Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Sunday that USDA’s plans to move much of its D.C.-based staff to five hubs across the country are ‘about 95 percent’ finalized. Still, the USDA will accept comments on the plan to reorganize for a 30-day period ending Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Politics
Mexico Tariffs Delayed, Higher Duties Set on Brazil & Canada
President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada (35%), Brazil (50%), India and Taiwan, ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline, pressing ahead with plans to reorder the global economy.
USDA Relocation Plan Will Save About $4 Billion, Officials Say
The USDA is confident its push to move more employees out of Washington and into five new hubs around the country will retain most staff and large-scale layoffs will not be necessary, a top official told lawmakers on Wednesday. The department will be saving about $4 billion through the plan.
USDA Relocation Plan Raises Service, Staff Disruption Concerns
With the release of the Trump administration’s plans to reorganize the U.S. Department of Agriculture including moving more than 2,000 employees out of Washington, D.C., agriculture interest groups, federal lawmakers and others expressed concern about whether the move would disrupt services.
USDA to Relocate Thousands of DC Employees to Regional Hubs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will relocate much of its Washington, D.C., workforce to five regional hubs and vacate several buildings in the area, including its flagship research center, the agency announced on Thursday.
California’s Prop 12 Increased Pork Prices, USDA Data Says
Republicans continued on Wednesday a years-long effort to override a 2018 California law that bans the sale in the state of pork from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, arguing in a House Agriculture Committee hearing that the law is overly burdensome to farmers.
China Issues New Threats to Block Panama Canal Ports Deal
China’s government is threatening to block a deal that would transfer ownership of dozens of seaports — including two ports at the Panama Canal — to Western investors if Cosco, China’s largest shipping company, doesn’t get a stake.
Trump’s Brazil Tariffs Could Impact Beef and Coffee Trade
President Donald Trump’s unexpected move to threaten a 50% tariff on Brazil risks roiling global commodity markets, disrupting trade on everything from beef to coffee.
Ag Legislators Look Ahead to “Skinny” Farm Bill this Fall
After clearing their agriculture megabill hurdle, Republicans are looking to pass a smaller farm bill that includes some key policies that haven’t been updated since the last farm bill was passed in 2018.
Trump Reiterates Willingness to Let Migrant Laborers Stay on Farms
President Donald Trump again said on Thursday that he is willing to let migrant laborers stay in the United States if the farmers they work for will vouch for them.
Congress Passes Megabill with Significant Farm Program Funding
House GOP leaders overcame Republican objections to Senate provisions on SNAP, rural hospitals and other issues to clear President Donald Trump’s massive spending and tax package, including a historic infusion of new farm program funding.
Senate Prepares to Vote on Budget Bill with Farm Safety Net Improvements
Senators will begin their vote-a-rama on the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ at 9 a.m. Monday. The driver behind the bill is to prevent the 2017 tax cuts from expiring, but the bill plusses up some tax cuts while also cutting spending for Medicaid and food programs for low-income people.
Senate Ag’s SNAP Cost-Share Plan Approved by Parliamentarian
The Senate parliamentarian on Thursday approved Republicans’ tweaked plan to push some costs of the nation’s anti-hunger program onto states, allowing them to maintain a crucial $41 billion spending cut that will help pay for their policy megabill.
Global Urea Prices Surge on Middle East Conflict
Global prices of key fertilizer ingredient urea have surged alongside escalating violence in the Middle East, which threatens to choke supplies of the crop nutrient from a significant producing and exporting region.
Trump Again Considering Immigration Relief for Farmworkers
President Donald Trump again is saying he wants to shield farmers from the effects of his crackdown on illegal immigration, just days after his administration reinstated workplace raids on agricultural operations.
ICE Reverses Exemption of Ag from Immigration Raids
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday told staff that it was reversing guidance issued last week that agents were not to conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels and restaurants.
Iran-Israel Conflict Adds Uncertainty to Fertilizer Market
Renewed conflict in the Middle East has shuttered urea production in Iran, sending ripples through global fertilizer markets and adding to existing uncertainty around Russian and Chinese supplies.
ICE Ordered to Pause Immigration Raids on Ag Businesses
President Donald Trump’s administration has directed immigration officials to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, restaurants and meatpacking plants, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters, a senior Trump official, and a person familiar with the matter.
Immigration Raids Targeting Ag Businesses Increase
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are starting to more aggressively target agriculture and food processing facilities around the country as reports over the past week from (Nebraska), New Mexico and California also highlight.
DOGE Cuts USDA Office Closure List in Half
USDA agencies will close fewer than half the number of offices originally listed by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as cost-saving measures, with at least 61 USDA offices removed from the DOGE website nearly three months after their original listing.