USDA Extends Reorg Plan Comment Period to Sept. 30

Sep 04, 2025

By Ryan Hanrahan

Politico’s Samuel Benson reported that “the Agriculture Department has quietly extended the public comment period for its controversial reorganization plan to Sept. 30, doubling the length of time provided for input on an initiative that has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans since it was unveiled last month.”

“USDA released the plan for public comment on July 24 for a period that was originally set to last 30 days. A department webpage that earlier this week listed the deadline as Aug. 31 now says it is Sept. 30,” Benson reported. “‘The additional days in the comment period are to ensure everyone who wants to submit feedback, can,’ USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis said in a statement. ‘This aligns with our original intent to hear from our stakeholders.'”

“Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized USDA over its rollout of the plan, which calls for relocating much of its Washington-area workforce to five regional hubs across the country,” Benson reported. “Senate Democrats — led by Agriculture Committee ranking member Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sen. Adam Schiff of California — sent a letter earlier this week urging Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to extend the comment period to at least 60 days.”

The USDA says that “all stakeholders, including USDA employees, members of Congress, and agricultural and nutrition partners, are encouraged to provide feedback by emailing reorganization@usda.gov.”

Source : illinois.edu

Video: Managing Severe PRRS Outbreaks - Dr. Claire Mtezankuni

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Claire Mtezankuni, Swine Veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service, discusses the growing severity of PRRS outbreaks in sow farms. She explains how respiratory disease and sow mortality are changing outbreak response, why necropsies and bacterial cultures can guide treatment, and how vaccination, biosecurity, pain management, and clear team communication support recovery and elimination. Listen now on all major platforms!

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Meet the guest: Dr. Claire Mtezankuni / claire-mtezankuni-2529b1b3 is a Swine Veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service in Illinois, where her work includes commercial farm veterinary leadership, herd health, disease elimination, and veterinary internship coordination. She holds a DVM from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master of Veterinary Science in Livestock Systems Health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Learn more from Dr. Claire Mtezankuni on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.