After Months Navigating Funding Freeze, Sullivan CCE Beginner Farmer Program Returns

Good news for beginner farmers in the Catskills region: Sullivan County Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Beginner Farmer Program is back. Earlier this year, those funds were temporarily frozen as part of Trump’s DOGE efforts to shrink the federal budget.The program pairs farmers in the Catskills and Hudson Valley regions who have been operating for less than ten years with farmer mentors, group trainings, and networking. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Melinda Meddaugh, Agriculture & Food Systems Senior Issue Leader of the Sullivan Cornell Cooperative Extension, about the program returning.