Press Release: Gov. Evers: “Trump Administration Must Stop Turning Their Backs on America’s Dairyland”

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 03/11/2025 01:15 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2025
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers: “Trump Administration Must Stop Turning Their Backs on America’s Dairyland”
The governor slams Trump Administration for once again trying to walk back promised funding to support Wisconsin’s farmers and producers, urges Trump Administration to immediately restore funding Congress already approved
Amid looming threats of trade wars impacting Wisconsin farmers, producers, and agricultural industries, Trump Administration intends to cut funding for programs designed to strengthen food supply chains, support farmers and producers, and distribute locally grown food to local communities
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today slammed the Trump Administration for once again trying to walk back promises to Wisconsin’s farmers and producers and urged the Trump Administration to reverse course on new cuts to federal programs and immediately release Wisconsin’s promised funding. Just days after demands from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Gov. Evers, and industry leaders, among others, forced the Trump Administration to reverse course on withholding guaranteed reimbursement payments for 88 Wisconsin dairy businesses, the Trump Administration is once again poised to leave Wisconsin farmers, producers, and communities in the lurch.

In a letter to the Evers Administration, the Trump Administration indicated it plans to renege on its contractual obligations and intends to terminate critical federal funding available through the Local Food Purchase Assistance 2025 (LFPA25) program despite the U.S. Congress having approved the program and its funding years ago. The LFPA program aims to support local producers through purchasing local food from local farmers, bolstering food access at local food pantries, and strengthening food supply chains for rural communities and economies. As of the end of 2024, nearly 300 Wisconsin farmers had participated in the Wisconsin LFPA Program, which distributed more than $4 million in food and served all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties. More than half of the participating farmers—55 percent—were new or beginning farmers. The program was set to enter its third year in just a few weeks based on Wisconsin’s contractual agreement with the federal government.

All told, the Trump Administration is poised to gut more than $1 billion from the LFPA and the Local Food for Schools programs, both of which are designed to connect food from local farmers and producers with local communities, cutting Wisconsin’s promised funding by nearly $6 million. The governor is urging President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration to reverse course and immediately release the funding Wisconsin was already approved and promised to help support the state's farmers and producers. 

“The Trump Administration must stop turning their backs on America’s Dairyland and betraying our farmers, producers, and agricultural industries by trying to gut funding Wisconsin’s farmers and producers were promised. With President Trump’s 25 percent tariff taxes that are going to cause prices to go up on everything from gas to groceries and his escalating trade wars that could affect our farmers’ and producers’ bottom lines, these reckless cuts to critical federal programs couldn’t come at a worse time,” said Gov. Evers. “The Trump Administration cannot continue to try and go back on their word—and Republicans in Congress cannot continue to allow the Trump Administration to obstruct funding for key programs Congress already approved. Here in America’s Dairyland, we stand up for our farmers, farm families, and producers, and we’re going to fight to make damn sure our farmers have the resources and support Wisconsin was promised.”

This action by the USDA comes as farmers across the nation are currently bracing for a trade war with the nation’s largest agricultural import partners as a result of the president’s threats of reciprocal tariffs, the impacts of which could be detrimental to Wisconsin farmers and the state’s agricultural communities. Last week, Wisconsin’s neighboring state of Illinois, as well as others across the country, including Arkansas and California, similarly received word that federal support for the LFPA program and the many partners it supports are at risk. These actions also come as President Trump has threatened to cut thousands of jobs from the USDA, going so far as to baselessly fire nearly 6,000 federal employees, only to be forced to reinstate them weeks later after the firings were determined to very likely be illegal.

The Trump Administration’s apparent attempts to renege on its contractual obligations and to override programs and funding approved by the U.S. Congress underscores how the Trump Administration’s reckless decisions are continuing to directly impact Wisconsin’s state budget. Gov. Evers in his 2025-27 budget proposal relied upon anticipated federal LFPA funding and requested nearly $770,000 and one full-time position to leverage the federal funding and help support the program, farmers, and producers in Wisconsin. Additionally, the Trump Administration’s decision to gut federal LFPA funding further underscores the importance of the Wisconsin State Legislature approving the governor’s proposed $30 million state investment in the Food Security Initiative to help support farmers and producers and get Wisconsin made or grown agricultural products to communities across the state.

Authorized by the U.S. Congress under the American Rescue Plan Act, the WI LFPA program was created and implemented in 2022 through a cooperative agreement between DATCP and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The WI LFPA Program is comprised of two programs: contracts for Wisconsin farmers to sell products and providing food for hunger relief efforts across the state, and grants for nonprofit and community organizations to purchase Wisconsin-grown, raised, or minimally processed food to distribute at no cost to underserved communities in the state. Additional information on states, U.S. Territories, and Native Nations that have signed Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreements with the USDA is available here. Additional information on the WI LFPA is available on DATCP’s website here.

BACKGROUND ON GOV. EVERS’ EFFORTS TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES
Gov. Evers recognizes that Wisconsin’s agricultural industry is as critical to the state economy as it is to Wisconsin’s heritage and culture, and ensuring its continued growth and success for generations to come will be critical to ensuring Wisconsin’s continued growth and success.

Last month, Gov. Evers announced his plans to invest more than $80 million in his 2025-27 Executive Budget to support Wisconsin farmers and farm families, producers, and processors and the state’s $116 billion agricultural industry statewide. This includes:
  • Doubling funding for the Wisconsin Initiative for Ag Exports, which Gov. Evers created in 2021 to promote Wisconsin exports, to continue to support farmers and producers wanting to expand into new markets and increase output;
  • Doubling current funding for the farmer mental health support initiatives through DATCP’s Farmer Wellness Program that provides a 24/7 crisis helpline, counselor vouchers, and virtual counseling services for farmers and their families with a $400,000 investment;
  • $30 million for the Food Security Initiative that was created by Gov. Evers during the pandemic to assist food banks with acquiring food, specifically from local farmers and producers, to keep pantry shelves stocked;  
  • $1.6 million in additional funding to support the Meat Processor Grant Program, which works to strengthen Wisconsin’s meat supply chain by supporting meat processors in the state;   
  • An additional $1.2 million to support the Dairy Processor Grant Program, which supports Wisconsin’s dairy processors to support the state’s dairy supply chain;
  • Providing ongoing funding for the state’s Meat Talent Development Program that was created by Gov. Evers in 2022 to help attract, recruit, and train workers for the meat processing industry and provide support to students in Wisconsin in meat processing training programs; 
  • Increasing funding by $500,000 annually for the successful Tribal Elder Food Security Program that was created by Gov. Evers in the 2023-25 biennial budget to support nonprofit food assistance organizations to purchase and distribute culturally appropriate food to Tribal elders in partnership with Native Nations;
  • $600,000 in additional funding for the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Program that works to reduce the marketing, distribution, and processing hurdles that producers may face in getting their products to local consumers;
  • $400,000 to create a Farm to Fork Grant Program to connect entities that are not school districts but that have cafeterias, such as businesses, universities, and hospitals, to nearby farms to provide locally produced fresh fruit, vegetable, dairy, and other food products;
  • $100,000 annually to provide food waste reduction grants to advance efforts that reduce the amount of food waste disposed in landfills, increase the composting of food, or redirect spare food to hunger relief organizations;
  • Increasing capacity and resources for preparedness and response actions in DATCP’s Division of Animal Health to support secure food supply planning and disease response activities;
  • $1 million in additional funding for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program that supports groups working to conduct outreach, provide on-farm demonstration and research sites, and promote voluntary agricultural conservation practices in their local watersheds to improve water quality and prevent runoff; and
  • Over $145 million to address PFAS contamination across Wisconsin, from private well owners to municipalities and across surface, drinking, and groundwater.

More information on Gov. Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget plan to support Wisconsin’s farmers and agricultural communities is available here.

Gov. Evers has long been a champion for Wisconsin’s agricultural and farm communities, including creating the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports to boost the export of dairy, meat, crop, and other products by 25 percent, increasing funding for meat and dairy processing to support the state’s supply chain, and supporting farmer mental health through increased funding for DATCP’s Farmer Wellness Program through the Wisconsin Farm Center.

A comprehensive but not exhaustive list of Gov. Evers’ efforts to support Wisconsin farmers, farm families, rural communities, and agricultural industries across the state over the past six years is available below.
  • After proposing to do so in his budgets, Gov. Evers created the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports in 2021 aimed at boosting the export of dairy, meat, crop, and other agricultural exports by 25 percent by June 2025 and supporting additional investments in this critical program, including $2 million over the biennium in the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers. According to the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports, Wisconsin is currently ranked 11th in the nation for agricultural exports by state, up from 13th in 2021.
  • Gov. Evers has supported increasing the state’s dairy processing capacity through additional investments for the Dairy Processor Grant Program, including $600,000 in the 2023-25 biennial budget. 
  • Gov. Evers created the Meat Processor Grant Program in the 2021-23 biennial budget and continued to bolster the program with an additional $1.6 million investment in the 2023-25 biennial budget to grow Wisconsin’s meat industry and ensure its long-term viability. 
  • Gov. Evers established the Meat Talent Development Grant Program in 2022 to help attract students to meat careers, provide financial support to students in Wisconsin meat processing training programs, support program development, and connect the meat processing industry with potential employees.
  • The governor has also championed efforts to support farmer mental health and mental health resources for farm families, including continuing funding to support mental health counseling and the 24/7 crisis helpline through DATCP’s Farmer Wellness Program through the Wisconsin Farm Center with a $200,000 investment in the 2023-25 biennial budget. 
  • Through the 2023-25 biennial budget and additional legislation he signed into law, Gov. Evers created the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program with a $150 million investment to support local road improvement projects to help farmers get their products from point A to point B safely and efficiently.  
  • Gov. Evers has secured increases for the Producer-Led Watershed Grant Program in his previous budgets, including increasing the program’s funding to $1 million in the 2021-23 biennial budget and providing an additional one-time investment of $500,000 over the biennium in the 2023-25 biennial budget. 
  • Through 2021 Wisconsin Act 233, Gov. Evers created the commercial nitrogen optimization pilot and cover crop insurance programs to help protect soil and water resources and assist farmers with cover crop planting, and the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers included $3.6 million to continue these programs. 
  • No administration has done more to expand access to high-speed internet for families across the state. Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, since 2019, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has now awarded grants to help more than 410,000 homes and businesses access new or improved broadband services. 
  • The first budget signed by Gov. Evers also included an $8.8 million investment to support the development of the Dairy Innovation Hub at the University of Wisconsin System to boost dairy research and innovation. 
  • During the pandemic, Gov. Evers directed $100 million to support Wisconsin farmers in all 72 counties through the Wisconsin Farm Support Program. 
  • In 2020, Gov. Evers announced his three-pronged plan to support farmers, agricultural industries, and rural communities across Wisconsin, including creating the Wisconsin Office of Rural Prosperity at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to provide assistance to Wisconsinites in navigating state programs and resources tailored to rural communities, businesses, and workers, as well as signing Executive Order #65 creating the Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity and Executive Order #64 calling the Legislature to meet in a special session to take up a package of bills to address rural economic challenges.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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