The Aggregate Aggregation V9
Agroecology in the News (Week of March 31, 2025)
Welcome back to The Aggregate Aggregation, our weekly roundup of news and publications that caught our eyes over the last week or so. You can read Volume 8 here.
Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. Don’t worry, we’ve got content on tariffs. But also much more, including more federal policy news you might have missed because… tariffs. Also, our regular updates on bird flu and egg prices, plus news regarding octopus farming, crop mapping, salmon and tires, and more.
Let’s make it a conversation! Please share your reflections - we’d love to continue the discussion in the comments.
Digging Deep
Last week, we shared news about the new Civil Eats Debates series. We at The Aggregate are encouraged to see more open debate and discussion about critical food systems topics. Disagreement and conversation are tools we can use to understand policy, and each other, better. This is how we build community. This is how we build movements.
So we were excited to see more conversation between outlets this week, with Ambrook Research re-sharing a 2024 piece on land application of biosolids (New York’s Sludge Wars Are Personal) in direct response to the op-ed from Morning Ag Clips that we also shared in last week’s Aggregation. This exchange comes at a critical time as more states, concerned by the impacts of PFAS and following the example set by Maine, explore banning agricultural application of biosolids. New York is considering such legislation this year.
Bet you thought we’d be talking about tariffs in Digging Deep! Don’t worry, we get to this, below. Keep reading 😂
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Should states ban agricultural application of biosolids? What are the pros and cons, in your mind? Please leave us a comment!
Surface Level
💱Tariffs trump headlines across outlets
Trump Announces Higher Tariffs on Major Food and Agricultural Trade Partners (Politico Food Policy Tracker). “At an event in the White House Rose Garden today, President Trump announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on imports from all countries and higher retaliatory tariffs on some of the United States’ most important agricultural trade partners. Trump will levy tariffs of 34 percent against China and 20 percent against the European Union… economists say that the tariffs will cause food prices to rise and negatively impact Americans struggling to feed their families, not to mention small businesses like independent grocers and restaurants. Farmers and others across the food system are also incredibly worried about profound economic consequences. Last time around, the tariffs caused farmers who export their crops to lose billions of dollars; Trump’s USDA bailed them out with close to $30 billion in taxpayer funds.”
And we are already seeing the USDA make payments to appease farmers through the recently announced Emergency Commodity Assistance Program ($10B).
Trump administration ramps up farm aid discussions amid tariff fallout (Politico). “Trump administration officials are assuring farm-state Republicans they will funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to farmers who are hit by President Donald Trump’s intensifying trade war. But it may be some time before any money is released. The administration wants to take stock of the economic fallout of the tariffs in the agriculture sector before rolling out aid, officials have told Republicans on Capitol Hill.”
Grocery Shoppers Will Feel the Tariffs First in the Produce Aisle (New York Times, via Food Fix). “Grocery shoppers are likely to feel the impact of the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs before April is over. And the first place they’ll feel it is in parts of the store where the inventory has to move fast,” writes Kim Severson. “In the produce aisle, food analysts said Thursday, expect small price increases on everyday purchases like bananas from Guatemala and grapes from Peru, countries whose exports to the United States will incur 10 percent tariffs when the new fees go into effect on Saturday.”
Op-ed: How Trump’s Tariffs Could Impact Your Local Restaurant (Civil Eats). “We must stop treating restaurants as afterthoughts in trade policy. Tariffs aren’t just issues for economists or politicians—they’re disrupting what ends up on your plate, who prepares it, and whether that restaurant you love will still be there next month. It’s time to bring independent restaurants to the policy table.”
AFBF: Additional Tariffs Will Take Toll on America’s Farmers (Morning Ag Clips). “American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today [April 2, 2025] on President Trump’s announcement that the United States will impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners. ‘Trade is critical to the success of farmers and ranchers across the country. We share the administration’s goal of leveling the playing field with our international partners, but increased tariffs threaten the economic sustainability of farmers who have lost money on most major crops for the past three years.’”
Farmers and Ranchers Will Bear the Brunt of a Global Trade War (Morning Ag Clips). “National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew released the following statement today [April 2, 2025] after the White House reciprocal tariff announcement. ‘One thing is certain: American family farmers and ranchers will bear the brunt of this global trade war. The economic strain and uncertainty that farmers face have reached a breaking point. Without meaningful support and a commitment to fair trade policies, we will lose even more family farms, weaken rural economies, and ultimately drive up costs and limit choices for consumers at the grocery store.’”
🇺🇸More federal policy changes impacting ag
House Democrats Hold Forum on NOAA Cuts and Point to Impacts on Farmers and Fishermen (Politico Food Policy Tracker). “Representative Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) said that one of those offices is a branch of the National Marine Fisheries Service in his district, noting that NOAA is an ‘economic engine’ for fishing and agriculture, two industries that depend on weather and climate data. ‘Fishermen rely on accurate weather predictions to safely navigate our waters,’ he said. ‘Farmers rely on NOAA’s climate models to make informed decisions that affect their crops and livelihoods.’”
Kennedy and Rollins Highlight Healthy School Food After USDA Slashes Funds for Those Efforts (Politico Food Policy Tracker). “The Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program has been in place since 2013, and the school Rollins and Kennedy were visiting likely benefited from it, at least tangentially. The Virginia Department of Education received the grants in 2017, 2020, and 2022 to expand farm-to-school efforts across the state. Last year, Alexandria City Public Schools’ nutrition staff participated in raising awareness of Virginia Farm-to-School; they posted a photo of the same salad bar set-up to showcase their commitment.”
Everything I Never Learned About USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Program (Ambrook Research via Food Fix). “Some farmers had already shelled out a lot of their own hard-earned money for equipment and materials. They were now on the hook for those costly expenditures, which they trusted the government would pay back because it said so right in their contracts; many were uncertain if their farms would survive the hit. So, this is also a story about panic, depression, and anger.”
Trump moves to strip unionization rights from most federal workers (Politico). “The order would eliminate collective bargaining rights from roughly 67 percent of the entire federal workforce and for 75 percent of workers who are already in a union.”
NCAE Urges USDA to Investigate Undisbursed Funds to Farmers (National Council of Agricultural Employers). “In a letter addressed to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) urges Secretary Rollins to investigate an unexplained halt in disbursement of federal grant funds previously allocated and awarded to farmers to help address critical labor shortages and reduce irregular migration… NCAE also relayed that, despite repeated attempts, participants report they have not received clarity from USDA on the status of the FLSP funding, and when or whether they will be reimbursed for incurred or future expenses.”
🐓As usual: bird flu and egg prices
One state’s desperate new plan to fix its egg shortage (Vox). “Arizona is delaying its cage-free standards to free up the egg supply. Experts say it won’t help much.”
The US Is on an Egg Hunt in Europe to Ease Prices at Home (Morning Ag Clips). “The U.S. government is on a global egg hunt, seeking exports from countries in Europe and elsewhere to ease a severe shortage that has caused egg prices at grocery stores to hit record highs… But supplying Americans with eggs would be complicated for foreign producers — and not because of political tensions over the myriad import tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed or threatened to impose on his nation’s top trading partners. Even if they were eager to share, European countries don’t have many surplus eggs because of their own avian flu outbreaks and the growing domestic demand ahead of Easter.”
🔄Everything else that caught our eyes
Food Fix reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich is co-hosting a new, monthly podcast called Forked as part of FERN’s Buzzkill series. Check out their first episode here.
Our car tires are poisoning salmon—and maybe us, too (National Geographic).
Pesticide in food that's 'making America sick again' may get free pass (Fox News via Food Fix). “Georgia SB 144 would ‘clarify that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers of health risks above those required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with respect to pesticides,’ reads the bill.”
What Impact Does Climate Change Have on Agriculture: A Look Into the Future (Agritecture). “Climate change is reshaping the way food is grown, and if you’re into greenhouses or urban farming, you’re already part of the solution. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather make traditional approaches less reliable, which means innovative, sustainable methods are more crucial than ever. Greenhouses create controlled environments to protect plants from extreme conditions, and urban farming brings fresh produce closer to people's homes. As climate challenges intensify, embracing these modern approaches can help secure a steady food supply while reducing environmental impact.”
Mapping the Earth’s Crops (Morning Ag Clips). “Imagine you’re a farmer, and you’re planning what to grow this season. You may want to know what crop would be most valuable to grow. If you’re a policymaker, you might want to know if there would be a shortage of a particular crop and incentivize farmers to grow it through subsidies. To do this, you’d have to know what’s currently growing to make those decisions – that’s where crop mapping comes into play.”
Octopus farming in NC? A bill was filed banning it (Axios Charlotte). “A leading environmental voice in the North Carolina House has introduced a bill to outlaw octopus farming for human consumption.”
Scientists Shielding Farming From Climate Change Are Receiving Less Public Funding (Morning Ag Clips). “The U.S. needs more publicly funded research and development on agriculture to offset the effects of climate change, according to a paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month. But instead the U.S. has been investing less. United States Department of Agriculture data shows that as of 2019, the U.S. spent about a third less on agricultural research than its peak in 2002, a difference of about $2 billion. The recent pauses and freezes to funding for research on climate change and international development are only adding to the drop.”
New Data Confirm Catastrophic Honey Bee Colony Losses (Morning Ag Clips). “Newly analyzed data confirm the staggering honey bee colony losses detailed last month of 1.6 million colonies lost with commercial beekeepers sustaining an average loss of 62% between June 2024 and March 2025. Additional survey responses and field analyses now paint an even darker picture, reinforcing concerns about the long-term viability of pollination services critical to U.S. agriculture. Experts warn that without immediate intervention, the ripple effects could drive up costs for farmers, disrupt food production, and shutter many commercial beekeeping operations.”
Op-Ed: Before 'Consuming' Research Findings… (Morning Ag Clips). “‘Research is like meatloaf,’ a wise man once opined. “Before you consume it, you need to know what’s in it and who cooked it.’ Those words came cascading through my mind as I read a recent research paper in the scientific journal PNAS titled ‘U.S. grass-fed beef is as carbon intensive as industrial beef and 10-fold more intensive than common protein-dense alternatives.’”
APRIL 16 EVENT: Advancing Anaerobic Digesters With Innovation (Morning Ag Clips). “Entrepreneurship and innovation drive forces across industries, and agriculture is no exception. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is an innovation that presents exciting opportunities for agricultural advancement, offering sustainable solutions with significant economic and environmental potential. This event is the last installment of a six-part series of C-CHANGE webinars. C-CHANGE is the Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises.”
What’s a Sustainable Fishery? It Depends Who You Ask. (Ambrook Research). “Using the MSY limit has inarguably improved the sustainability of fisheries around the world. But unfortunately, it is but an imperfect metric of sustainability. Experts say that it’s hard to measure accurately, and there’s even disagreement on how to calculate it. It’s also becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world where fish stocks are suffering from the effects of climate change: A level of harvest that might be sustainable in one year may not be during a fish-killing heatwave.”
What did we miss? Drop a link to your favorite story of the week (or month, or year) in the comments. Tell us why it resonated with you!
What we’re reading
A list of sources the editors at The Aggregate check regularly for our agroecology+ news.
So much happening. I hadn't thought much yet about the impact of the tariffs on US farmers. I wonder if the traditionally strong farm lobby will be able to push back on this one.
I HAD thought about the impact of the funding cuts and freezes on public sector research for agriculture, including on climate change impacts, since we are seeing this very directly now. So incredibly sad.
On a brighter note, I love this quote that you found from Morning Ag Clips: “‘Research is like meatloaf,’ a wise man once opined. “Before you consume it, you need to know what’s in it and who cooked it.’