Chellie Pingree
09/18/2025 | Press release | Archived content
Pingree, Colleagues Sound Alarm as USDA Delays Threaten Farmer-Led Research and Education Program
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, led 15 Members of Congress in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately disburse nearly $50 million in funding for farmers that has been inexplicably delayed. If the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program funding for fiscal year 2025 is not released to regional partners by September 30th, farmers and ranchers across the country will lose out on the only producer-led program that supports research, demonstration, and education projects across a wide range of topics related to sustainable agriculture.
"At a time when farmers and ranchers are facing increased costs and significant uncertainty, it is unacceptable for the Department to be withholding funding approved by Congress that delivers both short-term financial support and strategies for long-term viability," Pingree and her colleagues said in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Rollins.
Joining Pingree in sending the letter are: Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee; Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii); John Larson (D-Conn.); Robin Kelly (D-Ill.); Gabe Vasquez (D-Texas); Sharice Davids (D-Kan.); Terri Sewell (D-Ala.); Alma Adams (D-N.C.); Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.); Josh Harder (D-Calif.); Gabe Amo (D-R.I.); Joe Courtney (D-Conn.); Jim Costa (D-Calif.); Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.); and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).
The letter is available here and copied below.
Since 1988, Maine has been awarded $11,027,630 SARE grants to support 280 research and education projects, professional development projects, and producer-led projects across the state.
+++
Dear Secretary Rollins,
We write to express our urgent concern over the delays in distributing nearly $50 million in Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program funding for fiscal year 2025. Without immediate action from the Department, American farmers and ranchers will lose access to yet another critical source of federal support.
The SARE program supports research, demonstration, and education projects across a wide range of topics related to sustainable agriculture. It is the only such program that is farmer- and rancher-led - ensuring that outcomes are focused on what producers really need in order to sustain their livelihoods and protect their land and operations. From new farmer training in Maine, to milk quality research in Pennsylvania, to studies on tomato cultivation in Texas and Oklahoma, the SARE program is a vital pathway for farmers - especially small and mid-sized - to take the lead in addressing the challenges that impact them most.
At a time when farmers and ranchers are facing increased costs and significant uncertainty, it is unacceptable for the Department to be withholding funding approved by Congress that delivers both short-term financial support and strategies for long-term viability. We urge you to disburse SARE program funding for fiscal year 2025 by September 30th, or else risk producers losing out entirely on meaningful opportunities.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
###
Chellie Pingree published this content on September 18, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 22, 2025 at 14:59 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]