Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/26/19

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, ranking member on the Agriculture Committee, called on Perdue to provide a "thorough explanation" after POLITICO reported this weekend that the department was effectively burying scientific research about the effects of climate change on farming and nutrition.

The Michigan Democrat said USDA should issue a press release and "prominently post on its website" all of its climate research publications since the start of the Trump administration. "The claims in the Politico article are highly concerning given the significant effects that climate change is having on our farmers and agricultural economy," Stabenow wrote.

About that response: Perdue briefly addressed the POLITICO report in a CNN interview on Tuesday, noting that he meets regularly with climate scientists about "smart agriculture" and various soil health practices.

"I'm not aware of any time there's been any discussion," Perdue said. "I'd love to see the evidence there. I was really shocked over that story because I've had no communication about any kind of research. ... If you call yourself a facts-based, data-driven decision maker, you get a choice, you get a chance to talk about what ought to be studied, but you don't get a chance to determine the facts, and that's what we want. That's what we want our researchers to do."

Bonus quote: Perdue, asked about the prospects for yet another round of trade aid next year, said he's "not going to promise anything for 2020." Of course, as MA readers know, the USDA chief repeatedly said producers shouldn't expect any aid for 2019 — until Trump took to Twitter to order up another relief package for farmers as trade talks with China were breaking down.