Dairy farmers in Wisconsin see federal funding unfrozen as others are left waiting

Dozens of Wisconsin dairy farmers are breathing a sigh of relief after federal funds they had been awarded were released and payments are now being promised. But anxiety persists for some.

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Tammy Fritsch, a dairy farmer from Freedom, Wisc., stands next to her cheese vat. She has been waiting on thousands of dollars in promised federal funds. On Friday, the USDA released those funds to farmers like Fritsch. Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM

toggle captionChuck Quirmbach/WUWM

President Trump's narrow victory in Wisconsin last November was partly due to his success in rural communities, where agriculture remains an economic engine. But agricultural groups say many farmers in the so-called Dairy State — and elsewhere — now face uncertainty, due to federal spending freezes and cuts made by the Trump Administration.

That includes farmers like Tammy Fritch. Fritsch owns what she and her daughter call Two Guernsey Girls Creamery. It's licensed as a micro-dairy, only 13 cows, and just a few employees.

On a recent morning, Fritsch stood over a stainless steel vat about the size of a large bathtub and removed a plastic sheet covering blocks of white cheddar cheese. She took a knife and started a process called flipping the cheese. At the end, it'll be a cubed, often squeaky-to-eat snack called curds.

"We are making cheese curds today. So, I have approximately 72 pounds of cheese in there," Fritsch later explained.

Fritsch says using the milk from her Guernsey cows — which is easier for some people to digest — she now wants to make and sell ice cream. Last year, she won just under $100,000 through a Dairy Business Innovation grant.

DBI, as it's known, was created under the Farm Bill Trump signed in 2018 during his first term.

A bag of cheese curds from Two Guernsey Girls Creamery in Freedom, Wisc. Owner Tammy Fritsch hopes to start making ice cream with funds from a Dairy Business Innovation grant from the USDA. Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM

toggle captionChuck Quirmbach/WUWM

Like the grant requires, Fritsch invested in her farm first. She bought equipment, and got a bank loan to afford it. She started hiring a couple employees. Then, in late February, Fritsch got the word that the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted the funding that she and other innovation grant winners are counting on to be paid back the money they spent on their farms.

Her voice breaking slightly, Fritsch said, "Plain and simple, I mean, these are not tax dollars that are wasted. We are growing to help our community, where we're producing a great product here."

Friday, the USDA reversed course and okayed the DBI reimbursements. As much as $28.6 million will be reimbursed to more than 400 dairy processors and farmers across the nation.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican, praised Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for releasing the funds.

"Our dairy farmers and processors work incredibly hard, and I commend Secretary Rollins for her swift action to ensure its continuation," he said in a statement.

Rebekah Sweeney of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association explained that it's been a challenging time.

"The last two weeks have been filled with tears and fear," Sweeney said. "The amount of stress that some of these farmers and processors have been under knowing that funding was paused was significant."

Across the state, farmer Travis Forgues is scheduled to get a $92,000 DBI grant.

He recently added a large freezer to temporarily store some of the cheese he makes from the milk of 300 sheep, before the cheese goes to retailers.

Forgues used his family's money and line of credit to buy the freezer. While he should be able to pay off that debt soon, his farm is waiting on $55,000 in another federal grant for renewable energy. That money is still frozen.

"We have the contracts signed. Did I think perhaps in the future these grants wouldn't be available? Absolutely, because that's what happens with different leaders in place," Forgues said.

"But did I, in my wildest dreams think they wouldn't honor their word as our federal government? Absolutely not," he added.

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