Politico

In preparation of Wednesday's government shutdown on Wednesday, USDA said it took steps earlier this week to be ready.

Thousands of workers have reportedly accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offers at the USDA.  E & E News says employees who’ve seen the internal numbers at USDA say the count has reached 3,100 at the Forest Service, 1,200 at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and possibly up to 12,000 people through the entire agency.  If those numbers hold, ...

A letter obtained by Politico indicates the USDA will not open CRP acres for crop production. In a letter to the National Grain and Feed Association, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Quickly converting this land to crop production is clearly unfeasible.” Vi ...

Watchdog organizations are calling for the USDA's inspector general to investigate whether Ag Secretary Sonn Perdue committed ethics violations when he may have failed to separate himself from his multimillion dollar business when becoming the head of the Department of Ag ...

The coronavirus outbreak has exposed major flaws in the American farm labor system. Politico said that’s upping the pressure on the federal government to make migrant labor much more accessible to farmers. It also highlights a lack of health and safety protections for these “essential” workers. Farmworke ...

Grocery store shelves will soon be restocked with meat products in “another week or so.” According to Politico that announcement comes from Tyson Foods CEO Noel White after a recent surge in demand for meat products. The U.S. has ample food supplies for those staying home under “social distancing” policies. White said Tyson has ...

The CME Group physical trading floor will close due to the coronavirus. Much of today’s trade is done electronically. Trade on the floor will end at the close of Friday’s trading session, and all trading will take place on the GME Globex. CME Group ...

Last year the USDA dedicated $2 million dollars for each of four regional projects looking to help farmers and those in agriculture struggling with mental health issues.  Now, according to Politico, leaders are exploring best ways to help farmers in need, whether through hotlines and resource directories, as well as financial and legal consulting.  Th...

While much of the attention on the deal between the U.S. and China centers around concerns on China meeting its purchasing requirements under the agreement, there are some deadlines it has to meet. There are some deadlines for the U.S. to meet as well...

The Administration is rolling out its final budget request of President Trump’s first term, and the budget proposal looks very similar to the previous requests.  A key piece of Trump's proposal to lower federal spending by $4.4 trillion over the next decade.   To do...