Republican: WMass farmers protest federal funding cuts they say jeopardize food supplies
Published March 27, 2025
WMass farmers protest federal funding cuts they say jeopardize food supplies
By Dave Canton
HADLEY — Farmers and their allies crowded the lawn of the Hadley Town Hall Sunday afternoon, backed by a line of farm machinery decked out with large protest signs. The messages decried cuts to programs needed to maintain the country’s food supply and keep farmers in operation.
At least 300 people cheered speakers calling for reliable funding for small and medium farms, the sizes most common in New England.
“They are launching a full-on assault on the people who feed this country, our family farms, our small farmers, our women farmers, our farmers of color, our young and beginning farmers. And for what? A few billionaires can get richer while the rest of us get screwed?” U.S. Rep. James McGovern told the cheering crowd. “They have frozen critical funds. They have broken legal contracts. They are shutting down USDA offices that serve our communities and they are firing the public servants who help all of you.”
U.S. Rep. James McGovern spoke to more than 300 protesters at Hadley Town Hall Sunday, telling President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to “get their grubby, greedy billionaire hands the hell away from our farms and our farmers.” (Dave Canton / The Republican)
The protest’s main organizer, Kerry Taylor, said she was surprised by the outpouring of anxiety among local farmers as the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency roll out funding cuts for government departments. Farmers say they feel cuts to the Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Using social media, Taylor reached out to other farmers.
“I asked if anyone wanted to work on something as a farmer action, to bring about awareness about funding cuts, and to send a message to Secretary (Brooke) Rollins. People were really excited,” she said.
Rollins was sworn in as the head of the USDA on Saturday. Most recently, Rollins served as the founder, president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, and before that worked in the first Trump administration.
McGovern called Rollins “another shill for billionaires.”
“She wants to help them starve out every last family farm in America,” McGovern said. “She wants to turn our food system into a corporate monopoly, top-down billionaire-run, factory style.”
“But you know what? They picked the wrong group to mess with,” he said. “This group of farmers knows that our unity is our strength, and we know that the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”
Ryan Voiland, of Red Fire Farm in Montague and Granby, said he has joined a lawsuit filed by EarthJustice to try to force the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The program is designed to allow farmers to cut energy costs and reduce climate impacts.
Red Fire Farms owner Ryan Voiland has joined a suit against the Trump administration after funding for an energy project at his Granby farm was withdrawn. He said Sunday that while he did not lose money, other farmers have after the funding was cut. (Dave Canton / The Republican)
Voiland had been granted $125,000 to build a solar array at his Granby location to reduce energy costs for large-scale refrigeration used to keep vegetables fresh longer. Red Fire Farms had been granted the money, but had not yet contracted for the construction when the money was pulled away.
Other farmers have not been so lucky.
“There are farms across the country who had already spent the money and now they are not getting paid back. In our case, we were able to put our project on hold, but we still have a signed contract with REAP for that money we were supported to get,” Voiland said.
“We never built the array, but we are never going to get the solar energy. We are never going to get the long-term benefits from being able to produce energy on our farm instead of having to buy it,” he said.
Max Taylor, Kerry’s husband, said the couple’s Brookfield Farm in Amherst has used REAP grants in the past and called them vital to many farmers.
“It is something we really rely on,” Taylor said. “We have worked with them just this past year to put in an irrigation system. We fortunately finished the project and got paid for it. But we are at a standstill. We have farm infrastructure that we need to improve and we are not sure if NRCS is going to be there.”
Taylor said the agency not only offers grants and funding, but provides expertise many farmers do not have.
“Something like irrigation is very expensive to do,” he said. “With NRCS, they ensure that you do it the right way. They design the system.”
Supporters of local farming joined a crowd of more than 300 people at the Hadley Town Hall Sunday to protest continued federal budget cuts affecting farmers. (Dave Canton / The Republican)
Hatfield farmer Harrison Bardwell said cuts to local food programs that supply produce to schools and people in need will cost his farm over $200,000 in lost revenue.
“We have ordered and paid for our seed, our fertilizer and our field supplies,” he said. “We have assured our workers that they will have a place to work this season, and a fair wage paid. We have bills to pay, we have loans and we have employees to support.”
“I am troubled by the sudden change. We rely on these sales and funds to help improve our farm, our farm’s viability, the crops and the communities we support,” Bardwell said.
Area farmers were joined by legislators who backed the calls for renewed funding and support for farming.
Lawmakers attending included state Rep. Natalie Blais of Greenfield, House chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, and state Sen. Joanne Comerford, D-Northampton, along with state Sen. Jake Oliveira and state Rep. Aaron Saunders.
