<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span id="m_3538491579949894930gmail-docs-internal-guid-d620fe8e-7fff-13f8-3096-80d8d5a2f976"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">In much of the country, spring is on its way. For farmers and ranchers, it’s time for planting decisions, for calving and lambing, for lining up their financial capital and markets for a busy season, and more.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">But this year, it’s different: </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">across the country, tens of thousands of farmers and farmer-serving organizations have been thrown into limbo by an unprecedented freeze of federal funding. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently withholding payments owed under signed, lawful contracts, causing turmoil across the food system. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">This is already causing serious harm in our communities: </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">This means farmers who’ve already installed new irrigation equipment or planted cover crops with support from USDA are now unable to receive the reimbursements they were promised, jeopardizing their financial stability. Programs that pair local farmers with local food banks are pausing their procurement plans, at the exact time growers most need to know their markets for the season. Organizations who train and support beginning farmers are instead having to lay off staff. Families are anxious about grocery store prices and the availability of food long term. </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">These immediate impacts could compound and lead to further suffering without swift intervention from Congress.</span></p><br><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left:148.5pt" align="left"><table style="border:none;border-collapse:collapse"><colgroup><col width="219"></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height:0pt"><td style="border-width:1pt;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:top;background-color:rgb(255,242,204);padding:5pt;overflow:hidden"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="https://secure.everyaction.com/Sae1dwnpZ0G-OnqYvbTT7g2" target="_blank">Click here to Take Action</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">None of this should be happening:</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> these are signed agreements with the federal government, and USDA must honor its commitments before impacts worsen in communities nationwide.</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Congress can act to fix this, and they need to hear directly from folks who are affected – along with all of us who care about our local farmers and ranchers, our fellow neighbors, and the organizations that help us strengthen our communities.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Calling takes only 60 seconds:</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(68,71,70);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> can you call and email your members of Congress, demanding they step up and protect our farmers and communities from further harm?</span></p><br><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left:148.5pt" align="left"><table style="border:none;border-collapse:collapse"><colgroup><col width="219"></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height:0pt"><td style="border-width:1pt;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:top;background-color:rgb(255,242,204);padding:5pt;overflow:hidden"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><a href="https://secure.everyaction.com/Sae1dwnpZ0G-OnqYvbTT7g2" target="_blank">Click here to Email your Members of Congress Now!</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span></div><div><br></div><div><b style="background-color:rgb(255,255,0)">Feel free to fwd this email to other folks you think would appreciate the invitation to take action! </b></div><div><br></div><div>Cheers, </div><div>- Stef </div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><table style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(33,33,33);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;border:none;border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr style="height:84pt"><td style="border-right:0.742187pt dotted rgb(135,127,116);vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 11pt 5pt 5pt"><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font color="#888888"><img width="91" height="96" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4zVKlr4XT7TRjUOZvQXAr2wSndJpdnFu72KnDPj51Vm604useet-myMRBgoVeq39S3bc8ZsasVxihYj"><br></font></div></td><td style="border-left:0.742187pt dotted rgb(135,127,116);vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 11pt"><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><b style="color:rgb(56,118,29)"><font size="2">Stef Funk</font> </b><i style="font-size:small"><font color="#444444">(she/hers)</font></i><font color="#000000" style="font-size:small"> | <b> Grassroots Co-Director</b></font></font></div><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font size="2" face="arial, sans-serif" color="#000000"><span>National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)<b> </b></span></font></div><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font size="2" face="arial, sans-serif" color="#666666"><span>110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 209</span></font></div><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font size="2" face="arial, sans-serif" color="#666666"><span>Washington, D.C. 20002</span></font></div><div style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font size="2" face="arial, sans-serif" color="#666666"><span><a href="mailto:stef@sustainableagriculture.net" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">stef@sustainableagriculture.net</a>
<br>Cell: 312-687-6484 </span></font></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div>
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