A nonprofit organization representing New England farmers is joining a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming cutbacks made to agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture will threaten local agriculture and the entire food system.A release from the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Interstate Council says the farmers it represents, more than 2,500, are expressing concerns about layoffs and elimination of resources at the USDA, and it’s joining the lawsuit alongside other nonprofit organizations and cities, such as Chicago.James Meinecke bought Lewis Farm in 2016, four years before the pandemic shrank his operation down to just compost as his main product. He’s now the only employee for the whole operation, pointing to hiring troubles that extend years before the federal cutbacks began.”There was no staff available for planting or picking. There was nobody coming to the farm stand to buy anything,” he said. “None of the other farms had labor for planting, and there was no food.”>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
A nonprofit organization representing New England farmers is joining a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming cutbacks made to agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture will threaten local agriculture and the entire food system.
A release from the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Interstate Council says the farmers it represents, more than 2,500, are expressing concerns about layoffs and elimination of resources at the USDA, and it’s joining the lawsuit alongside other nonprofit organizations and cities, such as Chicago.
James Meinecke bought Lewis Farm in 2016, four years before the pandemic shrank his operation down to just compost as his main product. He’s now the only employee for the whole operation, pointing to hiring troubles that extend years before the federal cutbacks began.
“There was no staff available for planting or picking. There was nobody coming to the farm stand to buy anything,” he said. “None of the other farms had labor for planting, and there was no food.”
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
The struggles from the pandemic are continuing for farmers like Meinecke. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order putting the Department of Government Efficiency into effect.
Some of its government-wide cutbacks were at the USDA, where Meinecke said local farmers already weren’t getting enough help as the department focused on bigger operations.
“Getting rid of the things that they did do is absolutely insane, because we’re already screwed for food,” he said.
In the council’s statement released Tuesday, it says the group is joining the class-action lawsuit to challenge the changes at the USDA and other agencies. Among other points, the organization said that “gutting the workforce will threaten the function of our entire food system and dissolve the support structure that small farmers do have – and goes against the will of most voters.”
“If we don’t let any of these smaller (farms) become successful, they will never get successful enough that they can also start buying up parcels of land to build new big farms,” Meinecke said.
He added that when it comes to keeping farmers supported, it’s an administrative task, not one they should shoulder themselves while trying to stay afloat.
“Why do we do it?” asked Meinecke rhetorically. “Because we don’t want to be the last guy standing out here doing it.”
A USDA spokesperson replied to a request for comment from News 9, saying, “We will not comment on matters relating to litigation,” and directed further requests to the Department of Justice.