The Trump administration is withholding funds from farmers participating in conservation programs, despite the White House’s assurance last week that funding to individuals would not be frozen. Contractors supporting these programs have also been affected.
The Iowa Soybean Association, in a letter to lawmakers, warned that $11 million owed to farmers is at risk. Many farmers are only now learning that their conservation payments have been frozen because the contracts were funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Over the past week, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration lacked the authority to block funding that had already been appropriated by Congress. Despite repeated inquiries, the Trump administration has not clarified which programs remain frozen or why individual farmers’ payments have been affected. The USDA press office, as well as officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), have not responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, at least one Missouri farmer has taken to TikTok to express concern that he may lose his farm after the administration allegedly “reneged” on his cost-share contract under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).