Carrying the war on diversity too far
In mid February Elon Musk’s DOGE (pronounced “douche”) attacked the USDA’s team of scientists that maintain a diverse collection of seeds as a strategic hedge against catastrophic famine brought on by any number of potential threats. The DOGE team fired some of the scientists that carry out this important work.
Since its establishment in 1898, the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Plant Germplasm System and the scientists who support it have systematically gathered and maintained the agricultural plant species that undergird our food system in vast collections such as the one in Aberdeen. The collections represent a towering achievement of foresight that food security depends on the availability of diverse plant genetic resources. NY Times, March 22, 2025
One can imagine that Elon and Trump heard that the USDA was protecting diverse plant genetics and wanted to rid the agency of this DEI program.
Posted 22 March 2025 by Mark ·
