May 8, 2025

Senators Urge USDA to Explain DOGE Review of Farm Loans 

Democrats in the U.S. Senate have asked USDA to explain why the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) must approve certain government farm loans and loan guarantees before they are issued, according to a copy of a letter seen by Reuters. The lawmakers also told USDA they wanted details about how such reviews are being conducted and whether DOGE will be vetting other USDA farm assistance programs. The letter, led by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, was sent late Tuesday to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, according to an aide. It was signed by 16 senators, including Ron Wyden, Adam Schiff and others. The letter comes after Reuters reported on an April 29 memo outlining policy changes related to USDA FSA farm loan programs. According to the memo, the new policy requires that farm loans and loan guarantees over $500,000 must be reviewed and cleared by the agency’s chief financial officer and DOGE employees. 

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EPA Working to Clear Pesticide Registration Backlog 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says the Office of Pesticide Programs will benefit from the dissolution of the Office of Research and Development, the agency’s scientific research arm. The agency said last week the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, which includes OPP, will get more than 130 employees, some of whom will work on pesticide reviews. On Tuesday, Zeldin told farm broadcasters EPA chemicals staff had urged him to bolster chemical reviews and pesticide registrations. “They said that if they were able to get scientists sent to them from the Office of Research and Development, that can help them in getting through this backlog that we inherited,” Zeldin said. Zeldin also urged growers to reach out with suggestions for the recently released insecticide strategy. “My message would be for any individual growers that are out there and they read the insecticide strategy, and they have an idea for us on how to do anything better, let us know, and we’ll update. This isn’t a final document,” according to Zeldin. 

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Democrats Worried About Farm Bill Amidst Reconciliation Talks 

While House Ag Chair GT Thompson and Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman laid out an optimistic scenario for the farm bill, Democratic lawmakers who addressed agriculture reporters said they’re uncertain about the bill’s prospects and worried about the Trump administration’s cuts to agriculture agencies that aren’t raising many public objections from Republicans. E&E News reports that Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said she’s ‘petrified’ by staff reductions and frozen grants and contracts at the Forest Service. Pingree, who’s on both the House Agriculture and Appropriations committees, said the Agriculture panel could write a bipartisan farm bill on its own but that the reality of passing legislation on the floor and satisfying the Republicans’ right wing complicates the picture. Pingree said, “The committee is pretty reasonable at figuring these things out.  (But) now that lawmakers are juggling reconciliation and a farm bill together, all hell has broken loose.” 

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Lindberg Cites Trade Barriers During Confirmation Hearings 

USDA Undersecretary for Trade nominee Luke Lindberg says America has “abdicated” its leadership role in feeding the world. Lindberg told Senate Ag lawmakers at his confirmation hearing that the U.S. for too long has let other nations “rig” farm trade against American producers. “Our ethanol producers are no longer competitive in Brazil because of Brazilian import tariffs. Our hog farmers cannot export pork to Brazil, India, Nigeria, Jamaica, Namibia, or Thailand. Mexico has enjoyed a 557-percent increase in specialty crop imports into the United States in just the last decade. Canada has rigged the USMCA agreement terms against our dairy and wheat farmers.” One of the biggest offenders in a laundry list of comments submitted to USTR is the E.U. “The European Union is responsible for roughly half of our overall trade deficit, 23.6 billion dollars, and yet it routinely shuts out our products at the altar of non-scientifically based claims.” 

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Nebraska Farm Income Projected to Increase 55% in 2025 

Nebraska net farm income is forecast to increase 55% in 2025, to a record $9.42 billion, according to new projections from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Missouri. It would be the highest nominal farm income level on record for the state. Higher cash receipts from livestock and crop insurance indemnities are projected to offset the decline in cash receipts from crops. But the major driver of farm income in 2025 is expected to be the $1.58 billion increase in direct government payments, which would account for 17% of the increase in the state’s net farm income. “Positive profit margins in livestock production and one-time government payments will support farm liquidity in calendar year 2025,” said Alejandro Plastina, director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center. “Managing liquidity smartly will be key to protect farm operations from headwinds in 2026.” The 55% increase in Nebraska largely exceeds the 30% increase in U.S. net farm income projected by the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute and USDA’s Economic Research Service. 

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Mexico Agriculture Minister says Deals Reached with US Counterpart  

Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said on Tuesday he reached agreements with U.S. counterpart Brooke Rollins in a “friendly” meeting in Washington and met with tomato industry executives. He later posted again on X saying he met with more than two dozen representatives and companies involved in distributing Mexican tomatoes in the U.S. Washington has said it intends to withdraw from a bilateral agreement on Mexican tomato exports, citing its failure to protect domestic growers. Reuters reports a U.S. pullout would result in duties of nearly 20.91% on most Mexican tomato exports as of July 14. “They highlighted the adverse effects of the measure adopted by the U.S. government, which will make tomatoes more expensive for consumers,” Berdegue said about his meeting with executives. Mexico’s government said in April it hoped to begin talks to renew the agreement and has been working to smooth out other recent tensions including the handling of the New World screwworm after the U.S. threatened to limit cattle imports from Mexico. *********************************************************************************************************************************