Noah Wicks

South Dakota

Associate Editor at @agripulse | Believer in the power of empathy | Formerly @augiemirror and @daily_leader | Email: [email protected] | DM me for signal

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Articles

Lack of Mississippi River projects in Army Corps' FY25 build plan frustrates shippers

1 week ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward with plans to enhance inland waterway transportation through three main construction projects in 2025. None are on the Mississippi River, frustrating agricultural shippers eager to enhance that key waterway's infrastructure. A work plan released by the Corps of Engineers laying out how it plans to use funding in the continuing resolution to the FY24 government funding bill Congress passed in March lists $1.8 billion in construction projects.
Trump orders rollback of Snake River salmon plan

2 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered heads of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Energy, Interior and Commerce departments to pull out of Biden-era agreements intended to halt litigation over salmon declines in the Columbia and Snake River system.
New NRCS Chief Hopes Better Internet Service, Updated Technology Will Boost Morale

2 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Noah Wicks

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Aubrey Bettencourt on Tuesday said she hopes to address the longstanding workforce retention issues the agency has long struggled with. One of her first goals in this effort is to ensure offices have reliable internet access, as well as upgraded technology to better help both staff and producers. “We have a retention issue,” Bettencourt said, noting that is usually a sign employees are either bored or don’t feel supported.
USDA Buyouts Extend Well Beyond the Beltway, Data Shows

2 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Noah Wicks |Steve Davies

The majority of the of the roughly 15,100 USDA employees who accepted buyouts from the Trump administration worked outside the national capital region, ensuring that the department's downsizing will reverberate in communities across the country, according to deferred resignation program data obtained by Agri-Pulse.
Buyouts accepted by more than 15,000 USDA employees across the nation

2 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

The majority of the of the roughly 15,100 USDA employees who accepted buyouts from the Trump administration worked outside the national capital region, ensuring that the department's downsizing will reverberate in communities across the country, according to deferred resignation program data obtained by Agri-Pulse.
New NRCS chief hopes better internet service, improved technology will boost morale

2 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Aubrey Bettencourt on Tuesday said she hopes to address the longstanding workforce retention issues the agency has long struggled with. One of her first goals in this effort is to ensure offices have reliable internet access, as well upgraded technology to better help both these staff and producers. “We have a retention issue,” Bettencourt said, noting that is usually a sign employees are either bored or don’t feel supported.
Congress Likely to Block Automatic Farm Program Spending Cut

3 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Noah Wicks

A 2010 law that was supposed to bring budget deficits under control theoretically could force USDA to slash farm program spending because of the budget reconciliation bill Republicans hope to push through Congress. But lawmakers have routinely waived automatic spending cuts before and likely will do so again, leading some to question why the law is still on the books.
Grizzlies would keep threatened status in continental U.S. under proposed rule

3 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

Grizzly bears in the continental U.S. would retain their status as a threatened species under a proposed Fish and Wildlife Service rule but it would allow for 'take' of some grizzlies that kill livestock or destroy crops or beehives. However, it remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will move forward with the rule or rewrite it.
Sequestration from reconciliation bill threatens farm programs

3 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

A 2010 law that was supposed to bring budget deficits under control theoretically could force USDA to slash farm program spending because of the budget reconciliation bill Republicans hope to push through Congress. But lawmakers have routinely waived automatic spending cuts before and likely will do so again, leading some to question why the law is still on the books.
Daybreak June 3: AFBF details farm tax impact; Calif. USDA offices to stay open

3 weeks ago | agri-pulse.com | Noah Wicks

The average farm would pay $5,125 more in taxes each year should Congress fail to extend expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to an analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The additional taxes would total $9.3 billion for the ag sector. The biggest impact would come from higher individual tax rates and the expiration of the 20% deduction for pass-through business income.