University of Nebraska and Pork Producers fear results of USDA layoffs

New federal workforce cuts are setting off alarms with the state's pork producers association and researchers at the state's land grant university.

Multiple reports say 17 people have been laid off from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. It's operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Research at the Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center (USMARC) keeps the U.S. competitive with other countries, according to Al Juhnke, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association. The facility is essential for advancing pork production across the country, Juhnke said.

"The research they do out there affects all swine producers in the country," Juhnke said. "There's not another facility this size for pork production and the research that goes on."

Years of research could be lost if projects are interrupted, he added. Locally, the animal and meat research facility is essential for Clay Center’s economy.

Following job cuts at the USDA, certain research projects at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are on hold. Director of the agriculture research division at UNL Derek McLean said the university collaborates with the USDA on several projects, and now, timely research is coming to halt.

"If some of these projects were at risk of getting lost, those are important, for tools to improve animal health, the efficiency of livestock production, such as feeding efficiency and reproductive efficiency, genetic selection to improve the quality of the products," McLean said. "There's research going on that we collaborate with them on food safety."

McLean said the university doesn’t know the full impact of the layoffs yet but fears farmers and ranchers could be missing out on best practices going forward.

Nebraska Public Media News reporters reached out to the state’s five congressional delegates for comment on the reported USDA layoffs. Senator Pete Ricketts was the only one to reply as of Tuesday afternoon, saying he’s long supported the research at the Meat Animal Research facility in Clay Center and will “investigate any actions taken there."