Practical is Efficient

How funding freezes are impacting our state's most important farm organizations

The Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is a strange-sounding group, I thought to myself when I first moved to Iowa. “Practical” sounded so complacent and so, well, practical. I was looking to bring progress and change to our 570 acres in south central Iowa. The group likely wasn’t for us.

I was wrong.

A PFI Farmer Field Day, from practicalfarmers.org

The Practical Farmers of Iowa might be practical, but it is also one of the best things since sliced bread for farmers. It’s a group where farmers teach each other everything from how to most efficiently grow cover crops to using less nitrogen in the fields, how to plant vibrant orchards to the logistics of rotationally grazing cattle.

Summers are filled with PFI field days on our farms, where we talk about how to raise goats and grow flowers. And every winter at the annual conference, we gather to spend time together and learn about each other’s farms.

Arguably, we have learned more about how to run our farm—Whippoorwill Creek Farm—from all other sources combined.

PFI is Iowa through and through, a practical, useful organization that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, with people joining up from countless states too to take advantage of the network.

And yet.

Now, along with the gutting of our local US Department of Agriculture offices—there were at least four firings in our area’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices alone—PFI is also in trouble. And they are not alone— every group working for conservation, better farm policies, and healthier food is teetering on the brink as a result of President Trump’s freezing of federal funds to countless organizations, individuals, and farms.

Below is a letter from Sally Worley, the Executive Director of PFI, addressing how the organization is faring. It’s not great.

It makes me queasy to think of the huge gap in farmer resources, knowledge and expertise that could come from PFI having to shrink or worse. And without conservation groups in our midst, jobs for young people in our government offices or land being conserved, what are we leaving for the next generation?

Not more efficient anything, in my book.

If you can, consider joining or giving what you can, to PFI or another food and farming organization (like Iowa Farmers Union, the Iowa Food System Coalition, or one of the other amazing groups in our state).

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Dear Beth,

I’m reaching out to update you on how the federal funding freeze is affecting Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Last month, the new administration froze all federal funding, pending a review of all federal grants. While a judge has ordered the freeze to be lifted, the majority of PFI’s federal funding remains frozen.

What this means for PFI

The past few weeks have been challenging, and we’ve been working hard to figure out what this funding freeze means for our organization and our programming. Approximately 22%, or $4.7 million, of this year’s budget is from federal funding. These resources support a wide variety of PFI programming including field days, on-farm research, cost-share, mentorship programs, business development services and more.

We are fortunate to have cash reserves to help cover this abrupt change for a limited time. PFI’s funding sources are also diverse – in addition to federal funding, we have state, foundation and private funders, along with individual donors, who support our work. Despite this strong position, the situation is still serious. This freeze has already negatively affected our ability to deliver the programs, events and services that help us achieve our mission of equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.

We know the work we do with farmers and landowners translates to positive changes on the landscape. Consider these three examples:

• In 2024, more than 2,300 farmers planted over 839,000 acres of cover crops and will receive around $10 million in cost-share.

• In 2024, PFI held 247 events. More than 60 of these were field days, where farmers opened their gates to over 2,700 attendees. 73% of attendees said they are likely to implement changes to their farms based on what they learned.

• In 2024, 67 farmers completed 100 research trials, answering questions about their farm production and sharing their findings widely with other farmers and researchers.

The above achievements were made possible with the help of federal funding.

What this means for PFI farmers and landowners

We know many of you have signed contracts with the federal government. Like us, your costs are reimbursed after you’ve incurred the expenses. We are both hopeful and anxious that you’ll receive your reimbursements for contracted agreements soon.

PFI is setting up a virtual meeting for members next Friday, Feb. 28 at noon to discuss the federal funding freeze and resources available to farmers and landowners. If you are a member, mark your calendars and expect to see an email invite from us next week with additional details.

What you can do to help

• Become a member. Join our network to show your support.

• Make a donation. We may have to cover a significant funding deficit if we want to continue our work at the scale we’ve planned this year. Gifts of all sizes add up and can make a big difference.

• Contact your representatives. If you share our concerns or would like to voice your own, contact your representatives. You can tell them how important PFI’s programming is to you and ask them to ensure this funding continues for organizations, and for farmers and landowners who depend on these reimbursements.

Thank you for being part of PFI and for your continued support. We will weather this unprecedented situation and are committed to continuing our work of helping farmers build resilient farms and communities.

Thank you,

Sally Worley
Executive Director, Practical Farmers of Iowa

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