The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prevented hundreds of scientists from attending the 27th Annual Plant and Genome Conference. The conference, which took place from January 12 to 16 in San Diego, is considered the “largest ag-genomics meeting in the world,” bringing together “over 3,000 leading genetics scientists and researchers in plant and animal research.” Hundreds of USDA scientists were scheduled to attend the conference but, according to organizers, had to pull out due to the partial government shutdown.