Trump administration cancels millions in agriculture funding for Western states, including Colorado ranchers and farmers

COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO NEWS: Trump administration cancels millions in agriculture funding for Western states, including Colorado ranchers and farmers

William Vogl grew up near a 600-acre cattle ranch in El Paso County, helping his parents raise beef cattle that they’d sell directly to customers. But in 2001, as an epic drought spread through Colorado, Vogl said part of his family’s ranch saw no rain for nine months. 

“I watched their cattle operation just come to a screeching halt and collapse,” he said. 

Vogl started his own homestead around 12 years ago, east of Colorado Springs, and became interested in “regenerative agriculture,” which can improve soil health and make farms more drought-resistant. 

“So that’s where it tied back to me being a kid, and watching what can happen,” he said of his attempt to build a more resilient farm in a climate-changed world. 

Now, his small seven-acre operation supports around 100 sheep, who also graze on around 200 acres he leases. Vogl also has a burgeoning compost operation — he layers the compost over existing soil, which helps it absorb more water and nutrients. The results, he said, are “amazing.”

Droughts are becoming a persistent concern for Colorado farmers, as climate change drives water scarcity and extreme temperatures across the West. Plus, parts of Colorado have famously bad soil for farming — it’s sandy, silty and prone to erosion. The state has spent decades and millions of dollars investing in solutions since the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

With a federal grant administered through the Quivira Coalition, a regenerative agriculture and conservation nonprofit, Vogl planned to scale up his composting and scientifically measure how his soil is improving, to prove it could benefit small ranches like his. 

But in April, the United States Department of Agriculture abruptly cancelled that federal funding — known as the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities — calling it part of a “green new scam.” 

Read the full article in Colorado Public Radio News: https://apple.news/Ara8VpnrARh-UMmeCWmVCaw