**Under orders from President Trump to cut spending by 5 percent, the USDA may try to slash the taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance program, eliminate a green-payment program, or take an ax to its research agencies.

A USDA spokesman tells agriculture.com, the agency stands with the president and his goal of being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars and will meet his target.

As governor of Georgia, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue submitted budgets smaller than the previous year’s five of the eight times.

**The lawyer most responsible for winning a $289 million verdict against Bayer AG may end up wiping it out.

According to agrimarketling.com, lead attorney, Brent Wisner convinced a jury in August that Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer caused his client's cancer.

But Wisner's closing arguments, including a comment that Monsanto executives were waiting to pop champagne corks if damages were low enough, irked Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos so profoundly, she’s considering tossing the verdict.

Bolanos cited a number of reasons, especially those comments as “sufficiently prejudicial.”

**USDA’s National Organic Program is working to make it a little easier for certifiers and businesses to export organic products.

Agwired.com reports, the organic industry may now utilize the USDA Electronic Trade Document Exchange System to submit and approve organic export certificates and send them to participating foreign trade partners.

Foreign trade partners can electronically review information about shipments leaving the U.S., validate export certificates, and pull electronic certificates into their systems.

 

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