USDA DEVOTES $100 MILLION TO FIGHT AVIAN FLU
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will soon distribute an additional $100 million to research vaccines and therapeutics to combat High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI). The funding will help address the impact on the U.S. egg supply, with extra imports allowed to stabilize the market. Funding proposals are due by May 19, and a webinar will be held on April 1 to guide applicants.
However, according to Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, while the USDA is dedicating more funding to gain additional clarity on how vaccines could play a role in the fight against HPAI, they have no plans to vaccinate at this time — poultry or humans.
“While the USDA is exploring the viability of vaccinating poultry for HPAI, the use of any vaccine has not been authorized at this time,” Rollins explained in a press briefing this week. “I know there has been some misreporting on that. The day we rolled out the plan, I actually talked about the fact we’re not ready to vaccinate. We need to do some more research. And so, that has not changed.”
READ MORE: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins holds briefing call to address HPAI response efforts
RURAL ECONOMY REACTS TO THE STRAIN OF HIGH INPUT COSTS + SHRINKING EXPORT MARKETS
Rural towns have seen mixed economic conditions, leading to a decline in sentiment. However, while acknowledging the increased negativity about the current state of the economy and that input costs remain high, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell noted that interest rates remain steady and consumer prices and inflation reports showed promising news.
On the other hand, farm groups are flagging potential reasons for their drop in sentiment, specifically fears surrounding tariffs that could take away key export markets, which continue to be a growing industry concern. Earlier this week, Barley producer and Vice President of the Montana Grain Growers Association Steve Sheffels told RFD-TV News that farmers would ultimately pay for tariffs. Sheffels explained that barley farmers grow far more crops that can be consumed in the domestic market, which will cause them to compete for a shrinking number of buyers as countries like Canada and Mexico reduce their dependence on American imports.
READ MORE: “The economy seems to be healthy” despite negative sentiment
TAX BREAKS FOR FARMERS AT-RISK
Despite the passing of a continuing resolution to keep the government open, key tax breaks for farmers and ranchers are set to expire this year. Lawmakers are under pressure to extend these tax cuts before the end of the year to avoid significant tax increases for the agricultural sector.
READ MORE: What will happen if Congress doesn’t take action on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE OVER FROZEN FUNDS
Several conservation groups, including the Turtle Island Restoration Network, The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, and the Sierra Club, are suing the Trump Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for reversing critical safeguards designed to prevent ship strikes in the Gulf of Mexico and protect wildlife.
The coalition of environmental groups sent a formal notice to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) following the agency’s decision to revoke a 2023 “notice to lessees and operators. " The groups argued that lost access to government conservation funds suddenly frozen by DOGE is in direct violation of the Endangered Species Act and a stymie to key conservation programs that help producers remain profitable.
Similar lawsuits by different conservation groups are also being filed against the administration as well, including groups in Rhode Island, Florida, and Oregon.
However, positive signs are ahead for farmers awaiting funds to proceed with a number of high dollar sustainability projects — as the USDA announces a slate of key appointments in its grant-issuing and conservation wings, the National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) and the Farm Production and Conservation Center, and other announcements of funding awards for farmers facing issues not addressed by the aging Farm Bill, like researching HPAI vaccines and water issues on the Southern border.
READ MORE: USDA announces Farm Production and Conservation Center leadership changes
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT:
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re celebrating the incredible women shaping the future of agriculture! Every day in March, we will showcase feel-good stories and interviews highlighting the passion and persistence of powerful women in agriculture.
But how are today’s women leaders preparing the way for the next generation of women in ag?
National 4-H Council President and CEO Jill Bramble and Marti Skold-Jordan with the Tractor Supply Company Foundation joined RFD-TV’s Tammi Arender in the studio to discuss 4-H’s Beyond Ready Initiative, why it is crucial to teach young women about possible careers in agriculture, and what message they have to other women in agriculture who are looking for ways to make a difference.
