La Crosse area farmers, Democratic legislators protest federal plans to cut farm assistance

Proposed cuts in federal funding for farm programs are causing concern for many people in Western Wisconsin. 

Local farmers, state lawmakers, and others spoke out about the need to make food available to area families, while meeting with reporters Monday at La Crosse’s WAFER food pantry. 

Westby dairy farmer Darin Von Ruden serves as president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. He says farms are attempting to save money, “trying to save a penny here or there whenever possible, whether that means putting less fertilizer on, going and buying a different variety of seed that might be a hundred dollars a bag cheaper.”

WAFER director Erin Waldhart says one out of three households in La Crosse County is considered “food insecure.” Her agency is seeing its highest demand for food in a decade. 

State representative Jill Billings says Washington is talking about taking back money that was already approved for farm programs years ago, and she calls that “literally taking the food from mouths of hungry people.”

Crawford County farmer Dylan Bruce says one funding program facing cuts is helping more people work in agriculture. “The LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) program didn’t just help us get food to hungry people,” said Bruce. “It also helped to train the next generation of farmers.”

State Sen. Brad Pfaff argues that there’s not widespread waste or fraud in farming, and funding cuts could cause harm to farm families.