Trump’s Anti-Farmer Moves Are Designed to Keep Us From A Better Food System
By Amal Bouhabib
Senior Staff Attorney
Devastated. Betrayed. Heartbroken. Like the rug was pulled out from under them — that’s how farmers describe the Trump Administration’s sudden dismantling of several Biden-era programs that had begun to revive small farming.
Cuts to key USDA programs, mass firings of federal agents, and the gutting of USAID have left small farmers reeling. Now, farms that expected to turn a profit—or at least break even — are scrambling to cover expenses, meet payroll, and plan for the future. Many aren’t sure they will survive the quarter.
It’s a crushing reversal of recent gains made to shore up local agriculture against the dominance of Big Ag. Small farms have been steadily declining since at least the 1980s, battered by globalization, climate-fueled weather extremes, falling prices, and supply chain shocks. Add in political gridlock and the rise of corporate farming — defined not by silos and red barns, but by data, drones, and economies of scale — and it’s no wonder Trump’s first term saw what many were already calling the worst farming crisis in decades.
But the disappearance of small farms — and the growing grip of Big Ag — should alarm us all. Small farms prioritize quality over quantity, often growing diverse, locally-adapted crops that support biodiversity and promote healthier soils. They’re more likely to use sustainable practices, protect water sources, and steward the land for future generations. Economically, they are lifelines for rural America. Small farms generate local jobs, support small businesses, and keep money circulating within the community instead of funneling it to multinational corporations.
Every farmers’ market, roadside stand, and CSA box is a sign of a system rooted in people — not profits.
Yet small farms have long borne the brunt of bad policy. Already vulnerable, Trump’s trade war with China during his first term accelerated their decline: Between 2017 and 2022, farms earning under $1 million annually shrank by about 10%. In stark contrast, those earning over $1 million grew by a staggering 32%. The smallest farms suffered the most: the number of farms making under $10,000 a year dropped by more than 156,000, a 13% decline.
This was no accident. Then-USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue made the Administration’s priorities clear when he told a room of dairy farmers in Wisconsin that “In America, the big get bigger and the small go out.” Even Trump’s massive emergency farm aid packages between 2018 and 2020 — necessitated by his own trade war and later the COVID-19 pandemic — disproportionately benefited the largest farms and corporations like JBS, the Brazilian meatpacking giant. Small farms were once again left behind.
Several Biden-era initiatives aimed to reverse this trend, investing in projects designed to strengthen local food systems, support beginning farmers, and breathe new life into struggling rural communities.
Programs like the USDA’s Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program paid local farmers to send fresh produce, meat and dairy to schools and food banks. Hugely popular and widespread, these programs operated in nearly every state and sourced food from thousands of local producers. In December 2024, the USDA pledged another $1 billion to expand these efforts — until Trump’s new USDA Secretary, Brooke Rollins, abruptly canceled both in March 2025.
Other programs, like the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program and Rural Energy for America Program aimed to modernize infrastructure and promote energy-efficient upgrades. Both were frozen without explanation, besides Rollins’ vague statement that they were “no longer priorities.”
Contracts with organizations that train young farmers, provide technical assistance, or help connect small farms to markets have also been canceled — simply because their contracts included terms like “equitable.”
It doesn’t stop there. The elimination of USAID, which purchased roughly $2 billion worth of US grown crops for global food aid last year, removed a stable demand for small farmers. A climate-smart initiative designed to help small farms reduce emissions and adapt to extreme weather was indefinitely frozen. A grant that helped farms hire migrant workers was halted. Programs like the Local Food Promotion Program and the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program — both aimed at increasing local access to fresh food and community self-reliance — were canceled. The list goes on and on.
These federal programs were proven “win-wins” for farmers and their communities. By offering reliable income and stable markets, they helped small farms hire workers, expand operations, and feed the most vulnerable populations. Partnerships with local schools and institutions allowed small producers to compete with Big Ag on meaningful ground and boost local economies. Farmers who once juggled multiple jobs were finally able to farm full-time.
Many described these programs as transformational. One cattle farmer in Kentucky shared that LFSP allowed him to supply every school in his county. “Honestly, it was the most rewarding thing I’ve experienced as a farmer,” he said. “I went to the schools I’m now providing beef for. Our students are eating nutritious beef from right here in Henry County.”
Farmers signed contracts, took out loans, and made long-term investments — trusting the federal government would hold up its end of the bargain. They planted cover crops, constructed erosion-reducing waterways, installed solar panels. Now, many are bracing for bankruptcy.
The fear and uncertainty have only deepened with mass firings across the federal government, including within the USDA. Relationships between farmers and federal agents — who facilitate grants and lines of credit — have vanished overnight. Meetings were canceled. Out-of-office replies and political auto-responses have replaced critical guidance.
There has been some pushback. On March 13, a coalition of farmers and nonprofits sued the Trump Administration to lift the funding freezes and honor existing contracts. On March 27, the National Council for Agricultural Employers urged Rollins to release frozen grants for migrant labor. Governors from Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Colorado have called on the Administration to reverse course. Even some rural-state Republicans are fighting to preserve programs they see as essential to their constituents.
Still, advocates for a swift reversal face an uphill battle. Whether by ideology or negligence, the current Administration is systematically dismantling local food systems in favor of industrial agriculture. The Biden-era policies weren’t perfect. But they were a step in the right direction.
At FarmSTAND, we believe supporting small farms is essential to building a fairer, more resilient food system, and that government should be at the forefront of that effort. That’s how we transform the food system into one that works for everyone.