors. If you have not taken the time to contact your Congressional representatives, check out Mark’s “Policy Update” in this edition and make your voice heard.
~ Brent Wills
