U.S. budgetary cuts impacting the U.S. bureaucracy and scientific research communities could have secondary effects abroad, including in Canadian agricultural research and monitoring. GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIOFUNDED RESEARCH The good news—Grain Farmers of Ontario initiatives, such as the cross-border Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) challenge and Research and Innovation Department-funded projects, are unaffected by chaos south of the border. Josh Cowan, research and innovation director, says Grain Farmers of Ontario has not “run into much in the way of direct issues tied to cross-border connections” because does not have “many projects that cross the border.” Similarly, senior agronomist Marty Vermey says the YEN program remains unaffected despite the participation of American farm groups. “Our U.S. counterparts are aware of funding changes in the U.S., and it does not affect the program, but it does put pressure on researchers. The YEN is run by the farmer organizations—Michigan Wheat Program and Grain Farmers of Ontario—so as long as the Matt McIntosh Weathering the storm How U.S. research funding cuts impact Ontario science Sweeping funding cuts and indiscriminate firings across a wide range of government departments in the United States marked the first few months of Donald Trump’s second presidential term. Crop-related research at land-grant universities, avian flu monitoring and prevention efforts, weather monitoring services, and other areas within agriculture have been directly impacted. boards of these grower organizations are in favour of the program, it will continue and be supported by extension staff.” Inquiries were also made to several agricultural researchers at the University of Guelph regarding the impact of White House actions. Respondents similarly indicated that their work has not been affected, although several expressed knowledge of friends and colleagues in the U.S. who are facing very hard and uncertain times. DEGRADED WEATHER PREDICTION CAPACITY While the Trump administration’s drastic funding cuts may not be directly impacting Ontario farmers and many agriculture researchers, there are indirect impacts. For example, reduced capacity to track and manage the spread of diseases in livestock— such as avian influenza, the leading current example—increases the risk of outbreaks in Canada. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has also seen significant funding reductions. As the Council on Foreign Relations details, many of the agency’s core functions are impacted, including ocean monitoring, regional and coastal planning, climate research, and weather forecasting. Council on Foreign Relations author Alice Hill writes staffing cuts have, by May 23, 2025, “already curtailed the daily launch of weather balloons that collect weather data and left some NOAA offices without forecasters on-site overnight. Meanwhile, a backlog of unsigned NOAA contracts has hampered the agency’s operations, including initiatives designed to help communities prepare for extreme weather.” “Impacts from budget and staff cuts to NOAA extend beyond U.S. borders. They will disrupt the data collection fundamental to climate research and modelling as well as degrade international forecasting and climate assessment capabilities.” BARRING ACCESS TO DATA James Macklin, Ottawa-based botany and biodiversity research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, confirms Canada is one such forecasting partner, and that many of his research colleagues are concerned. While the curtailing of NOAA’s analysis and ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 30
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