Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/19/19

Scott Hutchins, USDA's deputy undersecretary for research, education, and economics, defended the Trump administration's approach to agricultural research amid harsh criticism from Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday.

Several attacked the department for abruptly moving the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture — which is expected to result in mass attrition — and for not publicly promoting its own scientific findings and work on climate change.

USDA's secret climate science plan: After POLITICO reportedThursday that USDA officials had suppressed a sweeping plan for studying and responding to climate change, Hutchins told the committee the department never intended to make the report public, but added he had "no problem" with it being released.

Several USDA agencies contributed to the 33-page, multiyear plan, which outlines how the department should help agriculture understand, adapt to and minimize the effects of climate change. It acknowledges climate change is already affecting farmers and ranchers as well as forests.

Wanting it both ways on climate: Hutchins dodged specific questions from Senate Agriculture ranking member Debbie Stabenow about USDA's public communication of its climate work, but insisted the research is ongoing.

"The climate work... is expansive and robust," Hutchins said. He correctly noted that hundreds of climate-related studies have been published by USDA scientists in scientific journals — something that hasn't been in dispute.

However, USDA has largely stopped publicly acknowledging this work in press releases, blog posts, social media and other platforms.