The Senate is still at work on President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” but they are also looking over next year’s budget. It includes the numbers for USDA, along with a nearly $25 billion cut proposed by the White House.
On the radar right now are the Farm Service Agency, NRCS, and the Forest Service. Combined, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says the proposed cuts would come out to $23 billion, with the Forest Service seeing the largest decrease at more than 75 percent, but much of that would be transferred to the Interior Department.
SNAP is also under debate with possible cuts next year. Senator Chuck Grassley says cuts to SNAP could end leftover pandemic spending.
“We don’t have the pandemic now as the excuse for spending money. It seems to me it’s legitimate to go back to the program that was pre-pandemic. Otherwise, the pandemic has just been used as an excuse to spend more money, and we don’t need excuses to spend more money with the $36 trillion debt.”
In a call with reporters this week, Senator Grassley voiced support for the bill to bring whole milk back to public schools. Hours later, that bill was passed out of the Senate Ag Committee.
Agricultural exports continue to be a key contributor to rural employment. However, rural businesses still struggle to fill numerous job openings.
October 06, 2025 10:46 AM
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated this week that the government will intervene to help, following China’s withdrawal from the U.S. soybean market. One trader says the industry will remain in a holding pattern until Tuesday.
October 03, 2025 01:04 PM
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Farm CPA Paul Neiffer joins us to provide an updated analysis of projected ARC and PLC payments and potential delays due to the ongoing government shutdown.
October 03, 2025 11:02 AM
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“It, all of a sudden, says that tracking and fighting hunger is not a priority, apparently, at the federal level.”
October 02, 2025 01:22 PM
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In a final rule published in the Federal Register, the Department states that it will no longer base wage rates on the Farm Labor Survey.
October 02, 2025 11:20 AM
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Farmers are in the midst of harvest as the government descends into a shutdown and the Farm Bill expires. Key federal departments, crop reporting, and aid programs important to the agricultural sector are now on hold.
October 02, 2025 10:54 AM
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