First-generation Missouri farmer Skylar Holden said he wishes he’d been more careful with his vote now that he faces financial ruin due to a freeze instituted by President Donald Trump on funding for key conservation programs.
The father of three says he is dependent on that funding to keep his cattle farm afloat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put a hold on the funds pending a federal review of all spending programs.
Holden had signed a $240,000 contract with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to improve water lines, fencing, and wells on his farm.
USDA officials recently notified him that his contract was frozen — after Holden had already spent $80,000 on materials and labor. It’s unclear when or if those funds will be made available.
“I’ve already done a bunch of the work, already paid for the material and the labor, so I’m out all that cost,” he said. “We are possibly going to lose our farm if NRCS doesn’t hold up their contract with us.”
Holden recently took his case to TikTok, and his video quickly went viral. But he’s found little sympathy from the left or the right.
Anti-Trumpers told Holden he “got exactly what he voted for.” Many have lampooned his claim that he relied on a 25-question online quiz to tell him how to vote rather than researching the candidate’s policies himself.
Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, agreed the freeze shouldn’t have come as a surprise, saying the president is merely following through on his promises.
“I would say is Congress that the government needs to do a better job at working for the American people. Too often it seems like the American people is working for the government,” Smith said. “It’s unfortunate that this is the case. I’ve been talking with several farmers that have been experiencing this and trying to help guide them through this process, but it’s all going to work out. Right now, it’s a little bit disruptive, but that’s what this administration promised whenever they were coming to Washington—that they would be disruptive.”
Hoden isn’t the only farmer to take his case to the public.
“A lot of rural people, over 70 percent of rural farmers and ranchers, only believe the Fox News and the talk radio,” said Will Westmoreland, a southwest Missouri farmer and political consultant, in a video on TikTok. “And when they came to you and told you that Trump wasn’t going to implement Project 2025 and that he didn’t have anything to do with it, you believe that, and you’re not alone.”
Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint that Trump disavowed during the campaign, aims to reshape federal agencies by limiting regulatory oversight and restructuring funding mechanisms.
According to the policy guide book “Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise,” the USDA should scale back regulatory interventions and focus on removing barriers to agricultural production. The book attacks policies that prioritize climate change and equity, advocating instead for a USDA that prioritizes efficiency, free-market principles and reducing environmental regulations that could hinder farm productivity, Newsweek reports.
Holden defended his thought process in trusting the quiz and voting for Trump, saying 17-hour workdays leave no time for political research. He argued that neither party fully aligns with farmers’ interests, pointing out that while Democrats push for electronic ID tags for cattle, Republicans generally oppose farm subsidies.
