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Bernhardt: ‘I hope the federal government will honor their commitments to farmers.’

MN Senate Hearing Highlights How Government Programs Benefit Individual Farmers & Communities

By Heather Benson
February 18, 2025

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“I know it’s really valuable to know what I can count on. When I signed a contract with the government, I should be able to plan ahead for my season and count on that.”

— LSP Program Committee chair & farmer, Hannah Bernhardt

♦ ♦ ♦

On Feb. 17, the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee heard from farmers and others about the impacts of the federal funding freeze and how this relates to state agriculture programs. LSP Program Committee chair Hannah Bernhardt, whose Medicine Creek Farm is in Minnesota’s Pine County, shared how her Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program grant is on pause at a critical time for her farm, preventing her from participating in a local program that allows her pasture-raised beef to be purchased for local food banks:

“The most immediate program that I use that’s been affected by the funding freezes is the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program. It’s an incredible program that allowed me to sell my meat at my asking price to Twin Cities Food Justice, who in turn donated it to a meal program and a food bank in my own community that I got to help pick. It felt amazing to be able to feed those in need in my community. And I received so much gratitude and appreciation, including a thank you note from the food bank that said they had not had fresh meat to offer for almost a year.

“It also helped my operation because the purchases were made at the time of year when my cash flow is otherwise low and I didn’t have to do the extra work of marketing and customer service and delivery that normally takes up a large amount of my time. I was all set to sell three more beef to the program this March when I was informed that the funding freeze meant they would be unable to buy from me. I already have that processing date lined up and as we talked about, there is a bottleneck in processing. So there’s no way I’m going to give up that date. And now I’m worried about scrambling to find new customers to buy that beef.

In addition to the loss of that market, Hannah is faced with uncertainty surrounding federal conservation programs that reimburse her for improvements to her farm. She said:

“Finally, I also have a Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Stewardship Program contract that’s currently on hold. Farming, as you’re probably aware, is a bit time sensitive. And I should be buying seed right now to frost seed my pastures in March when the ground has thawed. But I now have no guarantee that that investment will be reimbursed at the end of the year.

“In the past, we’ve also used funding from the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program in our Soil and Water Conservation District to cost share projects that help improve my operation. You know, state Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen also mentioned during his testimony that Minnesota is set to receive funding to support the work of Soil and Water Conservation Districts related to soil health projects and technical assistance.

“I really want to emphasize that soil health and conservation provide major public benefits beyond supporting individual farms to stay viable. These programs keep everyone’s water and air cleaner while helping farmers to raise healthy food on healthy soils and increase our public health. Unfortunately, my bottom line doesn’t always allow me to justify making these conservation improvements on my own.

“And finally, with the staff cuts at the Farm Service Agency and NRCS that I’m hearing about, I’m also worried about having a harder time navigating resources and getting that technical assistance on conservation from what were already chronically underfunded agencies.”

In addition to Hannah, Tom Smude, a farmer and owner of Midwest Processors, also testified before the Senate Ag Committee on Monday. He said their Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grant for milling and screening equipment for their sunflower processor business is also on pause due to the funding freeze. That not only causes financial uncertainty and stress for his family but for customers like Brady Barnstable, who also testified. Brady owns Seven Sundays Cereal, which uses up-cycled sunflower protein from Midwest Processors for their cereal.

Tom said he invited Brady to the hearing to show that infrastructure grants like the one he qualified for have widespread benefits.

“It’s not just me,” Tom said. “It’s the end user to the customer for the food products.”

Heather Benson is LSP’s communications specialist. LSP’s government relations director, Laura Schreiber, was in Washington, D. C., last week, where she met with several members of Congress and shared stories of farmer-members who are being impacted by the funding uncertainty. For details on sharing your story and how to get a message to lawmakers about the importance of these programs, see LSP’s action alert.

Watch the full Feb. 17 Senate Agriculture Committee testimony below.

Category: Blog
Tags: agricultural conservation • CSP • federal ag policy • funding freeze • local foods • NRCS EQIP • regenerative farming • USDA

Upcoming Events

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August 2025

Friday August 8

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
Friday August 8
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
10470 190th St, Park Rapids, MN 56470, USA

Roots and Rotation is a summer field day series happening across Minnesota. These field days will discuss the use of livestock for soil health goals in different agricultural systems. 
 
Learn about the benefits of integrating livestock onto cropland and how to make it work on your operation. Hear from experienced farmers and Extension educators specializing in crops, livestock, and soil health. These events are for producers looking to elevate their cropland soil health and increase their forage resources. 

For more information and to register, see the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association website.

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunflower Social Farmer Gathering
Friday August 8
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunflower Social Farmer Gathering
22955 570th Ave, Austin, MN 55912, USA

Members of the Land Stewardship Project’s Austin Area Soil Health Hub are hosting a sunflower social on Tom and Kim Finnegan’s farm Friday, Aug. 8, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This event will be open to all area farmers. Meet members of this peer-to-peer farmer group, see the beautiful sunflower fields, and learn about diversification.  

Farming should include a trusted network that ensures we are all successful. How could having a network of farmers that provide support, resources, and comradery impact your farm? 

On Aug. 8, gather with area farmers who are invested in soil health and sustainable practices, and are committed to learning from each other. Join us for an evening on the Finnegan farm for a hay ride around the sunflower fields and to learn more about their diversified farm. There will be a supper and lots of time to connect with farmers in the area.

RSVP here. 

Thursday August 14

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSA-COPAL Ice Cream Social/Reunión de Helados!
Thursday August 14
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSA-COPAL Ice Cream Social/Reunión de Helados!
Sauk River Park, 206 5th Ave NE, Melrose, MN 56352, USA

Land Stewardship Action (the Land Stewardship Project’s partner organization) and COPAL (Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action) invite you to an ice cream social at Sauk River Park in Melrose on Thursday, August 14. There will be sweet treats and opportunities to connect with those in your community, many of whom you might not know yet. This is a time to come together over our shared vision for a better future rooted in community, diversity, fairness, health, and democracy.

If you’re able, please register ahead of time through the link below so we can get an idea of numbers. Feel free to pass the invite on to others in the community as well — the more the merrier!

You can register here. 
 
For more information, contact Land Stewardship Action’s Emily Minge at eminge@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday August 15

9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Managed Grazing & Soil Health Field Day: Rush City
Friday August 15
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Managed Grazing & Soil Health Field Day: Rush City
10815 555th St, Rush City, MN 55069, USA

Join the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition at Jon Steven’s Maple Grove Farm for a field day focused on managed grazing and other methods to build the health of soils. Connect with other farmers and learn from the leaders in Minnesota on soil health. Featured speakers: Tom Cotter, Brady Wulf, Myron Sylling, and Joe Ailts. Free lunch by Maxwell’s Southern BBQ. Details are here.

Saturday August 16

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Master Class: Morris
Saturday August 16
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Master Class: Morris
Old No 1 Bar & Grill, 412 Atlantic Ave, Morris, MN 56267, USA

Details are here.

View Full Calendar

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