The government’s latest rounds of layoffs have impacted the ag industry, including the U.S. Meat Animal Research Council in Nebraska.
Nebraska cattlemen say that the U.S. MARC has played a key role in the beef industry over the years. The facility researches costly respiratory diseases, improves cattle fertility, and ensures food safety.
The group says that the center informs ranchers across the country.
According to Laura Field, “We are very fortunate to have them located here in Nebraska, but this is not just a Nebraska issue. U.S. MARC’s footprint is across the country and across the world. We would be the first ones to say, ‘Yes, we agree, there’s efficiencies in the government that are needed, and there are things that should be considered.’ But U.S. MARC is not one of those things. U.S. MARC is vitally important and the mission they have, so it’s a concern. It was maybe a little surprising to us to hear, but it’s definitely a concern going forward to make sure that they can continue to keep everything there going, keep the animals going, and keep the research going as well.”
While we do not know how many employees have been cut, Field says that the layoffs have led to a loss in manpower, which impacts the large number of animals at the research center.
“There are over 25,000 head of livestock, and we certainly pay very close attention to the beef cattle side, but they’ve got sheep, they’ve got swine down there, and they’ve got dairy cattle. There are all kinds of things that they have to do day in and day out, and I think right now, with the cold weather we’re experiencing, it’s even more important. As we know, those cattle have to be fed every day. U.S. MARC also grows crops that go into their feed rations and hay that they use to feed livestock. You know, they’ve seen technicians lost, and researchers and even just statisticians helping keep that data together and keep things running. So, all of those things together, it’s a real-world issue for us to face,” she explains.
Research is not the only area being impacted, state lawmakers in Minnesota say that food banks are being impacted by government grants drying up.
“We were buying chicken from a small chicken farm every week, and we’re owed $10,000 because we have to advance the money and we’re not getting reimbursed for that. So we had to immediately stop buying the chicken for the food shelf,” Virginia Witherspoon notes.
She says that her food bank stopped buying eggs because they are too expensive and the center does not have enough money.
