HEY FAMILY FARMERS. I dare you to find the words FAMILY FARMERS in Trump/Rollin’s new reorganization of USDA. Here’s where to look:
What! Surprised you didn’t find any? Senators Boozman (R-MT) and Klobuchar (D-MN) didn’t get a heads-up either. They lead the Senate Ag Committee. Probably, they weren’t expecting anything significant since not a peep about Agriculture has come from Trump and Rollins all year — except! For Trump’s almost daily use of agriculture as the whipping boy for his tariffs and his dismantling of the USDA, a major buyer of farm produce.
The 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2023. 667 days have passed since it expired. The original debate and passage finalized on September 30, 2018.
A few things have changed since 2018. Who would have thunk?
2018, seven years ago, was the last time Congress and the president — then Donald Trump— had a serious conversation about farmers’ needs, the production necessary for feeding our country (and the world), food safety, how best to take care of the land, and the required research to support these needs.
Now, USDA — long ignored by the president and Secretary Brooke Rollins — finds itself under attack. Rollins’ announcement means kicking employees out of their offices, selling government-owned buildings and other properties used for research, and possibly planning for layoffs, retirements, or terminations of about half of USDA’s employees.
The professional workers who decide to move out of the Washington area to one of the five new locations where employees are being transferred will be expected to accept pay cuts.
It’s a rush to save money for use in filling the greedy, hungry mouths of whiny, demanding billionaires.
The USDA announcement claims the reorganization will:
(1) Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities, (2) brings USDA closer to its customers, (3) eliminates management layers and bureaucracy, and (4) consolidates redundant support functions.”
But check the language — “workforce aligns with available financial resources.” OH! This indicates that Trump/Rollins made a random decision to cut spending, and these reduced funds will determine how many people will do the work for which the USDA is responsible.
The Farm Bill and its agricultural priorities haven't been reviewed since 2018, seven years ago. Who knows what agriculture needs now? Did anyone ask what family farmers want or need? What about the teachers who see hungry kids eating USDA-sponsored school lunches every day? And what market will farmers sell to now that USAID funding for hungry children overseas was canceled? Most certainly, Rollins has no answers, nor does the president.
Earlier this year, Secretary Rollins issued a memorandum exempting National Security and Public Safety positions from the federal hiring freeze. These 52 position classifications address critical needs for national forests, as well as the inspection and safety of the nation’s agricultural and food supply systems. No guarantees have been made that these positions will stay in Washington, and for those who are forced to relocate to where their jobs are going, they will likely face pay cuts.
Although farmers were not considered important enough by Rollins to be even mentioned during the rollout, after Rollins’ big announcement about the major USDA reorganization and its associated cuts, she did note that the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) staff will be protected from these cuts because the farm safety net relies on FSA.
But OOPS! Check the budget. Crop insurance is the key part of the farm safety net.
Unfortunately, no similar statement has been issued regarding the Risk Management Agency (RMA), which manages the crop insurance program. It’s possible RMA may be merged back into FSA; if that occurs, it could jeopardize the success of the crop insurance program, as it was separated from FSA decades ago because FSA failed to develop the program properly to cater to the diverse crops grown across the U.S. FSA has already made a significant power grab related to data, so there is precedent. The crop insurance program developed by RMA is essential for farmers because, like when we buy a car or a house, lenders require insurance; for farmers, their bankers demand crop insurance before the crops can be planted.
This story continues. 11:00 Eastern Standard Time, 328A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC: Full Committee Hearing, Review of the USDA Reorganization Proposal. Check back at 11AM EST to see it live.