Trump cuts programs like these because the money he saves goes as a tax break for his billionaire buddies. His entire Big Beautiful Bill is structured like this.
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Farmers blindsided by sudden pivot from major US agency: 'This program has been key to helping people'
Joseph Clark
Sun, July 27, 2025
Farmers blindsided by sudden pivot from major US agency: 'This program has been key to helping people'
Farmers in rural America were recently dealt another curveball.
Out of nowhere as far as many were concerned, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled an important application window for its Rural Energy for America Program, which could send thousands of small farms and business owners scrambling.
Canary Media reported that this wasn't some scheduling hiccup; it was the last chance many had to finance clean energy projects this year, and the future of the program remains uncertain.
What's happening?
On June 30, the USDA announced it would not accept new REAP applications from July through September, citing a backlog. The agency said it anticipates reopening submissions in October, according to Canary Media, but farmers need to decide in advance whether to proceed with projects, not knowing if they will be paid back.
REAP has long helped farmers and rural businesses afford solar, wind, and other energy upgrades. It offers loan guarantees and grants, according to the report, and the grants are issued through reimbursement. Successful grant applicants front the money and are later paid back a portion of project costs, with reasonable confidence in past years that a strong application would be awarded and that the government would honor its commitments.
This year, though, that trust was shaken. Bruce Everly, who has worked with REAP for decades, told Canary Media, "This year, since Jan. 20, has been incredible levels of stress for people who did not understand if they would ever get paid for work where they have already put down millions of dollars on projects."
Over the years, Everly has worked on grants for projects that brought added cash flow or savings to families. These included manure-to-biofuel systems and energy-efficiency upgrades for poultry barns that were "desperately needed," he told the news outlet. Support for such projects is now in question.
Then there's this: A USDA agenda document stated the program would now "disincentivize funding for solar panels on productive farmland."
That's a huge shift, as solar has been REAP's most common use case, per the news report.
Why is REAP important?
For farmers already walking a financial tightrope, REAP can make or break a project.
Everly's firm, which helps with applications, logged over 3,000 staff hours preparing for the now-canceled July window. No payments, no reimbursements. For smaller farms, that can mean shelving projects that could lower bills or even keep the farms afloat.
"This program has been key to helping people who don't have a lot of assets make a change and provide some cash flow for their family," Everly noted in the Canary Media report.
Cuts and freezes tied to REAP funding mirror wider federal staffing rollbacks. In one story, cuts at the USDA were described as "wiping out an entire ... commodity" system. In another, a former Environmental Protection Agency advisor called the firing of thousands of federal workers "completely reprehensible."
What's being done about it?
There has been pushback. Three Minnesota lawmakers wrote to the USDA demanding answers. A judge ordered the USDA to pay out existing clean energy contracts. But the future still feels shaky.
Everly has a wish list: Restore full REAP funding, clarify deadlines, and rebuild trust. As he put it to Canary Media, farmers get about 40 shots at a harvest in their lifetime. "One mistake and you've lost multiple generations of wealth," he said.
For now, many are waiting, hoping the next update isn't another letdown. When you're on a farm, timing matters — and missed seasons don't come back around.
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