Action Alert: Ask Your Senators to Vote NO on the "Big Beautiful Bill"

The "Big Beautiful Bill" is bad for most farmers.

Here's why. These are the primary issues in the "Big Beautiful Bill" Act that will hurt many farmers and their communities:

-Increases federal subsidies for the LARGEST FARMS, just the top .3% of producers

-Increases the national debt by another $2.4 trillion and funnels money away from those who need it most up to the richest few

-Dramatically cuts existing funding for conservation technical assistance, making it harder for farmers to effectively implement conservation practices that protect rural drinking water, rural-urban infrastructure, and soil health (please see more on this below)

-Pays for costly subsidy increases to the largest farms (and their insurance companies) by cutting nutrition benefits (SNAP) to the most vulnerable American families, many of whom live in farm communities

-Removes income limits for farmers receiving subsidies

-Expands disaster assistance only for the most profitable farms, leaving even fewer resources available to extend relief to smaller and uninsured farms who face natural disasters

That’s why we’re asking you to CALL RON JOHNSON TODAY if you live in Wisconsin, and your own Senators if you live elsewhere, and ask them to VOTE NO ON THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.

Ron Johnson Contact Information: 

Milwaukee: (414) 276-7282

Madison: (608) 240-9629

Oshkosh: (920) 230-7250

Washington, D.C.: (202) 224-5323

Email: https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/email-the-senator 

Find your federal Senator

Here is some more context for why we think this is a bad bill for most farmers, but especially those committed to prioritizing conservation:

Last September, our Iowa County Uplands Watershed Group gathered for a pasture walk at the farm of conservation leader Paul Dietmann to learn more about working with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In collaboration with our partners at Clean Economy Coalition of Wisconsin, we produced this movie about what we learned there.

Across the country, farmers rely on federal NRCS programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to invest in systems that improve soil health, protect water resources, sequester carbon, and ultimately strengthen rural economies. Grazing, for instance, is one of the best ways to use land in a fashion that reduces emissions, mitigates regional flooding, and prevents runoff - all while improving farm profitability.  

At the time of the pasture walk in the video (Nov 2024), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had expanded funding for these conservation programs to $20 billion over 10 years. Even for farms that weren’t being paid directly from IRA funds, the expanded pool of money enabled NRCS to fund more farm projects overall. 

Unfortunately, since the new administration has taken office, much of this critical funding has been frozen, terminated, or is under threat. Americans may be divided on politics, but we all know that the nation can't afford to lose more farmers. The 2022 Ag Census showed the number of farms lost per year, on average, was about 35,433.*

The Big Beautiful Bill Act goes even further than the funding freezes to change the trajectory of the way USDA relates to farmers. Though many agree the bill has tremendous problems, Senate leadership is rushing this bill to a vote by Friday, June 25.

That’s why we’re asking you to CALL RON JOHNSON TODAY if you live in Wisconsin, and your own Senators if you live elsewhere, and ask them to VOTE NO ON THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.

This is about more than funding. It’s about public trust, personal livelihoods, and the future of American agriculture. As Paul and others show us, regenerative practices like managed grazing deliver significant environmental and economic returns—helping farmers make a decent living while saving public money over time. Cutting farmers' conservation support now will raise long-term infrastructure repair costs for local communities, as well as state and federal governments. Read more about our advocacy work for Managed Grazing HERE.

Here are some helpful resources to help you SPEAK UP RIGHT NOW.

Because the vote is imminent, it's best to call TODAY.

>FIND Your Senators

>PLAN A CALL to a Senator

>Social Media Share Kit - Share your support and TAG your elected officials!

>DONATE to Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and help more farmers navigate these difficult times through research, education and policy work

>SIGN UP for future Institute Action Alerts

If you are a farmer or landowner and have experienced a terminated contract, delayed re-imbursement, or other harm from lost federal conservation funding, PLEASE REACH OUT TO US AND SHARE YOUR STORY. Email Chuck Anderas at canderas@michaelfields.org.

We face an uncertain agricultural future, but with sustained public investment and community leadership like Paul's, farms and farm communities can thrive. Help us hold our elected representatives accountable to farmers—and to the land we all share.

*According to American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch