Tyler Garrett, director of government relations for the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, told the Behavioral Health & Agriculture Working Group that its regional Agwell grant was frozen and operations were ordered to stop. “hace 6 semanas recibimos notificación. Que nuestra subvención de el programa regional había sido congelada y fueron ordenados a operar, a parar las operaciones en esos frentes,” Garrett said during the meeting.

The freeze, Garrett and other participants said, put program staff and local services at risk and prompted immediate outreach to congressional and federal partners and public communications. The group described short-term steps taken to keep core services running while the grant status is uncertain.

Why it matters: Agwell provides behavioral-health and wellbeing programming to rural farm and ranch communities; a prolonged funding interruption could disrupt services for populations that meeting presenters and members described as already underserved.

Garrett described rapid responses after the freeze, including outreach to USDA partners and media engagement led by program leadership. “Empezamos a correr desde el momento que nos enteramos de esto. Nos comunicamos con los, este, socios del congreso, reestructuramos la USDA, hicimos mucha comunicación en las redes,” he said.

Group members said they secured temporary support to bridge immediate needs while awaiting the grant’s outcome. Robert Siqueida, who identified himself as working with agriculture water policy and volunteering on the program, told the group they obtained an interim award from a health plan to cover part of the year. “subimos suerte en asegurar una subvención grande en el plan de salud de Rocky Mountdown para ayudar a cubrir parte de este año hasta próximo,” Siqueida said.

Meeting participants also discussed the broader fiscal context. Clinton Wilson, the convenor of the working group, summarized the state budget climate and its potential effect on behavioral-health-related programs: the session this year ended without an enacted state budget and the state faced a projected shortfall that speakers described in the meeting as about $1.2 billion before later projections of roughly $700 million; lawmakers identified multiple areas for cuts. Wilson urged continuing to raise the topic’s profile with legislators so behavioral-health programs are not targeted for reductions.

Members said the immediate outcome of the freeze remains uncertain but expressed cautious optimism that funding could return. Garrett told the group the Agwell program currently has some funding for continuity: “la respuesta corta es el sí, tiene fondos para los próximos 2 años.”

Discussion versus action: The meeting record shows discussion, outreach and temporary funding steps; no board motion or formal vote was recorded on the Agwell grant at this meeting. Participants described bridge funding and communications strategies, and staff were directed informally to keep partners informed and monitor the grant status.

What’s next: Group members said they will continue outreach to federal and state partners, monitor the grant decision, and plan for follow-up updates to the working group if the grant returns or further cuts occur.