AUDIO: Carl Zulauf, Ohio State University
An ag economist says President Trump’s 2027 budget proposal could impact several USDA programs that are needed by farmers and ranchers.
Carl Zulauf with Ohio State University says the department’s funding would be cut by $4.9 billion.
“The President’s priorities support programs that are private market oriented,” he says. “This is really significant for USDA because only about 13 to 15 percent of the budget is discretionary.”
He tells Brownfield there is flat funding for the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, but some of the smaller conservation programs are being cut by about 50 percent or more.
“Some of the food and nutrition programs are cut,” he says. “There are cuts that are related to staffing decisions. There’s also cuts being made to the forest service.”
President Trump’s budget for 2026 proposed a $7 billion cut to USDA, but Congress fully funded the department for another year.
Zulauf says both the House and Senate have until October 1st to finalize next year’s budget.
