In the News

Proposed cuts to U.S. rural business grants has some Whatcom County farmers worried about what that will mean for the local economy.

The cuts being proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration include eliminating funding for the value-added producer grant, which goes directly to farmers for economic development, said David Bauermeister, executive director at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center.

It’s a significant source of funding in this region, with 15 projects in northwest Washington receiving a total of $1.9 million in funding over the past three years, according to Bauermeister. Producers matched this funding with $1.9 million of their own resources.