Farmers and ranchers are beginning their seasons right now, starting seeds, ordering equipment and beginning the months of hard work required to produce food for their communities and our country.

But this year, across the country, tens of thousands of farmers and farmer-serving organizations have been thrown into limbo by an unprecedented freeze of federal funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently withholding payments owed under signed, lawful contracts, causing turmoil across our food system.

Harm is being wrought on rural and farming communities:

• Farmers who've already paid for and installed fencing to graze their herds or planted cover crops with agreements from USDA are now unable to receive the reimbursements they were promised, jeopardizing their financial stability.
• Programs that pair local farmers with food banks so that food insecure people can access healthy, local food are pausing plans at the exact time growers most need to know their markets for the season so that they can plant accordingly.
• Organizations who train and support beginning farmers are instead having to lay off staff and shutter their operations.

These impacts will extend well beyond farmers’ fields and into the supermarket without swift intervention from Congress.

Withholding these funds is unlawful: these contracts and funds are signed agreements with the federal government. USDA must honor its commitments before impacts worsen in communities nationwide. Congress can fix this, but they need to hear directly from you.

Send a message to your representatives today demanding they support the Honor Farmer Contracts Act of 2025, which would unfreeze all signed contracts, issue past-due payments as quickly as possible and prohibit USDA from unlawfully terminating contacts.