USDA

The $3 billion initiative funded agriculture research and programs across the nation. Over $1.2 billion went toward 36 programs that involve Missouri.

An East St. Louis pantry said it used to get 12 to 13 pallets of produce per week. Now, it’s four or five after the USDA eliminated a program that reimburses states for purchasing produce from local farmers.

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.