USDA

Employees at U.S. Department of Agriculture research facilities across the Midwest have lost their jobs as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to trim the federal workforce. Former and current employees at one of those labs say the job cuts will impact agricultural research and support for farmers.

Farmers, nonprofits and state agencies received almost $3 billion in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. But recent federal funding freezes have recipients concerned they won’t end up receiving money.

The National Forest Service will not release details on the number or job duties of people let go from the Mark Twain and Shawnee National Forests.

Lincoln University in Missouri is heading a USDA-funded project researching the commodity, but its prohibition created high hurdles for getting the crop off the ground.

In Missouri, families may not get the summer payments until fall, because funding for the program wasn’t approved until May.

The district north of Alton in Fosterburg township will soon break ground on the water treatment plant and more than 50 miles of pipe to connect to six other communities and water districts.

The agriculture department’s annual projections show a slowing economy and lower crop prices for the upcoming year. The USDA also looks ahead to the next decade, showing rising crop yields but a competitive job market.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report found “socially disadvantaged producers,” especially Black farmers, operate at a higher risk level compared to their white counterparts and are less likely to receive government payments.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline.

Over 100 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Food Bank is trying to cut down on that waste by connecting local farmers and food pantries, but it’s future depends on how much funding is included for the program in the next farm bill.