Researchers are warning the Trump administration’s halt to Colorado River drought grants could upend decades of conservation gains. In a new paper, UC economists point to 20 years of success with financing ag projects.
Farms were far more cost-effective than cities in cutting use, averaging $405 per acre-foot compared to more than $6,000 for municipalities. Focusing the limited federal dollars on the most efficient projects first “offers the best return on investment and impact,” note the researchers. They caution, however, that conserving more could incentivize growers to expand acreage, if clear restrictions are not in place.
But: The funding freeze “will likely constrain future allocations and hinder California’s progress in meeting conservation goals.” That could diminish the scale of the projects and their long-term viability.
Take note: The researchers counted seven projects on average funded annually from 2004 to 2014 and 38 over the next decade. That jumped to 52 in 2023 after the Biden administration injected more than $4 billion into drought contingency efforts through the Inflation Reduction Act. Up until that year the total funding over the two decades added up to $1.1 billion, with California receiving nearly half.
Tariffs are slashing inbound ships, alarming ag exporters
Skyhigh U.S. tariffs on Chinese products are roiling supply chains and prompting importers to rethink orders and suppliers. But fewer ships coming into the U.S. means fewer ships going out, and the agriculture industry worries its exports are going to be squeezed in the oncoming global trade reshuffle.
Trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies is making its mark on global shipping. For the week beginning April 27, the Port of Los Angeles had 16 scheduled vessels, around a 13% decrease from the same time last year, and about a third less than the previous week.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
15,000-plus USDA employees to leave agency through buyouts
More than 15,000 of approximately 100,000 employees at USDA are preparing to leave the agency after accepting buyout offers that will allow them to keep being paid through the end of September, according to numbers shared with Agri-Pulse by a Capitol Hill source.
Among the hardest-hit agencies in the department: the Farm Service Agency, with 36% taking the buyouts, and Rural Development, with 33%
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
USDA nominees advance
The Senate Agriculture Committee voted along party lines Monday evening to send two USDA nominations to the Senate floor: Stephen Vaden to be deputy ag secretary and Tyler Clarkson to be USDA’s general counsel.
The panel voted 12-11 to approve them. “We do have concerns about these nominees’ past records, so we will be not voting for them,” said the committee’s ranking Democrat, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
Vaden served as general counsel during the first Trump administration, and Clarkson was deputy general counsel.
Keep in mind: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins remains the lone official at USDA who’s been confirmed by the Senate.
SNAP advocates gear up for Capitol Hill fight
Anti-hunger groups see this week as their final chance to persuade Republicans to block steep cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that some argue would be almost impossible to reverse.
The Food Research & Action Center hosted its National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference this week, which leads up to a lobby day and SNAP rally today.
A House Agriculture Committee markup on its portion of the budget reconciliation bill was originally scheduled for this week but is now expected next week. The panel’s Republicans remain split on how to find over $230 billion in spending reductions.
Anti-hunger groups are concerned by proposals to toughen SNAP work requirements, a potential state-cost share model for the program and restrictions on the Thrifty Food Plan.
Keep in mind: Some Republicans are not on board with the cost-share proposal. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., instead proposed basing state cost-share on each state’s error rates. For example, Wisconsin had a 4.74% SNAP error rate in 2023. Under his proposal, the state would be responsible for covering the same percentage of the program.
Other states, including many red states, have significantly higher error rates. Alaska in particular has drawn attention from lawmakers for a 60.37% error rate in 2023.
Shifting costs to the states would make a “bad thing worse” said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director at FRAC. He said this would impact services, which Republicans could try to use as justification for additional cuts down the road.
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Meanwhile: House Agriculture ranking member Angie Craig, D-Minn., echoed this sentiment in her address to the anti-hunger advocates Monday morning. She said she’s seen a disconnect between what Republican colleagues will say privately versus publicly on Medicaid and SNAP cuts, but more recently those members are starting to draw red lines.
“I’ve seen a whole lot of my colleagues draw red lines and just jump in the red pool after … or get their arm twisted to support bad policy anyway,” Craig said. “So, I sure hope as my colleagues march up to these lines that they’re willing to hold the line.”
By the way: House Ag Republicans will be meeting this morning to talk about their plans for meeting their target spending cut.
Grocers’ report highlights SNAP’s impact on local economies
A new analysis from the National Grocers Association found that SNAP generated over $4.5 billion in federal, state and local tax receipts in 2024. The program supports about 388,000 jobs at grocery stores, warehouses, trucking companies, farms and more. This contributes over $20 billion in direct wages, according to NGA’s report, which came out this morning.
“SNAP is not just food assistance for families — it’s an economic engine that bolsters jobs on Main Street,” said Stephanie Johnson, NGA’s group vice president for government relations, in a statement.
NIOSH employees get RIF notices
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health saw another round of layoffs on Friday, affecting most of the staff who had not already been let go, two sources with knowledge of the cuts told Agri-Pulse.
Employees who research occupational hazards associated with fishing were among those in the second wave, as well as some who help distribute funding to external Agricultural Safety and Health Centers, according to one former NIOSH employee.
Trump and Carney to meet amid tense US-Canada relations
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Washington today for his first in-person meeting with President Donald Trump since winning the Canadian election last week. Carney’s office said the two would discuss trade and the future of the countries’ economic and security relationship.
The meeting comes against a backdrop of 25% U.S. tariffs on imports from Canada not covered by a North American trade deal, reduced to 10% on energy products and potash. On the campaign trail, Carney, a former central banker, argued that the era of deepening U.S.-Canadian integration is over — a “tragedy,” he called it.
Take note: Trump set the tone for the discussion in his Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything,” he said. “We do very little business with Canada.”
Canada “has consistently been one of the top two trading partners for the United States,” according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. So far in 2025, it’s also been the top destination for U.S. exports, which have totaled $55.7 billion.
Lutnick’s take: On Monday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick poured cold water over a possible deal to lift the Canada tariffs. "It is very complex," he told Fox Business. Lutnick added it would be a "fascinating" meeting between the two leaders, but said he doesn't see how "it works out so perfectly."
Final word
“I am grateful every time I have an opportunity to spend time in this special place.” — CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, reflecting on her trip last week to the groundbreaking for a new dairy plant in Bakersfield, a sendoff for the outgoing Table Grape Commission CEO and an immigration roundtable hosted by the Central Valley Community Foundation.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Wonderful Nurseries was the first employer to face card check. It was the third.
