By Tom Polansek and Ashitha Shivaprasad

(Reuters) -Seth Meyer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief economist since 2021, will leave the agency to work for the University of Missouri’s food and agricultural policy institute, the university said on Tuesday.

Meyer’s departure comes after the USDA has lost thousands of research staff to President Donald Trump’s effort to shrink the federal government.

Meyer has been the head of the USDA office responsible for assessing crops globally and publishing a monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report that can swing crop prices. The report is considered one of the most influential sources of supply and demand data for agricultural commodities worldwide.

Starting on January 1, Meyer will join the University of Missouri to l

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