CLAY CENTER, NEB. — The US Department of Agriculture’s Meat Animal Research Center (MARC), based near Clay Center, Neb., may be the among the governmental entities to have been impacted by the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce.

On Feb. 17, University of Nebraska System President Jeffrey Gold sent a letter to faculty, students and staff informing them of federal actions that may affect the university.

“The administration’s Department of Government Efficiency is driving significant shifts across federal agencies as it moves to reduce the federal workforce,” Gold said. “As part of these efforts, termination notices were issued late last week to employees within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), impacting areas such as animal and plant health inspection, predator management on rangelands, farmland conservation, agricultural research and fire suppression and management.”

Gold mentioned the MARC as one of the places reductions may take place. He said the workforce changes could carry direct implications on the university’s collaboration with the center.

“The work undertaken through these partnerships is essential to Nebraska’s producers and communities, supporting vital research, conservation efforts and resource management,” he wrote.

A report from KSNB Local4 indicated that cutbacks may have already taken place at the MARC. As of last week, the MARC website listed out its departments and the number of people who worked within them; however, after a website update on Feb. 16, all the departments and personnel previously listed were removed.

Nebraska Cattlemen issued a statement on the importance of preserving the MARC.

"From their groundbreaking work on bovine respiratory disease, reducing sudden beef cattle deaths due to congenital heart failure, dramatically improving traditional food tests for Salmonella, improving heifer fertility, and of course drastically improving the evaluation of beef cattle in feed efficiency, we cannot emphasize enough how important the US Meat Animal Research Center is to the future of the beef cattle industry," said Laura Field, the executive vice president of Nebraska Cattlemen. "We understand and respect the federal government’s desire to cut wasteful spending, but the truth of the matter is, USMARC does not fall in that category."

Representative Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) agreed with Nebraska Cattlemen that the MARC is a valuable part of innovation within the livestock sector. 

“The Meat Animal Research Center drives innovation in livestock production, strengthens our understanding of animal health and ensures federal policy is aligned with the needs of hardworking livestock producers in Nebraska and across the country," he said. "I am looking closely at the work DOGE is doing to fulfill President Trump’s mandate to ensure accountability in how federal agencies spend taxpayer dollars. Supporting American producers on the cutting edge of agriculture innovation is vital for our communities and food safety.”

USDA did not respond with confirmation on these possible personnel changes by the time of publication.

This article has been updated from the time of publication to include a statement from Nebraska Cattlemen and Representative Adrian Smith.