Feb. 15—A popular Freeport demonstration farm that was awarded a $35 million climate-smart agriculture grant to promote sustainable practices at 400 farms across the country finds itself in financial limbo as a result of President Donald Trump’s federal funding freeze.
The Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment in Freeport was scheduled to receive a $335,000 payment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this month to cover November and December expenses related to the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program.
Despite a signed contract, the USDA told Wolfe’s Neck it would not be issuing any reimbursements at this time, Executive Director Dave Herring said. He wasn’t told why, or when he would learn more about the fate of the grant program. He can only wait and hope for the best.
“This uncertainty is a huge challenge for us and our partners: the farmers, the technical assistance providers and the businesses working toward sustainability goals,” Herring said. “All of us need to be working together to create a resilient agricultural sector. Government is a part of that.”
For now, Wolfe’s Neck is continuing to pay its subcontractors and provide 75 farms, including a few in Maine, with technical assistance and grants to pursue climate-smart practices such as rotational livestock grazing, use of cover crops, and soil rehabilitation. But that can only go on for so long.
While it has asked subcontractors to cut costs where it can, Herring said Wolfe’s Neck will have no choice but to shut the program down if it isn’t reimbursed by the end of the month. By that time, it will have incurred another two months worth of unreimbursed program expenses.
Part of a larger $2.8 billion program, the five-year award enables Wolfe’s Neck to lead a national effort to equip and train workers in climate-smart agriculture, create transition financial incentives for farmers and ranchers, and develop a marketplace for climate-smart commodities.
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