One of the greatest threats to local produce isn’t a pest on a farm.
Nearly $30 million dollars has been cut from federal programs that pay farmers to grow food for schools and food banks. This means that the local produce our children love may not reach their lunch room.
Across the state, farmers are fighting back. In 2024, Mike Hansen and his wife Sue were promised a $60,000 grant by USDA for forest conservation and wildfire prevention at their Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm. But in January, the federal administration paused all payments. They responded by starting a Graze Against the Machine T-Shirt fundraiser with proceeds going to the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. The t-shirt features Mike’s colorful painting of Rocky, a rare Pineywoods bull that grazes across 40 acres of grass and forest areas. Pineywoods are a symbol of Mike and Sue’s resistance. This rare cattle breed sustains life on the farm by eating invasive plants, anti-parasitic tree leaves, and flammable vegetation.
Despite the federal freeze, Mike and Sue remain committed to indigenous farming practices. They honor the Lumbee, Occaneechi and Skaruhreh/Tuscarora land where their farm is located outside of Asheboro. Since 2014, Mike and Sue transformed Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm into a complex biodiverse ecosystem with 680 species of plants, animals and fungi. Our neighbors are able to eat fresh, local beef from the self-sustaining ecosystem of Mike and Sue’s farm.
We spoke with Farmer Mike about the federal cuts he’s facing, and how you can support local farmers like Mike.
What USDA funding did you receive or were promised before the funding cuts began?
We were awarded a $60,000 USDA grant in 2024 to expand silvopasture grazing for our cattle herd to an additional 65 acres of forest. This grant would not only have allowed us to give our cattle access to more food and medicine, it would also allow the cattle to reduce invasive plants and fire fuel. This funding was awarded as part USDA’s Climate Smart Commodities Partnership with Accelerating Appalachia.
How is your farm impacted by cuts to USDA funding?
We had already completed work on erosion control and purchased fence materials before the USDA funding freeze. We took money out of our retirement savings to pay for expenses with the expectation that the USDA would honor their agreement. Along with 26 other USDA grant awardees, we received part payment recently. We are lucky, many other farms have not been paid anything. This is not just about cuts to farmers. Food banks, food hubs and nonprofits that provide technical services and advocate on behalf of farmers are also being withheld obligated USDA payments or had funding entirely cut. This is destroying our local food system.
How will federal cuts impact community members who rely on your farm for items like fresh beef and eggs?
Most of our revenue comes from selling our endangered Pineywoods Cattle to other farms, followed by beef. We have not seen any impact on beef sales and the interest from other farms in our animals is still high. What I am most concerned about is the impact USDA cuts and freezes are having on food banks, pantries, school lunches and other food assistance programs that feed our community. We donate a portion of our beef every year to help with food assistance, but it’s never enough. This will make it much worse.
How can the community support you and your farm to help you fill the funding gap?
Firstly don’t be silent. Injustice for one farmer or farm ally is injustice for all. Your voice matters, the more of us that join together the harder it is to ignore us. Contact your members of Congress and tell them to honor USDA contracts with farmers and nonprofits. You can also support a Pittsboro, NC based nonprofit fighting for farmers to receive promised USDA funding. All profits from our Graze Against The Machine fundraiser will go to Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) in their fight for farmers. Alternatively you can make a donation directly to CFSA.
