U.S. Department of Agriculture

New Capabilities

Active

In 1900, 41 percent of Americans worked on farms; today, fewer than 2 percent do—yet agricultural output has more than tripled. Tractors, combine harvesters, and chemical fertilizers triggered the largest peacetime migration in American history, sending tens of millions from fields to factories and reshaping the nation's economy, culture, and landscape.

Updated 7 days ago

Force in Play

Suspended $129 million in federal awards to Minnesota on January 10, 2026

On January 5, 2026, Governor Tim Walz announced he would drop his bid for a third term. The reversal came just two days before a contentious January 7 House Oversight Committee hearing where Republican state lawmakers testified that Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison ignored widespread fraud and silenced whistleblowers.

Updated May 21

Money Moves

Designs and administers farm aid and trade mitigation programs

Since 2018, U.S. farmers have been caught in Trump-era tariff battles—first the U.S.–China trade war, now tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico, and others. To counter lost exports and depressed prices, the Trump administrations funded large farm aid through the Agriculture Department's Commodity Credit Corporation: $12 billion in 2018, $16 billion in 2019.

Updated May 10