How does USDA plan to realign the budget for next year?

On the radar right now are the Farm Service Agency, NRCS, and the Forest Service.

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.

Related Stories
“It, all of a sudden, says that tracking and fighting hunger is not a priority, apparently, at the federal level.”
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.
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.
Trump’s upcoming talks raise hopes for U.S. soybeans, but China’s record purchases from Brazil and Argentina show America’s market share remains under heavy pressure.
USDA’s report shows wheat strength overall, with winter wheat yields setting records, while spring wheat and rye saw declines. Oats and barley remain constrained by record-low acreage despite stable or rising yields.
Bigger-than-expected corn and wheat stocks are bearish for prices, while soybean figures were neutral. Farmers may face additional price pressure as harvest accelerates.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2026 agenda centers on labor stability, biosecurity, and economic resilience for family farms. Expanded DMC coverage improves risk protection for dairy operations facing tighter margins.
Alex Templeton works alongside her dad, sharing her life through social media and her blog Ag Talk with Alex.
Secretary Rollins also met with specialty crop producers at a local strawberry farm to discuss workforce needs and the Trump Administration’s recent wins related to significantly cutting the cost of H-2A labor for California farmers.
Brent Graves, auctioneer and mentor, shares his journey supporting youth in agriculture, livestock competitions, and how he is turning junior livestock auctions into a classroom for youth in agriculture.