The State Board of Food and Agriculture hosted a four-hour hearing Tuesday to survey trade impacts to ag and probe for opportunities. The central message from the speakers was to maintain existing trade partnerships whenever possible.
Yet some had more specifics takeaways for California’s specialty crop exporters, most notably Darci Vetter, a former chief ag negotiator during the Obama administration and now a principal at Sower Strategies.
She said to review the top 15 to 19 countries called out over the last couple of years in the National Trade Estimate Report, the “playbook” for the U.S. Trade Representative. She compared the report to Festivus and the fictional holiday’s “airing of grievances,” explaining that the “very small agency,” facing an extremely tight 90-day deadline, will heavily lean on that list.
Any new specialty crop data sent to USTR and USDA officials could ensure those tariff and nontariff barriers stay on the list. “Spoon feed those agencies,” she said, adding that much of USDA’s trade expertise has vanished amid its structural change. Vetter also urged associations to look for quick wins within that timeframe through purchase agreements or tariff reductions.
Following that flurry of activity, the next issue to engage in will be the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “Please keep your eyes open” for the federal notice asking for priorities, she said.
CAWG criticizes politics in ag overtime credit outcome
The California Association of Winegrape Growers is asking for legislative pragmatism and partnership after Senate Democrats defeated a bill proposing tax credits for overtime wages. CAWG noted a trend that Democrats will not vote against the California Labor Federation and other unions.
The association compared ag to other sectors also seeking tax credits, including the film industry. But unlike other sectors, CAWG argues growers “are typically price takers” and unable to pass expenses elsewhere. They also noted most film workers enjoy union support while less than 1% of ag workers are unionized.
Court again blocks Prop. 65 label on acrylamide
A U.S. District Court has sided with CalChamber over its concerns with a Proposition 65 cancer warning for acrylamide. Almonds and other ingredients may form the chemical when cooked.
In earning a permanent injunction, CalChamber is ending a five-year legal battle against the labeling rule. CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera says the requirement lacked scientific backing and was “simply unconstitutional.”
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
Remember: Prop. 65 has a long history with court battles. A federal circuit court issued a similar ruling in 2021 for CalChamber. In 2023 an appeals court ruled in favor of the National Association of Wheat Growers that its label violated First Amendment rights. Prop. 65 grew to national infamy in 2018, when it applied the label to coffee, though it withdrew the decision the following year.
DOGE closes Kern County FSA office
The U.S Department of Government Efficiency has ended the USDA Farm Service Agency field office lease in Kern County, ABC 23 reports. Staff will reportedly have the space until August, but it is unclear whether FSA functions will remain in the area.
Local farmers told the outlet that in-person relationships with field staff are critical for producers seeking farm loans and emergency relief funds. The nearest field offices are over an hour away.
USDA reorganization plan coming next week
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday the department will unveil its reorganization plan next week and it won’t be as “drastic” as many have feared.
Speaking to members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Rollins confirmed that about 15,000 USDA employees had taken buyouts since President Donald Trump took office but said the department normally loses about 8,000 to 10,000 annually through normal attrition.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
USDA planning to rehire staff in key agencies
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told senators Tuesday that the department is working to rehire some staff, primarily in the Farm Service Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and wildfire response offices.
The commitment comes after 15,000 employees across the agency accepted buyout offers. Rollins said the agency loses up to 10,000 employees annually through normal attrition, and is working to quickly recruit and rehire staff in key departments.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Next week set for USDA reorganization, House Ag
Next week is shaping up to be a big one for ag policy. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says she’ll release her plan next week for reorganizing and downsizing her department. But she told members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting on Tuesday the downsizing won’t be as “drastic” as some observers fear.
She later told the Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee she’s rehiring some staff, primarily in the Farm Service Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and wildfire response offices.
Meanwhile, House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., says he plans to bring the committee’s portion of the budget reconciliation bill to a vote of the panel next week. The text could be out this weekend. But committee members continue to wrangle over whether – and how – to force states to start sharing the cost of the SNAP program.
Take note: For more on reconciliation, read our weekly newsletter today. We also have Aubrey Bettencourt talking about her plans as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service amid its staffing cuts. Plus, we have report on U.S.-UK trade, Proposition 12, pesticide regulation, and food dyes.
Rollins grilled on disaster aid timing
William Dellacamera, a vegetable farmer from Connecticut, came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to quiz Rollins about the status of $220 million in disaster aid for farmers.
Dellacamera said he is awaiting funds through the Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant that offers funds to states in New England, Alaska and Hawaii for 2023 and 2024 losses from weather events. The block grant program was included in the end-of-year continuing resolution, but Dellacamera said USDA has dragged its feet in releasing the funds, preventing farmers from accessing it until the fall.
“Why would I or any other farmer want to have to even keep farming, right, if that’s what it’s going to be year after year, disaster after disaster,” Dellacamera told reporters at the Senate subcommittee hearing where Rollins was testifying.
Take note: Senators also pressed her on the status of $20 billion in farmer disaster aid, which she said would open up for applications in the coming days.
In front of reporters after the hearing, Rollins told Dellacamera that USDA would open up the funds in the coming weeks, and her team assured him that they are trying their best.
“But how do we stop creditors from calling every day?” Dellacamera responded. “That’s the problem.”
Take note: Today, Rollins is expected on Capitol Hill again. This time, she will appear before the House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee.
Trump, Carney hold ‘constructive’ meeting, as Trump digs in on tariffs
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday was “wide-ranging” and “constructive,” insisting that he made the case for lifting tariffs. Meanwhile, Trump told reporters there was nothing Carney could say to get him to undo Canada’s 25% duties.
That’s “just the way it is,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
In a sign of how far U.S. trade policy has come since Trump’s first term, the president questioned whether the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is “even necessary.” Trump negotiated the North American trade deal in 2018, and it runs until 2036, with a review slated for next year.
But on Tuesday, Trump referred to the pact as “transitional.” But he stressed it was not “dead” and has been, and remains, “very effective.”
“Really, today marked the end of the beginning of a process of the United States and Canada redefining that relationship,” Carney told reporters after leaving the White House. “The question is how we will co-operate in the future.”
Zeldin: Pesticide programs to benefit from EPA research cuts
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 the 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.”
Lawmaker reintroduces precision ag bills
Rep. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., has reintroduced a package of bills intended to expand the adoption of precision agriculture technologies.
The “PRECISE Act” and “Precision Agricultural Loan Act” would allow producers to use USDA loans to purchase precision ag equipment.
Meanwhile, the “Last Acre Act” would create a new USDA grant and loan program to improve connectivity across tracts of farmland, while also requiring the Agricultural Census to collect information on farm internet accessibility.
Final word
“Farmers and ranchers throughout the state are always up for the challenge and somehow we all make it through it. Hopefully, this is no exception.” — State Food and Agriculture Board President Don Cameron, at a Tuesday hearing on tariff impacts to California ag.
