Federal farming gurus have spent nearly $56 million in recent years attending conferences around the world to talk about everything from bugs and bacteria to dirt and diversity.

In nearly two dozen cases, a single U.S. Department of Agriculture employee attended a conference at a cost to taxpayers of $10,000 or more, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of agency records. In one instance, the USDA spent nearly $57,000 for a conference attended by only one of its employees, according to agency disclosures that do not provide any explanation of the cost.