By Rachel Cramer
A growing number of organizations working in Iowa say the sweeping federal review process has held up grants, limiting their ability to support farmers and conservation.
This includes Practical Farmers of Iowa, which has more than 9,000 members across the country. The organization focuses on farmer-to-farmer learning, on-farm research and business development, as well as technical and financial assistance.
"Our mission is to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities, and we have an awful lot of programming to do that,” said Sally Worley, executive director of Practical Farmers of Iowa.
Nearly a quarter of PFI’s 2025 budget comes from federal grants, which are frozen during a government-wide review.
“Twenty-two percent of our budget is a big deal to us," Worley said. "I completely agree that we need to reduce waste in the government. But right now, what they’re doing is freezing contracts that are legally bound, that we have signed and planned for in our budget."
One of the biggest impacts for PFI is the freeze on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, which is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Worley said the grant covers PFI’s administrative costs for its cover crop cost-share program. Last year, more than 2,300 farmers planted over 800,000 acres of cover crops under this program.
Other federal funding supports PFI’s outreach events and farmer-led research trials, she said.
“It's hard to keep track of what is and is not at risk with how many moving parts [there are] and how many different communications we're getting from the federal government about the status,” Worley said.
She emphasized that the organization is fortunate to have diverse funding streams, but the uncertainty surrounding $4.7 million in PFI’s budget requires “a lot of scenario planning.”
Supporting underrepresented groups in agriculture
Similar planning is taking place at another organization, the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Board co-chair Morgan Bradley said the organization works mostly in the Midwest, supporting 1,500 women and other gender-marginalized people by connecting them to resources and mentorship.
Bradley said WFAN received a notification that it would be reimbursed for funds that were spent before Jan. 19. But the organization’s future is uncertain.
Over half of WFAN’s budget comes from federal funding. One of the biggest streams is the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
“We're not sure what's going to happen to the Women, Food and Ag Network because, by nature, it is focused on those with less access than others to farmland, to resources, to everything you need to succeed economically and to treat the land well,” Bradley said.
She emphasized that farming is already challenging. Less support from the USDA, especially now, as farmers are planning for the growing season, will make it harder for them to stay in agriculture.
"A lot of them have to work off farm just to supplement their income, but especially for those small farmers, women farmers, people of color who are farming, this is a huge deal,” Bradley said. “And a lot of these people supply the food that we eat every day.”
Helping communities tackle environmental pollution
The state's oldest and largest environmental coalition includes roughly 100 member organizations and thousands of individuals, said Sarah Green, executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council.
Over the last 30 years, IEC has focused on clean water and energy. In 2024, the coalition added a climate initiatives program, which Green said was largely propped up with federal grants.
IEC budgeted for $500,000 from four federal grants for 2025, but one of these has been suspended. Green said it was part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program to help underserved communities navigate federal resources, develop strong grant proposals and manage funding to address environmental pollution.
Green said IEC worked in over 40 communities in the last year and a half since receiving funds from the EPA program. Recently, the nonprofit was told it would not receive reimbursement for any activities following Feb. 20, which she said puts the coalition in limbo.
Click here to see more...