Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a Senate hearing on Tuesday defended downsizing the USDA and potential cuts to international food aid programs, but said the agency does not plan to close any of its 4,500 offices that serve farmers.” “The USDA has lost more than 15,000 staff to financial […]
Farm Policy News
More than 15,000 Employees Leaving USDA
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “more than 15,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees have taken one of the Trump administration’s two financial incentive offers to leave the agency, according to a readout from a USDA briefing with congressional staff seen by Reuters. The sum represents about 15% of the USDA’s total workforce.” “President Donald Trump’s […]
Trump Budget Proposes 18% Cut to USDA Funding
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher and Rebekah Alvey reported late last week that “President Donald Trump is proposing to slash non-defense spending by nearly 23% in a fiscal 2026 budget that recommends a $5 billion cut to USDA programs, including agricultural research, international food aid, conservation technical assistance to farmers, and rural development.” “USDA’s budget would be […]
FSA to Require DOGE Approval for Larger Loans
Reuters’ Leah Douglas and P.J. Huffstutter reported that “farm loan employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency will now need approval from billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to issue loans over $500,000, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Wednesday.” “The April 29 memo sent by Houston Bruck, deputy […]
Lawmakers Send More Signals Farm Bill Uncertain This Year
Politico’s Grace Yarrow and Marcia Brown reported Wednesday that Republican “lawmakers are currently weighing whether to put Biden-era conservation programs into their party-line megabill that might have otherwise been included in their separate reauthorization of federal farm programs, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.” Yarrow and Brown reported that the possibility […]
Thompson Says House Ag Budget Cuts Probably Less Than $230 Billion
E&E News’ Marc Heller reported Tuesday that “House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson said Tuesday that the spending cuts his panel is expected to make toward a budget reconciliation deal next week will probably be less than predicted.” “Speaking to an annual gathering of agriculture reporters at the Capitol, Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he thinks […]
Trump Admin Issues Waiver for Summertime E15 Sales
Reuters’ Stephanie Kelly reported that “the Trump administration on Monday issued an emergency waiver to allow the sale of a higher-ethanol gasoline blend (E15) to be sold this summer nationwide, saying it will add to fuel supply during the peak U.S. driving season and bring down costs.” “The move likely will benefit biofuel producers and […]
China, Amid Trade War, Says it Doesn’t Need US Grains and Oilseeds
Bloomberg’s Hallie Gu reported that “China’s grain supply won’t be affected by a loss of US feed grain and oilseed imports, thanks to abundantly available substitutes on the global market and sufficient reserves at home, a top official from the country’s state planner told reporters on Monday.” “The world’s top buyer of soybeans is set […]
Trump Says US Could Re-Impose Some Reciprocal Tariffs
CNN’s David Goldman reported Wednesday that “President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he could re-impose ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on some countries in as soon as two or three weeks, a potentially significant re-escalation of the global trade war that has already raised fears of a US and global recession.” “‘In the end, I think what’s going […]
USDA Downsizing Plan to be Ready by Mid-May, Rollins Says
Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks and Steve Davies reported Wednesday that “the Trump administration’s plan for reorganizing and downsizing USDA should be out by the middle of May, and it will likely call for consolidating some programs with other agencies, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.” “During an interview with Agri-Pulse on Tuesday after a series of […]
House Ag Republicans Eyeing Early May For Spending Cuts
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill reported that “House Republicans are eyeing May 8 for the Agriculture Committee to advance its portion of the mega bill to enact President Donald Trump’s vast domestic agenda, according to two people granted anonymity to share private scheduling details.” “This target date, while weeks away, is still an ambitious timeline as […]
Farm Bankruptcies on the Rise Again in 2025
Bloomberg Law’s Alex Wolf and Skye Witley reported that “family farm bankruptcies increased by 55% last year compared to 2023 and are trending even higher this year as farmers continue to grapple with depressed agricultural commodity prices and high input costs.” “And while much of the industrywide distress predates his second stint in the White […]
US Imposes Slightly Eased Port Fees on Chinese Ships
Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward reported this past week that “starting in October, the U.S. will impose port fees on Chinese-made ships and Chinese operators based on cargo volumes, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said on Thursday. But ag exporters will see some relief as the measures will not apply to ships that arrive empty […]
Bayer CEO Warns that Company May Stop Making Roundup
The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick Thomas reported that “Roundup’s time may be up. Pharmaceutical and agriculture conglomerate Bayer said it could stop producing the world’s most popular weedkiller, unless it gets court protection against lawsuits blaming the herbicide for causing cancer.” “Roundup has generated tens of billions of dollars in sales over time for Bayer […]
USDA Ordered to Release Frozen Conservation, Energy Funds
Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks reported that “a federal judge has ordered the Agriculture Department and four other agencies to release frozen funding for Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law conservation and energy programs.” “U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island ordered leaders of USDA to resume processing grants already awarded under the IRA and […]
White House Budget Plan Proposes Local FSA, NRCS Office Closures
Government Executive’s Eric Katz reported Tuesday that “the Trump administration is planning to severely scale back or outright eliminate funding for many programs across the Agriculture Department, according to White House documents obtained by Government Executive, as it slashes workers and closes offices at the local level.” “The ‘passback’ document from the Office of Management […]
USDA Overhauling Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
Agri-Pulse’s Steve Davies and Rebekah Alvey reported Monday that “Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is renaming and changing the rules of a $3.1 billion program testing the ability of a variety of conservation practices to produce climate-smart commodities.” “A USDA release said the Trump administration was canceling the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program, which it […]
Thousands of USDA Employees Taking Buyout Offer
E&E News’ Marc Heller reported that “thousands of workers have taken the Trump administration’s second buyout offer at the Department of Agriculture, as the Trump administration continues to shrink the nearly 100,000-employee agency.” “Employees who’ve seen internal numbers at the USDA indicate the count has reached 3,100 takers at the Forest Service, around 1,200 at […]
Trump Suggests Leniency on Farm Worker Deportations
Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse reported that “President Donald Trump said he is looking to allow undocumented farm and hospitality industry workers to leave the US for a short period of time and reenter the country legally, a bid to address concerns about labor shortages from his crackdown on undocumented migration.” “‘We’re going to work with people […]
Soybean Farmers Concerned as Trump Raises China Tariffs to 125%
The Associated Press’ Huizhong Wu reported that “President Donald Trump raised the tariff on Chinese imports to 125% on Wednesday, hours after China boosted the duty on American goods to 84% in an escalating battle that threatens to disrupt trade between the world’s two largest economies.” “Citing a lack of respect, Trump set China apart […]