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News is coming at us hot and fast these days. Below is an update on federal actions as of February 3rd 2025 with information and analysis on the impacts to states and rural communities. The SiX ag program continues to monitor these situations and update this information as needed. If you are a state legislature and need assistance on any of these issues or others, please reach out to [email protected]

See other CROP HOT Takes from: January 28 | February 3rd

NEW RESOURCE: This new Project 2025 Tracker gathers information about the Trump administration’s progress in achieving their Project 2025 goals. Organized and searchable by the federal agency affected by the administrative action, this tracker provides up to date info about where the administration is focusing their energy.                                                                                                                                             

• Avian flu continues to wreak havoc on the poultry industry and egg prices, public health threatened: 
  • What’s going on? Last week egg prices hit their highest-ever recorded peak at $8 per dozen wholesale amidst the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak on commercial poultry farms. The virus, which has been circulating globally for multiple years now, first appeared in U.S. commercial poultry operations in early 2022. Since then, approximately 162 million birds across all 50 states and Puerto Rico have been culled due to infections. The most recent strain of the virus (H5N1) has now been detected in 9 states, with a woman in Wyoming being the fourth human to be infected with the virus in the U.S.
  • Of Immediate Concern…. Cross-Species Infections:  It’s not just commercial poultry operations that are being impacted. Wild birds are being infected at a rapid rate (though inconsistent and limited testing capacity may be missing infections), with Wisconsin being the latest state to announce a wild bird infection. This week, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) also announced the third spillover event of H5N1 into dairy cattle, the second event in a week. In Oregon, multiple indoor-only cats have been infected and died from bird flu in recent weeks after eating contaminated raw food. As of Feb 19th, APHIS reported that HPAI has been detected in rats for the first time. Here is a running list of species infections recorded to date. 
  • RESOURCE: Protecting cats and humans from HPAI (AVMA)
  • What is the federal government doing? 
    • The short answer is the federal government is doing very little to help prevent the spread of HPAI. The Trump administration’s hostile campaign against science and confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine-skeptic, to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is hindering timely and effective response. The scrubbing of vital information from government websites is also preventing advocates from getting accurate information. Partners report that there was a month gap between critical updates on the CDC website that coincided with the communication freeze at the CDC. Vital information on bird flu appears to have been withheld from the February 6 issue of the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, including a study that suggests that infected house cats may be transmitting HPAI to humans. 
    • Some mixed news: On Feb. 14, the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics conditionally approved a license for Zoetis’s killed-virus H5N2 avian flu vaccine for use in chickens. But final widespread use and approval rests with national regulatory agencies and the poultry industry, and both have been reluctant to vaccinate flocks due to vaccine-use restrictions from other countries that may impact export.
  • How are states responding? 
    • The good news first: With the lack of federal action on bird flu, some states are looking to fill the gap. State Veterinary Departments are tracking state cases closely and releasing timely reports and information. Some state legislators are even working on bills that would support farmer workers in protecting themselves from HPAI and other contagious diseases. In Nebraska, legislators have put forward LB573 – Adopt the Meat and Poultry Workers and Contractors Protection Act, modeled after the federal Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act. 
    • The bad news: Some state legislators are taking advantage of the situation to push for repeal of intensive poultry confinement bans (cage-free laws), citing avian flu and high egg prices as the rationale. Michigan, Nevada, and Colorado have all introduced bills repealing confinement bans, and  Colorado included it in a larger inflation reduction package.
  • What happens next: 
    • What happens next is anyone’s guess, but advocates, scientists, and public health officials are reporting serious concerns that we might face another pandemic if swift and decisive action is not taken. 
    • State legislators have an important role to play in being a factual and trusted source of information on HPAI for their communities. In addition to connecting with your state public health officials and State Public Health Veterinarian about the situation in your state, here are some further resources on HPAI:  
  • RESOURCES: 
    • University of Minnesota: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy is posting daily updates on HPAI across the country and globe. Sign up for the newsletter here to have updates delivered to your inbox. 
    • USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has a resource page on HPAI, last updated on February 4th.
• Federal layoffs disproportionately hit rural communities.
  • As you’ve likely been seeing, farmers are being hit especially hard by the federal funding freeze and the most recent round of layoffs. Many employees of theUSDA National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), who provide funding, direct on-farm support and technical assistance to farmers, were laid off without warning this past weekend, along with scientists, U.S. Forest Service and Parks Service employees, and many others. The layoffs impacted “probationary” employees – newer hires who hadn’t yet gotten civil service protections – as well as long-time agency employees who had recently started a new position that had a probationary period. As with so much in the new administration, details are unclear and changing, but here is information on what we know at this point. 
  • Reddit has been a good resource to hear directly from impacted people and communities. (Take specific details with a grain of salt, but it’s good in the aggregate.) E.g., a report from a soil conservation district supervisor. 
  • At least 28 people were fired at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a newly-opened USDA/Department of Homeland Security research facility, which is the country’s only level 4 biosecurity lab for animals and the first lab capable of diagnostics and vaccines for zoonotic diseases. Among those fired were high-level researchers working on avian flu – but apparently that was “accidental” and USDA is scrambling to rehire them. 
  • Progressive Farmer details the impact of some of the layoffs: Array of Jobs, Grants Lost Across Ag USDA Cuts Stretch Across Nation’s Top Research Labs to Small, Urban Farmers Markets
• Resources for ongoing “theft of essential services” (a.k.a. federal funding freeze) 
  • The ongoing theft of essential services by the federal government continues to cause chaos felt at the local level. Reports from inside the federal administration indicate that despite a court order, the Trump administration continues to freeze the disbursement of federal grants and loans for a wide range of programs. Some of the frozen funds have resulted in a breach of contract by the federal government, as farmers and many others have spent monies based on an agreement that they would be reimbursed by the feds. National Farmers Union President Rob Larew discusses some examples; The Oklahoman and a Minnesota source provide others.
  • Learn more about the status of the freeze here in the Jan. 28th and Feb. 3rd CROP Hot Takes emails. Below are some further resources and readings to support you in helping rural communities and farmers navigate the funding freeze. 
  • Land and Liberation’s Federal Funding Resources 
  • Trump’s Funding Freeze Creates Chaos and Financial Distress for Farmers (Civil Eats)
  • What we are keeping an eye on (information from trusted partners): 
    • Looming Federal Government Shutdown: Anticipate hearing more about a federal government shutdown that will further impact many of the programs our communities rely on. The extensions currently funding the federal government are running out in mid-March and advocates are anticipating a bit of a bloodbath as the administration looks to continue pushing their slash-and-burn agenda. One of the main programs in the crosshairs to be cut: SNAP and other critical nutrition programs.  
    • Retaliatory Tariffs: The 30-day pause on 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods ends March 3rd. Should the tariffs go into effect, advocates anticipate that retaliatory tariffs will be swift and severe, with some of the first ones targeting U.S. agriculture industry exports.