Aaron Pape’s family farm in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is facing a $30,000 loss after the Trump administration reneged on contracts signed by farmers across the country, citing a need for government efficiency.

The “Conservation Contracts,” between the USDA and farms that committed to practices that preserved the future of the environment, are now on hold. Meanwhile, the money has already been spent, leaving family farms in limbo.

Pape, who did not vote for Trump, says they’re just trying to do good things while taking care of the environment.

✏️: Salina Heller

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Fourth generation Wisconsin dairy farmer Joe Tomandl launched the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship in 2010, hoping that mentorships could help bring in the next generation of farmers. It was a problem he saw everywhere—aging farmers with no one behind them to take up the reins.

Since then, the DGA has become the nation's first formal ag apprenticeship to be recognized by the US Department of Labor. Today, however, its 215 mentor farms in 16 states are in jeopardy of being shut down due to Trump's sweeping federal cuts.

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