PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Many American small businesses are in limbo, waiting to see how they’ll be impacted by the escalating trade war and a freeze on federal grants. Dozens of Arizona business owners say they were counting on federal grants to help them expand and improve.

One of them is Rachel Opio, an urban farmer in Phoenix who owns the Little Lighthouse Farm in her backyard. “I’m truly here to steward the land and regenerate the soil while feeding the community real food: nutrient-dense produce,” she said.

She jumped into this venture in 2022 to cope with the loss of her mother. Since then, it’s grown into a business with the help of several federal grants that help her sell produce at affordable prices and make it accessible to people in her community. “Eventually, I plan to do this on a much larger scale and feed way more people than I’m currently feeding,” said Opio.

However, with the funding freeze, her grants to add infrastructure to her farm are on hold. She also planned on tapping into the funds from the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to help her start a rural farm this year. “It’s just really unfortunate, you know? It truly is,” said Opio,

Jason Lowry, with the nonprofit Local First Arizona, said more than 70 rural businesses, including farms, in the state applied and were approved for about $15 million through REAP. He explained the program incentivizes businesses to invest in clean energy and efficiency projects by partially reimbursing owners when they buy eco-friendly equipment, which can, at times, cost tens of thousands of dollars.

However, he said those businesses are on the hook for everything. “It could likely cause a chain reaction of bankruptcies across the state and country. And it has left these rural business owners and farmers in a lurch,” said Lowry.

Opio hopes lawmakers will have an answer to undo the freeze fast. “Really think about where your food is going to come from if the farmers can’t afford to grow it,” said Opio.

Arizona’s Family reached out to everyone on the Arizona congressional delegation asking what is being done to help our farmers. Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s team responded and said the Democratic congresswoman was discussing the issue with fellow Democrat Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes during a tele-town hall on social media Wednesday night.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.

Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley, who has coached the Sun Devils for 10 seasons, is expected to be back for an 11th season in 2025-26, according to an ASU basketball program spokesman.

Is ASU basketball making the right move retaining Hurley, who is 168-149 in Tempe, or should the program have fired the head coach?

Social media certainly had thoughts in the aftermath of the news that the Sun Devils were not expected to fire Hurley, news that broke before Arizona State’s 71-66 loss to Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. ASU is 13-19 overall and 4-16 in the Big 12 this season.

Opinion: Fans might disagree, but there are reasons Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley deserves to return

How social media reacted to Bobby Hurley remaining with Arizona State:

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

We sit down with the one and only David Archuleta! The former American Idol star opens up about his journey from a teenage heartthrob to a confident, self-accepting artist. David talks about his career, his struggles with sexuality, and his departure from the Mormon church. It’s a heartfelt and inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss.

Plus, we dive into some juicy wedding drama! 💍💸 Should guests pay for the entire wedding day? Weigh in on this hot topic and hear what others have to say.

And that’s not all! Influencer Juan Gonzalez, known for his epic pranks and generous giveaways, shares how he’s using his platform to give back to the community. From gas station chaos to reverse bank robberies, Juan’s stories are as wild as they are heartwarming.