Tag: USDA

Columnist Alan Guebert analyzes the rising dependency on federal subsidies as a new $11 billion request balloons 2026 farm program payments to $55.3 billion. The piece contrasts current tariff-driven taxpayer bailouts with historic net farm income data and export market trends.

With lawmakers in session for only a handful of days this summer, Congress is failing to provide oversight for a sweeping USDA reorganization. Alan Guebert details how the agency plans to slash its workforce by 23% and move headquarters out of Washington, D.C., without a budget fight.

The Wildlife Habitat Initiative is a new partnership offering up to 95% reimbursement for conservation practices. Whether planting pollinator plots or clearing invasive species, learn how to qualify through the USDA to improve your land for native wildlife.

From confusing Federal Milk Marketing Order jargon to the deadly dismantling of USAID food programs by DOGE, Alan Guebert cuts through the noise. Explore why Big Ag continues to push outdated ethanol solutions while independent farmers are left scraping by.

While the Trump administration rolls out the "Great American Cotton Plan" to bail out a shrinking, synthetic-dominated cotton market, U.S. wheat farmers face historic droughts and crop abandonment with little federal support. A look at the paradox in modern American farm policy.

After passing the House, the $1.4 trillion 2026 Farm Bill is gaining momentum. The budget-neutral legislation shifts billions, cutting SNAP programs while boosting farm subsidies. It also triggers fierce lobbying over interstate meat regulations and animal welfare protections.

The flesh-eating New World screwworm has returned to the U.S. Southwest. While Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins blames the previous administration, critics point to early 2025 budget cuts made by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency that halted critical livestock monitoring.

Ohio State University researchers, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, are conducting a statewide effort to revisit and re-sample historic National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) soil characterization sites across Ohio.

The USDA has confirmed a case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in a Texas calf, marking its return after being eradicated in 1966. A second case emerged two days later in another calf about 6 miles from the first detection. By June 8, the tally of affected animals had risen to four, including a goat in Gillespie County, Texas, and a dog in Lea County, New Mexico, classified as the first U.S. case there.

Under Secretary Brooke Rollins’ National Farm Security Plan, the USDA has inked a $300M deal with Palantir to launch "One Farmer, One File." While the initiative promises faster disaster payments and streamlined services, the partnership raises major concerns about data privacy and surveillance.