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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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May 2025

Thursday May 15

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
MN Women in Conservation
Thursday May 15
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
MN Women in Conservation
42652 County Rd 7, Belview, MN 56214, USA

Come out and play with MNWiC and Renville County Soil and Water Conservation District. Tour Iverson Tree Farm, learn from other women land stewards, and meet local Master Gardeners and conservation professionals who can help with your own land dreams.
 
For details and to register, click here.
 
 

Saturday May 17

11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Community Plant & Seed Swap
Saturday May 17
11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Community Plant & Seed Swap
Lift Bridge Brewing, 1900 Tower Dr W, Stillwater, MN 55082, USA

Lift Bridge Brewing Co. and Sustainable Farming Association are partnering to host a free seed and plant swap and fundraiser at Lift Bridge’s taproom in Stillwater. Vendor opportunities available. 
 
Details here.

Tuesday May 20

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Webinar on Agrivoltaics: Sheep Solar Grazing Producer Panel
Tuesday May 20
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Webinar on Agrivoltaics: Sheep Solar Grazing Producer Panel
Zoom Virtual

Participants will hear from sheep producers about their experiences, along with the benefits and challenges of grazing sheep under solar panels. This webinar is part of a series about cattle and sheep solar grazing and growing forages or grain crops under solar panels.
 
For details and to register, click here.

Thursday May 29

9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Thursday May 29
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Zoom Online

Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing Best Practices to Get Your Farm’s Next Customer is designed to help farmers grow their customer base by sharpening their storytelling and digital marketing skills—whether they’re selling through farmers’ markets, CSAs, or direct-to-retail. This Greener Pastures and Meet the Minnesota Makers workshop will cover how websites and social media can actually convert viewers into buyers to creating content that builds community loyalty.

This workshop is also designed for ag educators, professionals, and partner organizational staff who support farmers directly and want to be well-versed on the marketing best practices to support direct-to-consumer farms. 

For details and to register, click here.

June 2025

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Romano at aromano@landstewardshipproject.org.

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