Lawrencia Rogers, a 33-year-old Iowan, finally saw her dream of farming come true in March when she began a two-year fellowship with Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), a non-profit supported by a $2.5 million USDA grant.
The program provided her with land, equipment, and expert guidance.
Just two and a half weeks later, the USDA cancelled the grant, calling it “wasteful spending” and claiming it violated the administration’s policy against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Rogers was laid off.
“It was honestly like school for farmers,” Rogers recalled.
The fellowship offered a living wage, health insurance, and paid time off—a rare opportunity for someone without family ties to agriculture.
Broader Impact on Small Producers
The cancellation is part of a wider pattern under President Donald Trump, who promised to champion farmers but whose policies have created turmoil for small-scale producers.
The USDA has laid off staff, ended Biden-era initiatives, and frozen funds for local food programs.
“The continued canceled funding that we’re seeing from USDA continues to be the cherry on top for many organizations and farmers that are already up against really hard times,” said Anna Pesek, a board member of Iowa Valley RC&D.
James Nisly, a farmer, estimated he lost 20% of his cashflow when the USDA scrapped a program that purchased locally produced food for schools and food banks.
“All of the policy activity that I’ve seen is hugely beneficial to the very large corporations, and detrimental to the small-business operators,” he said.
Tariffs imposed by Trump have also hit Iowa farmers hard. China, a major buyer of soybeans, reduced purchases, forcing farmers to scramble for buyers as prices fell.
The war with Iran drove up costs for fertilizer, gasoline, and diesel.
Before the conflict, Iowa’s farm economy was already strained: 18 farms declared bankruptcy in 2025, a 220% increase from the previous year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Unreliable USDA and Lost Opportunities
Farmers describe a department that has become unreliable.
Nisly was awarded a grant for refrigerated trucks under the USDA’s Resilient Food System Infrastructure program, but the funds were frozen three days after his first purchase.
They were later unfrozen, but the experience was “nerve-racking.”
Carly McAndrews, a vegetable farmer in Iowa City, went to her local USDA office to apply for $1 billion in assistance for specialty crops announced earlier this year.
“Nobody knew how to help me, because they had just learned about it from the Trump administration, but the deadline was that Friday, so it was like a functionless program,” she said.
A USDA spokesperson said the department “has experienced no lapse in service to the American people” and that employees “continue to deliver high‑quality services and programs without interruption.”
For Rogers, the loss of the fellowship was devastating. She still has access to her plot until December, but without the instruction she needed.
“I have never had a decision on such a level impact my life literally overnight in such a drastic way,” she said.
