Farm Support Services NAICS 1151, 1152

Mar 30, 2025 - Federal Help to Combat Bird Flu

• The USDA plans to invest up to $100 million in projects that will help combat bird flu in poultry and directly support America’s farmers and ranchers, according to the press release from the agency. Funding is available, through a competitive process, to for-profit organizations, including vaccine and therapy makers, as well as states, universities, and other eligible entities, according to the agency. The USDA is prioritizing projects focused on the development of novel vaccines to protect poultry from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and treat infected flocks while promoting biosecurity. USDA will test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions to prevent bird flu and treat infected flocks. In consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, USDA will also explore prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans, to ensure limited impact on American farmers, according to the press release.
• The federal government has come to the rescue of the ailing US farm sector with an unprecedented infusion of cash, Farm Journal reports. The nation’s farms can expect to see a significant increase in net farm income in 2025, primarily driven by a staggering 345% increase in government payments, despite a decline in overall farm revenues. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, net farm income is forecast to reach $180.1 billion, up $41 billion from 2024, while net cash farm income is projected to hit $193.7 billion, a $34.5 billion increase. Farm Journal notes that while the increase in government payments has bolstered working capital and improved financial health indicators, concerns persist regarding the long-term sustainability of farm support programs. With farm receipts declining and tariff uncertainties looming, lawmakers may face pressure to reform the farm safety net.

• Falling crop prices and rising input costs are causing US farmers to cut back on spending, sending shocks throughout the US agriculture sector and prompting The Wall Street Journal to announce in a December headline “America’s Farm Recession is Here.” The downturn in the ag economy, which began in 2023 when net farm income tumbled 20% and again by about 4% in 2024, follows record setting farm income in 2022 fueled by soaring grain prices due to the pandemic and war in Ukraine, according to the USDA. Rising costs for seed, fertilizer, and equipment amid tumbling prices for corn, soybeans, and wheat due to bumper crops is weighing on farmers’ earnings, WSJ reports. US farmers are cutting back on their spring planting budgets by trading down to generic chemicals to treat their crops, Reuters reported in January.
• President Trump’s mass deportation plan could cut the agricultural labor force in half and create major obstacles for US farmers already struggling with labor shortages, experts cited by Newsweek warned. Nearly half (45%) of all agricultural workers in the US – 950,000 of an estimated 2.2 million farmworkers – are "unauthorized" migrants working illegally on US farms and ranches. The dairy industry would be especially hard hit. According to the National Milk Producers Federation, immigrant labor accounts for 51% of all dairy labor, and dairies that employ immigrants produce 79% of the US milk supply. Major dairy-producing states, including California and Wisconsin, would be significantly impacted by the proposed deportations, as would fruit and vegetable producers in California, where approximately 75% of farm workers are undocumented, according to the Center for Farmworker Families.