Minnesota organizations working to bring the next generation of farmers onto the land are reeling after the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week abruptly canceled nearly all funding for the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access program. Forty‑nine of 50 projects were terminated, including work underway to help 20 emerging farmers move into land ownership.
Renewing the Countryside — a Minnesota‑based nonprofit with two decades of experience supporting sustainable rural development — was among the affected groups. The organization had been awarded part of an $8.5 million regional grant serving Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and North Dakota, including roughly $3 million for easements that could have reduced land costs by 30% to 50%.
Co‑founder Jan Joannides said last year’s funding freezes made it “very hard” for grantees to secure required USDA approvals. “It wasn’t a huge surprise this was terminated, but we kept thinking, ‘we’ve gotten this far,’” she said. The group’s work includes Minnesota‑rooted initiatives such as the FEAST! Local Foods Tradeshow and the Farmland Summit.
The National Young Farmers Coalition sharply disputed USDA’s rationale, saying agency leadership “spent over a year systematically undermining the program” by freezing funds, cutting off communication, and withholding approvals needed for land purchases, down‑payment assistance, and low‑interest loans.
Amanda Koehler of the Land, Capital, and Market Access Network said the administration “actively blocked awardees from delivering critical resources—then cited the absence of progress as grounds for termination.”
Despite the setback, Joannides said Renewing the Countryside will continue its work and seek alternative support. “Momentum‑wise, we’re not going anywhere.”
(More here.)
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