More than 20,300 employees left the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the first five months of the administration of President Donald Trump, about a fifth of staff, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general.
Ryan Hanrahan
Ryan Hanrahan is the Farm Policy News editor and social media director for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked in local news, primarily as an agriculture journalist in the American West. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.S. Science & Agricultural Journalism). He can be reached at rrh@illinois.edu.
Experts, Lawmakers Split on 2026 Farm Bill Likelihood
House Republicans are planning to revive farm bill negotiations in January after failing to garner enough political will to pass a new deal by the end of the year, as they’d initially hoped. But experts say it’s becoming less likely a new five-year farm bill will happen, and rather a piecemeal approach for passing the farm bill will become the new norm.
Lawmakers Eye More Farm Aid on Top of USDA Bridge Assistance
Agriculture leaders in the United States House of Representatives are looking to provide at least an additional $10 billion in farmer aid to supplement the recently announced Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. That additional aid would likely have to be driven by Congress, as a USDA undersecretary says it’s unlikely the agency will provide a second farmer aid package.
China Halfway to Promised 12 MMT of US Soybean Purchases
China has secured at least 7 million tons of US soybeans after heavy buying in the past two weeks, passing the halfway mark toward meeting its 12-million ton purchase agreement with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the deals.
USDA Receives Mostly Negative Feedback on Reorganization Plan
The Agriculture Department received overwhelmingly negative feedback on its plan to relocate thousands of staff and consolidate dozens of offices, as employees, lawmakers and stakeholders said it could lead to a significant brain drain and disruptions to key farmer-support programs.
Health Insurance Spike Will Hit 2026 Farm Budgets, Farmers Say
Iowa farmers warned Monday that the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will sharply raise health insurance costs in 2026, forcing painful tradeoffs that could slow farm growth, strain rural hospitals and push some producers out of business altogether.
JBS Closing Beef Plant in California
JBS will permanently close a facility outside Los Angeles that prepares beef for sale at U.S. grocery stores, the world’s largest meat company said on Friday, as tight cattle supplies have raised costs for meatpackers. JBS will shut its Swift Beef Company facility in Riverside, California, on February 2, eliminating 374 jobs.
$12 Billion Farm Aid Package Not Enough, Farm Leaders Say
U.S. farmers facing steep losses this year welcomed President Donald Trump’s $12 billion aid package announced on Monday, but said they would need more than that to fully offset low crop prices and lost export opportunities from his trade war.
USDA Launches $700M Regenerative Agriculture Program
The Trump administration is launching a $700 million initiative, potentially supplemented with corporate funding, to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices. The pilot program will use $400 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and will also leverage private funding.
Trump to Loosen Environmental Rules on Ag Equipment to Cut Costs
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that farming equipment has gotten too expensive and his administration would help tractor companies by removing some environmental rules that affect them.
$11 Billion in Bridge Farm Aid to be Issued by February
President Donald Trump and senior officials said Monday that the administration will provide $12 billion in financial support for farmers, with the first $11 billion going to row crop producers before the end of February 2026.
USDA Reorganization to be Completed in 2026, Vaden Says
The Agriculture Department will complete a reorganization of more than half the current D.C.-based staff to five regional hubs across the U.S. by the end of 2026, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden says on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
China Soybean Buying Deadline Now February, Bessent Says
China is on pace to meet its pledge to buy 12 million tons of US soybeans by the end of February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, appearing to extend an earlier deadline for Beijing’s purchases.
Trump Admin Backs Bayer’s Bid to Limit Roundup Lawsuits
President Donald Trump’s administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to take up Bayer’s bid to curtail thousands of lawsuits claiming its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.
Farmer Aid Announcement Coming Next Week, Rollins Says
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that the Trump administration will announce a ‘bridge payment’ for farmers next week that is designed to provide short-term relief while longer trade and aid packages are finalized.
Experts Split on Whether China will Meet Soybean Purchase Pledge
China is expected to step up US soybean purchases to meet a pledge to buy at least 12 million tons by the end of the year, according to multiple traders, while farm Journal’s November Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found more than three-quarters (76%) of economists surveyed say China won’t purchase that amount of soybeans this year.
Deere’s 2026 Outlook Suggests No Farm Economy Uptick
Deere & Co.’s weak forecast for the year ahead reinforces the difficulty in predicting a recovery in the US farm economy as uncertainty continues to swirl over the impact of tariffs and trade deals. Deere said net income in the 2026 fiscal year will be between $4 billion and $4.75 billion. That would be a drop from the $5.027 billion reported for the year just ended.
Farmer Aid Expected Within Weeks, Ag Secretary Says
The Trump administration expects to announce an aid package for U.S. farmers within two weeks and a deal on Chinese soybean purchases, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Monday, without providing further details.
Bird Flu Surging as Holiday Season Begins
As the holidays approach, bird flu is once again sweeping through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, infecting and killing more than 8.9 million turkeys, chickens, and ducks in the U.S. since September. Indiana has been the hotbed of activity in the last month, with outbreaks in 28 commercial and 21 backyard flocks infecting 666,310 birds, according to the APHIS dashboard.
US Soybeans Set for First Shipment to China Since May
Two cargo vessels were headed for grain port terminals near New Orleans on Monday to load with the first U.S. soybean shipments to China since May, according to a shipping schedule seen by Reuters. A third vessel was en route to a Texas Gulf Coast grain terminal to be loaded with China-bound U.S. sorghum in the coming days.