(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A eliminated a grant program last week that aimed to help under-served producers grow resources. The now-cancelled Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program began funding 50 projects in 2023, including the New Century Farm Fellowship at the Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development Program. Executive Director Jason Grimm says he’s had to lay off the two fellows he recently hired and another full-time employee because of the cuts.
“This type of activity, or this type of action by USDA is a once-in-a-professional-career for me,” Grimm says, “so it was devastating because there wasn’t enough time to react.” The U-S-D-A cancelled 300-million dollars in total at 49 of the 50 programs across the country, saying the program promoted D-E-I. Iowa Valley launched the new fellowship program this year with the grant money and Grimm says two fellows started working just a matter of weeks ago. Now they’re laid off until he can find new funding.
“One of them, this morning, just said, ‘Now I feel like any farm job that I go get right now is just going to be going backwards. I already have experience, so it’s just like a job. It’s not allowing me to move forward to continue to start my own business’.” Grimm says Iowa Valley had roughly two-million dollars left on its contract. He says the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust in West Branch also lost its funding.
