USDA Cuts $148 Million in DEI Funding

Jun 18, 2025
By Farms.com

Secretary Rollins Eliminates Millions in Diversity-focused Awards to Prioritize Farmers

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins, has announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will terminate more than 145 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) focused awards, resulting in savings of up to $148.6 million.

The decision marks a shift towards prioritizing American farmers over what Secretary Rollins called "woke DEI propaganda."

Secretary Rollins emphasized, "Putting American Farmers First means cutting the millions of dollars that are being wasted on woke DEI propaganda.

Under President leadership, I am putting an end to the waste, fraud, and abuse that has diverted resources from American farmers and restoring sanity and fiscal stewardship to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

The following programs will be affected by the cuts -

A program focused on educating socially disadvantaged farmers on conservation practices, amounting to $575,251.

A project designed to create new urban forestry models aimed at environmental justice, with a cost of $192,246.

An initiative aimed at expanding equitable access to land, capital, and market opportunities for underserved Bay Area producers, totaling $2.5 million.

These programs, previously funded under the USDA’s diversity and inclusion efforts, will now be redirected to better serve the agricultural community and ensure that resources are effectively utilized.

This bold move underscores the USDA’s commitment to supporting the needs of American farmers, focusing on efficiency and reducing waste.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.