April 21, 2025 – Final week, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) met with farmers at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Maryland, the place livestock, vegetable, and grain growers expressed issues about frozen USDA applications, the impacts of tariffs, and different challenges.
Van Hollen mentioned that he arrange the roundtable as a result of farmers have been calling and writing to his workplace—particularly about tariffs and the cancellation of funding for applications that join small farms to varsities and meals banks—and his goal was to listen to extra of their tales.
“The freeze on funds beneath the farm-to-school program is outrageous,” he mentioned on the occasion. “We’ll combat this within the courts. We’ll combat this in Congress.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen (left) listens to farmer-brewer Tom Barse of Milkhouse Brewery (proper) at Stillpoint Farm discuss “looking for a technique to proceed to make a residing as a small farm.” (Photograph credit score: Lisa Held)
It was certainly one of a number of agricultural roundtables and city halls that lawmakers are holding throughout the nation throughout Congress’ two-week recess, which ends later this week. Politico reported that Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Adam Schiff (D-California) would all be gathering suggestions from farmers over the break.
One farmer advised Civil Eats he attended an invite-only occasion that Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) held in her state, the place representatives of each the Minnesota Farm Bureau and Minnesota Farmers’ Union have been current. He attended to name her consideration to the still-frozen Farm Labor Stabilization Program. In Maine, Consultant Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) marched alongside farmers protesting USDA cuts to funding and workers.
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