WASHINGTON–Late last night, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reversed course and committed to restore climate-focused webpages purged from its websites after  Earthjustice and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), and the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Resources purged from USDA websites include information on climate-smart farming, accessing federal loans, forest conservation, and rural clean energy projects. USDA erased entire climate sections from the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service sites, including information helping farmers access billions of dollars for critical conservation practices. It also disabled interactive tools, such as the U.S. Forest Service’s “Climate Risk Viewer,” a “one-stop shop for climate-related geospatial data” with over 140 data layers. 

This purge hurt communities across the country by depriving farmers, researchers, and advocates the resources they need to make time-sensitive farming decisions and participate in highly consequential debates about USDA funding and policies related to climate change.  

The motion explains that USDA’s webpage purge—which removed numerous policies, guides, datasets, interactive tools, and other vital resources about climate-smart agriculture, forest conservation, climate change adaptation, and investment in clean energy projects in rural America—harms farmers, farm advisors, researchers, and advocates, who depend on these resources to make important, time-sensitive farming decisions and participate in fast-moving, highly consequential public debates about USDA funding and policies. It also explains that USDA’s removal of these critical resources violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

“USDA can’t reasonably justify its decision to remove dozens of webpages that farmers, researchers, and advocates rely on every day,” said Jackson Busch, a legal fellow at the Knight Institute. “The court should require USDA to maintain these webpages while this lawsuit proceeds to prevent any further harm to farmers and the public alike.”

“Purging climate-focused webpages doesn’t make climate change go away, but it does inflict significant—and immediate—harm on farmers, researchers, and advocates,” said Jeffrey Stein, associate attorney at Earthjustice. “We’re asking the court to restore access to crucial public information before more damage is done.”

“The decision to erase resources is an attack on transparency and a disservice to the farmers and rural communities who rely on this information,” said Rebecca Riley, managing director at Food & Agriculture, NRDC. “Keeping farmers in the dark won’t make extreme weather or financial risks disappear—it only makes adapting to them harder. With this filing, we are seeking action to ensure these critical resources are restored before more harm is done.”

Read the motion here. 

Read more about the case here. 

For more information, contact: Adriana Lamirande, adriana.lamirande@knightcolumbia.org 

All farmers in the U.S. are facing extreme and changing weather patterns. Climate information is critical to help them make the best choices and access resources to mitigate harm to their livelihoods. Many farmers are also moving to climate-smart practices because it’s good for business; studies show that people often prefer and will pay more for climate-smart foods. Denying farmers access to information on developing markets and federal funding hurts their profits.

“USDA’s policies influence everything from the shape of our economy to the food we eat. Farmers, researchers, and advocates rely on USDA data to make important decisions about their work,” said Stephanie Krent, a staff attorney at the Knight Institute. “USDA’s sudden elimination of webpages that used to provide this information hurts all of us. Members of the public have a right to know how the department is implementing its priorities and administering its programs.”

The website purge, alongside widespread USDA staff layoffs and the freeze of billions in conservation funding, will impair food security, leave farmers and rural economies without critical support, and deprive farmers, researchers, and advocates the information they need to press for the re-instatement of funding and support.

The lawsuit argues that USDA is violating three federal laws: the Freedom of Information Act, which mandates public access to key documents; the Paperwork Reduction Act, which requires adequate notice before changing information access; and the Administrative Procedure Act, which prohibits arbitrary government actions.

Resources removed from USDA websites last month include information on climate-smart farming, federal loans, conservation, and climate adaptation. The USDA erased entire climate sections from the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service sites, including information helping farmers access billions of dollars for critical conservation practices. It also disabled interactive tools, such as the U.S. Forest Service’s “Climate Risk Viewer,” as well as technical guidance on cutting emissions and strengthening resilience to extreme weather.

The outcome of this lawsuit will have implications for the Trump administration across agencies. Since January 20, the Trump administration took down over 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen agencies from public access, including resources on public health, disaster preparedness, environmental justice, and foreign aid. Many of these pages have either vanished entirely or reappeared with restricted access.

Quotes from our clients and partners:

“USDA’s irrational climate change purge doesn’t just hurt farmers, researchers, and advocates. It also violates federal law several times over,” said Jeffrey Stein, Earthjustice associate attorney. “USDA should be working to protect our food system from droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather, not denying the public access to critical resources.”

“By wiping critical climate resources from the USDA’s website, the Trump administration has deliberately stripped farmers and ranchers of the vital tools they need to confront the escalating extreme weather threats like droughts and floods,” said Anne Schechinger, Midwest director for the Environmental Working Group. “This lawsuit isn’t just about transparency—it’s about holding those in power accountable for undermining the very information that helps protect the livelihoods of food producers, the food system and our future.”

“Farmers are on the frontlines of climate impacts, we have been reacting to extreme weather and making choices to protect our businesses and our food system for years. Climate change is not a hoax. Farmers, fisherman and foresters know from experience, that we need every piece of science and intergenerational knowledge to adjust to this new reality,” said Wes Gillingham, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) board president. “Taking climate change information off websites, freezing funds, and laying off USDA workers that are helping to protect communities is ludicrous. The removal of vital information for family farms is the real hoax being played on America.”

“The Department of Agriculture’s website provides critical information about the devastating impacts of a changing climate on farming and helps farmers access programs to make their practices more resilient and save money,” said Rebecca Riley, managing director, Food & Agriculture, NRDC. “This information is crucial for making better decisions about growing food in a time of greater risk from more unpredictable weather and smaller profit margins. By removing climate information from the USDA’s website, the Trump administration is not just making farming harder—it is undermining our ability to adapt and respond to the very challenges climate change presents.”

Read today’s complaint here.

For more information, contact: Adriana Lamirande, adriana.lamirande@knightcolumbia.org